# Alum creek paddlefish!



## teknical 1tch (Sep 7, 2008)

This fish was foul hooked above the damn near africa rd. Certainly released unharmed. had no idea they were in alum. must be 1 in a million chance. measured over 5 feet with the bill.


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## Mizzy (Apr 23, 2011)

Oh my god.....What is that doing in Alum, are they actually supposed to be there. 

I wouldn't know the first thing to do with that fished if I pulled it ashore haha.


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## BigDub007 (Apr 1, 2010)

must have been 1 hek ofa fight


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## TDFleischer (Apr 5, 2010)

Wow, that is cool!

_Sent from my DROIDX_


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## andesangler (Feb 21, 2009)

Now that is cool. Thanks for sharing the photo! Rare fish, especially this far from the Ohio River. Must be a transplant, considering the location.

andesangler


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

That's an amazing catch, congratulations!


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## teknical 1tch (Sep 7, 2008)

I did not catch this fish. I was there but i didnt know the fisherman. Just wanted to share the moment. It was truly awesome


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## jiggerman (Nov 2, 2009)

That is a really cool looking fish it is amazing that they were able to land that fish, it must have been very powerul with those legs and paddle. What a nice experience to see that thing come out of a local lake. It goes to show you never know what you might reel in.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

Does the ODNR know about this? Not like they'd do anything if its a transplant.


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## zack pahl (Mar 8, 2009)

WOW! I've heard of one that was caught at Deer Creek a couple years ago, and that was shocking. I can't believe that this was caught at Alum!


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

That is one freaky fish. Thanx for sharing!


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## striperfreak (Apr 30, 2004)

Amazing! i showed up there after it was caught. Got two muskies and a saugeye.


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## BassBlaster (Jun 8, 2006)

I dont think they are all that uncommon. At least not to the point that ODNR dosnt know about them. There is signs or at least used to be signs posted all around Deer Creek saying they were endangered and must be imediately released if you caught one. I believe they are called Spoonbills.


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## BrOnZeBaCk BuTcHeR (Jul 23, 2008)

That was one hell a day on the water!!! upon being hooked the fish darted out of the water like a marlin! It was amazing, the fight took a good 3 to 5 minutes and finally she tired out. once she got close enough we tried to net her but the paddle got in the way!! so we ended up man handling her to the bank!! One of the greatest experiences I ever had in the water!! truely a once and a lifetime event. These creatures are as rare as they come and was amazed to see it happen.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Cool! 

Paddlefish are becoming relatively common in the Scioto and tributaries below Greenlawn.


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Awesome fish - When I was a kid I saw one caught out of the Ohio river and then a few years back I heard about the one caught out of Delaware. What A fish - I am sure that was a fun catch and a memory that will never be forgotten.


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## HookSet Harvey (Aug 12, 2010)

That's awesome.
Do you know what bait it was caught on?


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

They have been caught below the spillway too.


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## Jigging Jim (Apr 3, 2010)

That's a nice fish.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

MUST...GET...NET said:


> That's awesome.
> Do you know what bait it was caught on?



It was snagged. Spoonbill are filter feeders & do not take bait.


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## CaptJoe (Jan 20, 2009)

I know of one being caught that size below hoover but that was over 15 years ago. 

What a cool fish!


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

How did you figure out how to hold the fish for the picture? Trial and error? I wouldn't have had a clue.


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## Fishingislife (May 20, 2004)

hang_loose said:


> How did you figure out how to hold the fish for the picture? Trial and error? I wouldn't have had a clue.


Well for you, you would have to leave your skirt at home so it wouldn't get in the way...


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## CaptJoe (Jan 20, 2009)

Fishingislife said:


> Well for you, you would have to leave your skirt at home so it wouldn't get in the way...


now that's funny right there. I don't care who ya are.


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

Fishingislife said:


> Well for you, you would have to leave your skirt at home so it wouldn't get in the way...


Nice shot there Fishingwife............I owe you one.


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## BrOnZeBaCk BuTcHeR (Jul 23, 2008)

these things are awesome.


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## bshin20 (Apr 9, 2011)

Very cool! Congratulations!


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## getitgetit (Apr 21, 2009)

My dad hooked one in deer creek spillway heck of a fish \m/.


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## KWaller (Oct 3, 2010)

So how do you approach catchin them with anybait, or do they always get snagged instead of legally caught?



fallen513 said:


> It was snagged. Spoonbill are filter feeders & do not take bait.




_OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors_


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## getitgetit (Apr 21, 2009)

getitgetit said:


> My dad hooked one in deer creek spillway heck of a fish \m/.



My dad caught his about 6 or 7 years ago.Forgot to say he asked a guy if he would watch the fish if he put it on a stringer so he could go to the store and buy a camera the guy said you should turn it loose asap so my dad did..I was at the beach when this happend and this fish was also snagged....\m/


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## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

pretty sweet, i was under the assumption that their range was only as far north as greenlawn...guess i was wrong


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## I_Shock_Em (Jul 20, 2008)

why black out the photo teknical? It's not like people are gonna go there and fish for them...that's a once in many lifetimes catch outta alum


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## teknical 1tch (Sep 7, 2008)

I_Shock_Em said:


> why black out the photo teknical? It's not like people are gonna go there and fish for them...that's a once in many lifetimes catch outta alum


Just figured i dont wanna share any direct spot im fishing at. Got seriously bi##hed at the last time i shared a spot. Plus i dont want 100 people at my fishing hole, call me selfish.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

teknical 1tch said:


> Just figured i dont wanna share any direct spot im fishing at. Got seriously bi##hed at the last time i shared a spot. Plus i dont want 100 people at my fishing hole, call me selfish.



Good man. Keep your spots to yourself, it's a wise move.



Ohio doesn't have a snagging season, I believe Indiana did away with theirs a couple years back but I could be wrong about that. (It may still be around) 

They don't take bait, they swim like a whale with their mouths open & filter out zooplankton & other goodies in the water. Typically found below dams in the faster moving water.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

No need to publicize the spot...it's just great to know it made it there


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## "Big" mark the shark (Jan 21, 2010)

that's an amazing catch


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

mmmm....paddlefish

http://www.fishingbuddy.com/paddlefish_recipes


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## teknical 1tch (Sep 7, 2008)

streamstalker said:


> mmmm....paddlefish
> 
> http://www.fishingbuddy.com/paddlefish_recipes


LOL. Imagine the steaks you could get off that beast. Dont give anyone any ideas tho as in ohio they are a threatened species!


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## MLAROSA (May 20, 2004)

The eggs are what you are suppose to eat.


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## GarryS (Apr 5, 2004)

I grew fishing with that guy holding that fish... If I remember right thats not the first one he has sagged while trying for saugeyes....


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## NCstriperman (May 17, 2011)

I grew up with guy also, and he is a serious fisherman! But I'm just gonna say : Nice going Jobes! And I need to get you down to the Carolinas, to catch some of those big (linesiders)! That peel off a hundred yards of line, and keep going!


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## GarryS (Apr 5, 2004)

He lived right behind me.. I'm sure you know me then....


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## NCstriperman (May 17, 2011)

GarryS said:


> He lived right behind me.. I'm sure you know me then....


Yea Garry, I remember you, and the Musky that you caught in Big Walnut! Jody and I (John McCullough) ran in to each other fishing Big Walnut a few years ago!


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## GarryS (Apr 5, 2004)

I definitely remember the name... Its been along time.... Trying to put a face with the name.. Heck. I'm old now so I got a good excuse....


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## st.slippy (Oct 3, 2008)

Great fish! Would love to hook into one of those. Truly a neat catch. Thanks for sharing


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## Rainer Wolf (Apr 11, 2004)

mercy!!!that's great to see. thx 4 sharing


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## TerryMayberry (Dec 23, 2009)

Awesome! Thanks for sharing with us


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## jjkc (Sep 1, 2010)

That's amazing I fish alum creek in my kayak all the time and never came across one. I am glad to see that there are some in there that's great news. My son really liked the picture he has been wanting to see one thanks.


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## skycruiser (Aug 7, 2009)

that is crazy...i would have no idea what to do with a fish like that once you get it to shore. incredible!


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## Fishin' Addiction (Aug 16, 2009)

Did you eat it? How do those things taste?


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

They have a white meat that is somewhat fishy. I'm sure the younger the fish, the less it would have that particular flavor. I have only eaten it once & I grilled it, which may have changed the flavor. The meat looks really, really good. 

The eggs are highly sought all over the world & command a very high price. Most places that they aren't protected now, they soon will be considering the amount of them killed for their roe. I was lucky enough to personally witness a federal crackdown on spoonbill poaching. IN has since made snagging illegal. There used to be a short season where it was legal & there were some folks snagging over their limit, netting from boats, buying fish from innocent bystanders who didn't know it was illegal (to sell your catch) & just about everything else you can imagine in order to harvest their eggs. The story gets better, they were selling the eggs to Russians who were then smuggling them overseas & selling them to a market hungry for caviar in a time when true sturgeon roe is scarce. 

So when I say "some folks", I really mean an organized crime unit, laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars (that's known about) or maybe even millions. 

Just by chance, I got to interact with undercover federal officers as well as these characters that were snagging alongside us. There were several opportunities where we could have broken the law, including selling the fish to the "country boy" who was trying to barter with us for the huge female we caught... He wanted to trade us frozen filets from his house for our female. He was likely to have left to get the filets with our female, never to return.  
It was potentially worth around $1200 @ 70 lbs if I recall correctly. A good chunk of that is egg weight & I think the black market price was $800/lb. 

We were also approached by some innocent enough looking fellas asking us about "who caught what", AKA did any of you catch more than 2?

Long story short, a group of guys in a john boat castnetting big cats & spoonbills in the tailwaters were arrested, as well as some other people snagging beside us who had ties to an international crime ring. The three of us walked up the stairs with our fish, answered the above question and then proceeded to watch the giant law enforcement operation commence. 

Good thing I wasn't too greedy that day or I'd be in the pokey!


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