Anxious for May to get here

[Brad H]

These are a couple years old and borrowed from a co-worker, but it's the same party every year 17 miles north of here at Intake on the Yellowstone. I haven't participated in this one month long season since I was 15 but the way they've been running lately, I'm gonna be pulling one in this year.

[FinsnFur]

WOW  :shck:
Cant see I ever seen anything like that tucked way back here in Cheese country......THANK GOD!

What's laying on the picnic table?......some body? 

[BasinBoy]

never seen a fish like that. what is it?

[FinsnFur]

I think Brad screwed up Cody...and put up pics from the last Ku Klux Klan outing

[psycho]

Its a paddle fish

[awh]

Holy crap....What do you use to catch those things? Bait wise....

[psycho]

Holy crap....What do you use to catch those things? Bait wise....

Im thinking its like catfishing..

[Brad H]

 :roflmao:

and put up pics from the last Ku Klux Klan outing

:roflmao:
Yip, they're Paddlefish, Cody.

You know what's strange is, as big as these things get, all they eat is microscopic stuff. They must eat constantly.

They're caught by being snagged. You cast out a huge trebble hook and a couple of heavy sinkers on satwater gear, then yank and reel all the way back in.

They all get converged at this point, at Intake, because they can't get upstream passed the rocks that run across the river.

Brad

[awh]

Can ya shoot em with bows? That would be a fun trip!

[psycho]

Can ya shoot em with bows? That would be a fun trip!

Thats a good question. Most likely, you would be able to since they are not a game fish, but it would just depend on Montanas fishing and bow fishing regulations.

[psycho]

Eastern part of Montana -- All open waters open to angling, is open for bow fishing for paddle fish and non game species of fish.

Central part of Montana -- All open waters open to angling, is open to bow fishing non game species of fish.

Western part of Montana -- Closed to all bow fishing.


Special Paddlefish info for eastern Montana
http://fwp.mt.gov/content/getItem.aspx?id=26318

[Brad H]

(edit) psycho, you beat me to it!

I've been putting this off, but I figured I'd check it out today, and found the answer.

From the Montana Wildlife and Parks site;

Bow and Arrow
All waters open to angling are open to taking paddlefish and nongame fish by bow and
arrow. Crossbows are illegal.

A friend of mine is a carp shooter and wants to take a paddlefish with a bow. I just hope I'm off when he goes. That would be worth seeing. I've never heard of it being done before. They run during the rise and that's when the water is at its muddiest. These fish do surface and roll though and I think if you got into a small bunch it could be done.

Brad

[psycho]

The bad part is, you can only harvest 1 paddle fish per season, so bow fishing would not be the optimal way to fish for them...

[awh]

Yeah....but that one fish if as big as in the pics would be a blast. As we say around here...The last great words of a redneck are..." Hold my beer and watch this".  :roflmao: I could just picture one of my friends going off the boat. 

[Brad H]

I guess I just need to find out if they can be bowed out of a boat.

They can't be snagged from a boat. That has to be done from shore. There's a one week catch and release season. I would assume bow fishing is off limits then?

I'll have to get a hold of the game warden or call the state for the deatils.

Brad

[psycho]

There's a one week catch and release season. I would assume bow fishing is off limits then?

That would be correct. A gaff may not even be used to land the fish in catch and release season and days. Catch and release means, no harm to the fish.