Paddlefish Polyodon spathula is an ancient fish that looks like something out of Jurassic Park.
The two most common ones that come to mind are the American paddlefish and the Chinese paddlefish. Unfortunately, it’s believed that the Chinese paddlefish is extinct due to a host of reasons including human encroachment to their habitat and pollution.
American paddlefish are filter feeders, which means they filter out plankton for food. This poses a challenge when it comes to catching them since it’s hard to put plankton on a hook. That means we won’t be baiting our hooks and instead of waiting for them to vacuum up our treble on the bottom.
Depending on your state, the wildlife service will have different regulations for catching. Some states like Montana actually allow you to apply for a catch and keep tag if you want to eat one.
In this guide, we’ll break down how to do paddle fishing so you can catch this dinosaur.
Recommended Fishing Gear:
- Rod: Ugly Stik Bigwater
- Reel: Penn Battle II
- Tackle: Treble Hook + Weight
Overview
Also known as the spoonbill fish, the paddlefish lives up to its name. It has an elongated paddle-like snout which makes up almost 1/3rd of its length, has a large mouth that lies beneath the head and has no teeth.
The eyes are small and located just above the front edge of the mouth. The shark-like fish can be found in waters around Missouri, Mississippi and the Osage rivers.
The rostrum of the paddlefish is covered with tens of thousands of sensory receptors and which it also uses to navigate underwater. The fish swims slowly through the water with its huge mouth open collecting small insects and crustaceans in their compact gill rakers.
American Paddlefish Facts
| Scientific Name | Polyodon spathula |
| Common Name(s) | Paddlefish |
| Family | Poloyodontidae |
| Identifying Characteristics | Has an elongated paddle-like snout which makes up almost 1/3rd of its length, has a large mouth that lies beneath the head and has no teeth. |
| Depth Range | 0 to 3 m |
| Habitat | It can be found in waters around Missouri, Mississippi and the Osage rivers. |
| Limits | Check your local regulations |
| Largest Recorded | 198 pounds |
Where to Catch American Paddlefish
As an extremely slow fish, American paddlefish prefer waters that have slow currents such as eddies that are created by natural sandbars but they are also common in open water near the surface. As levels rise in spring, this pointy-nosed fish moves upstream to gravel bars to spawn.
It prefers open and free-flowing habitats including backwaters for feeding. American paddlefish are also known to move in brackish water for spawning.
How to Catch American Paddlefish
As one of the largest freshwater fish in the US, the American paddlefish is quite exciting to catch. The general methods for catching one of these monsters is to cast from shore and reel in quick while yanking the rod to hook them or by trolling in your boat until you snag one.
One of these fish can weigh almost 200 pounds so it’s important to come prepared with the right gear. The last thing you want is to use too light of gear and have it break off leaving a trail of fishing line and a hook in the fish.
Use a strong braid line so that the chances of it breaking off is minimal. Depending on the structure you’re fishing if you use braid to make sure there aren’t too many rocks or branches that would be abrasive to the line.
Fishing from Shore
Since it can grow to almost 200 pounds, you’ll need gear that can prove strong enough to reel it in. Since you’ll want to cover a lot of distance, opt for a longer rod around ten feet to provide the necessary leverage to huck your weight far out from the shoreline. A medium heavy rod should be fine for an American paddlefish.
Plus, make sure that the rod is spooled with a braided line that can withstand a 60-80 lb test. Since you’re trying to hook them, use a sturdy number 8 to 14 treble hook. If you don’t have a catch and keep tag, then make sure to debarb your treble hook so you can release the fish easier.
In order to get your hook out far, while keeping it from getting snagged by debris, it’s important to tie a leader from the base of the treble hook down to a lead weight. You can do this with any knot you feel comfortable tying, may it be a uni knot, Albright knot, or any knot at all, just make sure you give it enough wraps so that the line doesn’t slip up the hook.
Generally, it’s a good idea to use a weaker line in case the weight gets stuck, you won’t lose your hook.
Trolling
Choose a stiff 6 to 7 feet long rod with a conventional reel and the best trolling lures in your bag. Your rig will be similar to how it’s done from the shore since you’ll be snagging one of these American paddlefish while cruising through the water.
Drop your weight and treble to near the bottom and start trolling.
When you hook an American paddlefish, the line should jerk without slipping. If that happens to stand with your knees apart and pull as hard as you can. If the fish is hooked on the jaw, reeling it in won’t be a problem but if you hooked it in the tail, you will have to struggle for a while.
Fishing Tactics
- When you are snagging for paddlefish swing the rod towards the boat and releasing it in a different direction. This will prevent the line from going slack.
- Whether you are casting or trolling for paddlefish, set the drag so that you can barely pull the line from the spool with your hand.
Fishing Tips
- The more time you drag the hook through the water, the better your chances of hooking this pointy-nosed fish.
- If you want to keep a paddlefish, you need to duct tape the bill and mark it to tag your catch. Wrap the tape around the bill several times and write your permit number and name on the tape.
Seasons
The ideal time to fish for paddlefish is during the spawning run which starts in the beginning of March and runs all the way to late April. Check fishing regulations before heading out and make sure you have a permit as well.
How to Clean
Cleaning and dressing an American paddlefish is similar to how it feels to clean a shark. If it’s your first time cutting up a large fish it could be a bit daunting.
Here’s a helpful guide in case you find yourself preparing a huge paddlefish.
- Be sure to bleed your first as soon as you can after catching.
- Place your knife behind the head and sever the spinal cord.
- Cut both sides of the tail and twist. You should be able to pull out the notochord which is a cartilage version of their spine.
- Use a sharp knife to cut into the fish starting at the meat above the tail. Cut downwards towards the bottom in a complete circle for a single incision. If you have a female this is your time to check if the American paddlefish has eggs. Many people enjoy them as caviar.
- Gut the paddlefish by removing the innards.
- Starting from the tail you can go ahead and start cutting up the steaks. The better meat is believed to be more towards the midsection.
- From here you can place them in storage bags for later.
- Just remember before cooking to remove the red meat which doesn’t taste good. This can be found on the outer layer of the American paddlefish.
How to Cook
Hopefully, now you have a boatload of American paddlefish for you to eat and share with your friends and family. There are many ways to cook it, but here’s a good old North America inspired recipe for you to enjoy.
- Dry the paddlefish on a rack in the refrigerator overnight.
- Take it out the next day and cover it in garlic-infused water to get the fishy smell out.
- Season the fish with the barbecue rub of your choice
- Heat the smoker to about 225° and add the seasoned fillets along with your choice of flavor wood such as apple or cherry.
- Smoke the fillets to about 150°.
- Glazed the smoked and cooked fillets with barbecue sauce and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does paddlefish taste like?
A: Paddlefish is a tastier version of catfish but make sure that you remove the red meat that is on the outer layer.
Q: What states are paddlefish found?
A: Paddlefish are found in Mississippi River Basin, Montana, Missouri, and the Osage rivers.
Q: What do paddlefish eat?
A: This pointy-nosed fish is toothless but rather than feeding on large prey it targets tiny aquatic animals. It swims with its mouth open in the water using comb-like structures called gill rakers to filter zooplankton.
Q: Can paddlefish hurt you?
A: Paddlefish remind me of a basking shark. They are large yet gentile creatures that live their lives filtering the water for zooplankton. Paddlefish can hurt you if you’re trying to handle them improperly and you get thrashed around by it. Similar to a sturgeon, the big ones need to be handled with care and preferably in the water unless you plan to keep the paddlefish.
Insider Advice
When going after paddlefish, you’re really not trying to trick the fish into taking one of your baits. You’re just trying to get the hook in the right place at the right time. Hopefully, you can snag the paddlefish in the mouth, but if for whatever reason you accidentally snag the tail, you’re going to be in for a longer fight.
It’s nice to see that the wildlife service here in North America has been able to keep these gentle creatures thriving. It’s sad to see the populations of the Chinese paddlefish diminish and go extinct.
If you think the paddlefish we have here is large, you should look into their Chinese relative. Those fishes were on another level of pounds.
Unfortunately, the paddlefish here at home has been seeing a decline in their historic range. A big downside here at home is that poachers and other criminals are illegally killing these paddlefish for their eggs to be sold as caviar. Killing paddlefish and not using their entire body for consumption is sad.
We hope you support you local wildlife service and do your part to keep the paddlefish around. Report any illegal activity and buy tags to help fund the activities to keep their populations healthy.
The Anglers Behind This Article:
Jon Stenstrom
Founder
Johanes Godoy
Editor
Sushmita Lo
Editor
Facebook
YouTube