Missouri's spring paddlefish snagging season opens March 15. Anglers are allowed to keep two fish a day. The minimum length limit for paddlefish at Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake and Table Rock Lake and their tributaries is 34 inches from the eye to the fork of the tail. On all other waters, the minimum length limit is 24 inches. (Missouri Dept. of Conservation photo)

Paddlefish angler numbers do not reflect the magnetic attraction this oddball fish exerts on those who tangle with "spoonbill cats."

WARSAW, Mo.-They come out in awful weather, wrapped in layer upon layer of heavy clothing that adds to the considerable challenge of heaving treble hooks big enough to raise the Titanic, weighted with lead sinkers the size of anchors. They spend hours laboriously jerking their lines through murky spring floodwater without even being able to see the object of their labors.

The fire of their enthusiasm is stoked by the knowledge that somewhere down there could be a 130-pound fish with the tail of a shark and a paddle-shaped nose. Diehard paddlefish anglers live for the shoulder-wrenching moment when such a fish blunders into a hook. When that happens, the angler is in for a long and tiring fight.

The payoff can be big, though. Like sharks, paddlefish have no bones. Instead, their skeleton is made of cartilage. A 100-pound paddlefish can yield 30 pounds of firm white flesh. It is a gourmet's delight when cooked in a smoker.

Missouri's paddlefish snagging season opens March 15 and runs through April 30 on most Missouri waters. The exception is the Mississippi River, where paddlefish snagging is allowed from March 15 through May 15 and from Sept. 15 through Dec. 15.

Anglers are allowed to keep two fish a day. The minimum length limit for paddlefish is 34 inches from the eye to the fork of the tail at Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake and Table Rock Lake and their tributaries. On all other waters, the minimum length limit is 24 inches.

Records kept by the Missouri Department of Conservation show that roughly one in 1.6 percent of Missouri anglers fish for paddlefish. This exclusive club has the run of thousands of acres of water, but most paddlefish snagging takes place in well-defined areas.

The most popular places to snag paddlefish are the upper reaches of Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake and Table Rock Lake. The construction of dams has effectively eliminated natural reproduction of paddlefish in the Osage River Basin, but the big fish still swim upstream in the spring, when the spawning urge strikes them. They congregate below dams and in the upper arms of reservoirs, and knowledgeable anglers are there to greet them.

Paddlefish on the Mississippi River above St. Louis follow this pattern, gathering below locks and dam. On the Mississippi River below St. Louis and on the Missouri River, anglers find paddlefish behind wing dikes, where deep, slow-moving water creates attractive resting and feeding areas.

The construction of dams has effectively eliminated natural reproduction of paddlefish in the Osage River Basin. The Missouri Department of Conservation sustains paddlefish populations at Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake and Table Rock Lake by annually stocking fingerlings raised at Blind Pony Hatchery near Sweet Springs.

For information about how to catch paddlefish, visit /conmag/2005/02/10.htm. For details about fishing regulations, get a copy of the 2006 Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations, which is available wherever fishing permits are sold.

-Jim Low-