Paddlefish Successfully Caught and Released...

[HillCountryBowHunter]

I headed down to the Lake Livingston spillway on Friday morning to try my luck with the stripers and catfish since they were releasing a good amount of water. After setting out my big poles, I decided to use my light spinning reel to catch some whites and stripers. I threw a chrome Rattle Trap and to my suprise, on the 2nd cast hooked into a monster fish. I fought the "striper" for around 25 minutes until it tired out. As soon as the fish surfaced, I quickly figured out that I had snagged a BIG paddlefish. With the girth and length, I estimated it to weight between 40 and 50lbs. Since the paddlefish is a threatened species, I quickly released the monster back into the depths to fight another day. It will definately top one of the hardest fighting fish I have ever caught on 8lb. test line.

Kody

[skeeter]

that is cool! congrats on the catch! a real trophy to say the least.

[Shane]

Hope his gills weren't damaged. Cool fish!

[Jaspro]

Thats just too cool! Thanks for sharing it!

[Ranchingaggie]

Wow that is a true memory.....congrats!

[woody wood]

Wow! Cool catch

[cheez]

Now that is something you don't see every day! Pretty cool Was it foul hooked? I only ask because they are filter feeders and usually don't take a bait/lure.

I've raised and released thousands of those things and I have to say they are some of the dumbest fish on the planet. If you put them in a round tank with a current they will continuously swim in the same direction bumping their bills on the side of the tank until it wears off. Unless they happen to swim straight into the side of the tank. Then they will continue to try to swim straight ahead. No left turn, no right turn, no up, no down, just straight! No wonder they are threatened (at least in Texas).

And it is good to hear they are releasing quite a bit of water out of Livingston (at least for me). Means there should be some stripers in there

[texag93]

Thats a once in a lifetime catch. Never seen one in TX waters.

[xman59]

second one ive seen photos of in a bout a week.. friend sent me video of one i think it was caught there at livingston also but was a different fish... that one was in a boat

[travis_22]

Cool fish

[Graybow]

Very cool. I did not know there were any in Livingston.

[double lung]

thats cool...

congrats...

[Buck]

nice catch.

[SMUMan02]

Hope his gills weren't damaged. Cool fish!

x2

[Boomerang]

Nice fish. They snag those all the time in Missouri.