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I see from your pics that your fish were caught after dark. Is the big mo’ typically a after dark bite this time of year?

Gotta’ love those sturgeon. I caught a couple low 50″ sturgeon on the Mississippi River this past fall and was blown away by their stamina! I wasn’t sure who was going to give in first at about 25 minutes in.

Wade,

Thanks for sharing!!

Do you ever go up to the dam and check out the paddle fish?? I don’t even know if they allow non-resident tags for paddles??

I watched a show on paddlefish snagging a couple years back. Looked like quite a bit of work… and that was before you even got into a fish!

I’ve never personally taken part in it, my uncle gets a tag for ND every year. They snag them up to 90-100lbs up there. One tag per person, per year. He says they are delicious table fair. As for gear, ya it’s amazing. Heave a huge weight with a large treble as far as you can, then start pumping, I mean ripping it back in. I’ll see if I can get some pics from his past trips.

James,

The fish were actually caught just before dark but the lighting looks bad in the photos. The catfish bite is much better after dark. The walleye bite should be better very early and very late in the day. Sounds like you’ve gotten into some really nice sturgeon. They’re such a cool fish that we enjoy catching them in any size just to get another look at one. It’s like seeing a living dinosaur.

Waterfowler,

I feel much the same way about the paddlefish. They’re a living piece of history. It’s an awesome sight to watch one roll on top of the water. My dad and I used to snag them when I was a kid. They used to have higher limits back then. Now you have to get a tag, just like deer hunting, which I think is a good thing. I’m really happy that the state sets tight limits on these fish. We need to help them out since we’ve partly destroyed their natural habitat by damming and channeling the river system.

Back in the late 70s, my dad got one that was just under 80lbs. And they are great on the table. No bones, just a cartilage-like spine going down the middle. We have not pursued paddlefish for many years but I have snagged a couple over the years while jigging. I don’t know if I’ll ever apply for a snagging tag or not. I’m hoping that the regulations are strict enough to protect these creatures but I would hate to contribute to their demise in any way, so I’m a torn about applying for a tag these days. If I can find any old pics I’ll post them here.