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.