# Big Fish



## wvsportsmanjunior (Aug 27, 2006)

I stopped in the exxon in wellsburg, before work last night, and they had a picture hanging in there of guy standing down at pike island dam holding a 
BIG paddlefish probably 3 0r 4 feet long. It said he caught it on FEB 25th!
Wonder how he caught it? I'd love to catch one of them!!


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## Big Daddy (Apr 6, 2004)

Snagging. Paddlefish are plankton eaters.


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## Carpn (Apr 5, 2004)

They spawn really early in the yr also.


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## WISH IT WAS YOU (Jul 25, 2006)

well some times you will hook on to them with minnow and worms but rarely it might have been snagging


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## wvsportsmanjunior (Aug 27, 2006)

yeah, i know what they eat BigDaddy. That's why I said, I wonder how he caught it! If It was a Snagging, It had to be totally accidental. Which I guess is possible.


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## jkeeney20 (Mar 21, 2006)

Not all vegetarian in my observations.....a friend took me to his granpa's camp On the Ohio River 3 years ago...in Indiana...we caught 4 of them in one evening of fishing using shad as bait....and none were snagged....That was the first time I had ever seen one caught on hook and line...had one float past the boat a few months before that week down there...didn't know what it really was at that time....looked it up and everything, sure enough it was a paddlefish...so I don't exactly know what they eat


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## Cat~n~Crappie (Apr 15, 2004)

I would imagine it was snagged... and most likely not accidentally..

Been on the river on several occaisions and seen guys on the bank near feeder creek mouths, throwing big treble hooks out as far as they could get them on surf rods and then doing the reel in a little and jerk back real hard, reel in a little and jerk back reel hard...

Pretty depressing to see something of that nature going on, but from what I have read and heard, I guess its not really that uncommon and possibly legal in certain areas certain times of the year. 

Won't catch me doing it....


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## mrfishohio (Apr 5, 2004)

It's legal in KY and only off KY bank. Ohio river & Ky river only I think. It's in the regs, maybe Feb 1 to May 10th (?) I think, must be at least 200 yds below a dam (or farther-no closer than, as they stack up below the dams) new regs, I think only 2 are permitted now, the 1st 2 you get, no C&R, you must keep the 2 you catch & no giving them away either. Only from the bank, no boat snagging. Commercial fisherman net them mostly for the roe (caviar).
Paddlefish are plankton eaters, sometimes they might "swim" into a bait, but more accidental than on purpose.
I could be wrong, but that's my story & I'm sticking to it !


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## crawdiddy (Apr 10, 2006)

good to hear from you mrfishohio!!!!!!!!!!!

I started a thread a month or two about where you were and how you are doing. Cheers.


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