SpoonBill

[chuckconder]

Anybody know where to find some spoonbill?

[SKIPJACK]

Post removed at the request of the poster.

[MetalFish513]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question but what is the reason for a limit on the length of your rod?

[SKIPJACK]

The only way that you can catch paddlefish is to snag them. They are plankton feeders. A 15' rod can cast a lot farther than a 7' rod. I think that the reason is to make it harder to cover more water. A few years back some guys exploited the resource by killing female paddlefish and selling their row. Each year the dept.of fish and wildlife come up with new regulations to limit the amount of fish that are caught, to help protect the population.

[artcarney_agr]

I used to snag a lot below KY Dam. Haven't really been much since they started construction on the new bridge, that is now finished. Until they open the Marshall Co. side back up, I don't plan on going anytime soon, as it was the best place to snag when the water current was right........back then the limit was 15 per day, and I filled that limit a few times; man that was fun back then! Used to snag a lot of 30 lb plus spoonbill back then too, and it took no time to fill the freezer with those!

April and May were my best two months of the year back then.

Yes, rods are limited to 7 ft.

As for the roe - Paddlefish roe is still on the market, and at prices that have Paddlefish ranching starting to catch on. There are a few lakes in KY stocked with Paddlefish for this purpose. It takes about 7 years for a Paddlefish to mature enough to produce eggs, so you can see why management is of importance. It takes a good bit of skill to be able to identify an egg bearing female...those who are not good at it kill a lot of Paddlefish in vain, which was the problem several years back, and why restrictions were put into place.