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Though its typically forbidden to target game fish with bowfishing gear, paddlefish are an exception. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks state record. More recent official state records are a 144-pound fish snagged in 2004 in Kansas and a 142.5-pound fish snagged in 1973 in Montana. Harriss trophy catch came out of the Yellowstone River, which is typically known for its superb trout fishing but also holds a healthy population of American Paddlefish, a native species that has inhabited North American waters since the Cretaceous period 65 million years ago and is known for its distinctive horn-like paddle. You toss out your treble hook and drag it across the river bottom as many times as it takes, improving your odds with each attempt. Steve Harris, Jr. One June 8, Harris and his bowfishing partner Justin Fisketjon hit one of their favorite spots on the Yellowstone in search of paddlefish. Successful applicants (for the Upper Missouri fishery) will receive the paddlefish harvest tag (plastic, self-locking tag) in the mail prior toMay 1, 2023. If thats tough to picture, check out this YouTube video of a fellow fisher snagging a paddlefish. Investigators searched Steffens home in October 2020 and found an iPad in his dresser, according to the criminal complaint. Where Have They Been? In some places, adult paddlefish also filter aquatic insects and, occasionally, tiny fish. The paddlefish is currently ranked "S2" in Montana because it is at risk, because of very limited and/or potentially declining population numbers, range and/or habitat, making it vulnerable to global extinction or extirpation in the state. On June 8, Harris went down to his normal spot and was presented with the "perfect shot," telling the Standard: "That night it came up right in front of us and then started swimming away where we could see the whole body and it just gave me a perfect shot. The size of the Yellowstone-Sakakawea stock has varied greatly in the past century. This one definitely fought more than the rest of the paddlefish Ive caught, Fisketjon said, adding that he was nearly pulled into the water a couple of times. A small crowd had gathered, including Harris family, to witness the weigh-in. It looks like a dolphin or porpoise but has a long snout in the shape of a paddle. Furnace Creek in California's Death Valley broke a daily record for . Twenty-two states have paddlefish, and Montana is the most westerly state with them. And if you are wondering, zooplankton doesnt exactly go on a hook very well. Harvest Reporting Line: (877) FWP-WILD or 1 (406) 444-0356 Upper Missouri River from Fort Peck Dam to Fort Benton For this fishery, the White Harvest Tags are issued through a lottery system. However, here's another surprise to the season. I pulled what looked like a football out of the ice and stared at it for about five seconds before I just started yelling, Mann told MeatEater. Brschmitz@state.mt.us. Congrats to Grant Rader (left) of Wichita, Kan., on his great catch! On the iPad were videos of Steffen having sex with the woman in August and September of 2018. Thats probably the route Im gonna go, he said. The extreme heat scorching Phoenix set a record Tuesday, the 19th consecutive day temperatures hit at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) in a summer of suffering echoing around the U.S. and the world. The river shore on the west end of the bridge has high cliffs, making it hard to cast. PADDLEFISH SEASON UPDATE (6/7/2021): There were 34 fish reported at the cleaning station at Intake on Saturday, 6/5/2021. The paddlefish has been recognized by the American Bowfishing Association as the new world record with a weight of 92 pounds. The beast weighed 164 pounds! It wont take long before the river bank will be lined with anglers dragging hooks across the river floor. Anglers must have one of those tags to participate in catching and keeping a paddlefish from that section of the river. The Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) is an ancient, mostly cartilaginous fish with a smooth skin. -- Paddlefishing has been surprisingly slow on the Montana side, especially considering North Dakota broke two records, one for size and one for speed of harvest just before Montanas season started. Paddlefish are found throughout the Missouri and Mississippi river basins which drain most of the central United States. You cant simply ask the local fishing shop what the fish are biting today. The spot we were fishing is actually a super-deep hole, Harris says, which nobody would ever think would be a good spot for shooting paddlefish. Thats because bowfishermen often target shallow water where they can count on paddlefish being near the surface. The two men met their families and filmed the weigh-in with a crowd present, showing that the fish weighed a record-breaking 92 pounds. Look for this PDF icon as you search and browse. Please check your email for a confirmation. Paddlefish spawn effectively in the Yellowstone because the free flowing, naturally fluctuating river provides good spawning habitat for them: a combination of high water, the right temperature and a good substrate of clean cobble, gravel and sand. The key here is to cast upstream as far as you can, and immediately after the hook hits the water, start reeling fast and jerk the pole to the side every 10 to 20 seconds. Montana is known for having some of the best fly fishing in the world, especially when it comes to blue-ribbon trout streams. Triple T Meat in Glendive was the only place willing to help us with that, Fisketjon said. Although the species dates back 125 million years, paddlefish are fragile and need to swim constantly. When you hear or hopefully say to yourself, Fish on! you will know what I mean. Frankens was fishing with a 6-inch Megabass Magdraft swimbait rigged on a -ounce Jenko swimbait head. Most species of paddlefish are now extinct, and fossil paddlefish from 60 million years ago have been found in the Missouri River basin near Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana. As mentioned, paddlefishing in Montana is limited to open parts of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, where these fish are abundant enough to allow a limited snagging season. When the scale tipped 92 pounds, the cheering began. After they attempted to drag it to shore, they realized: "Holy cow, this might be bigger than we think. The finished work will look exactly like the fish he caught at the Sidney Access bridge. I couldn't tell how big he was. The paddle may also function to keep the fish level in the water while it is continually moving and feeding. Its worth noting that the International Game Fish Assn., which recognizes fishing records that do not involve snagging as a method of capture, does not include paddlefish on its list of world records. American Society of Icthyologists and Herpetologists, FishMT - Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Montana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, Natural Heritage MapViewer (Statewide Database of Animal Observations), Web Search Engines for Articles on "Paddlefish", Additional Sources of Information Related to "Fish". What do Paddlefish eat? Most of the small fish (10-40 lbs.) All Rights Reserved. To confirm it, however, they had to find a certified scale to weigh the fish on. In some years, he caught as many as four, fishing in Montana and North Dakota, and he estimates hes hauled in around 80 paddlefish in total, five with a bow. Man Impales Own Heart in 'Freak' Fishing Accident. How Did They Do It? Adult fish do not as a rule die after spawning, but we know from tagging studies that a given female only spawns about every 3 years, and a given male about every 2 years (, Paddlefish stocks in Montana are adequate to support a recreational fishery. Learn more . . Sam Lungren Steve Harris Jr., who lives in Sidney, Montana, brought his bowfishing gear to Yellowstone River in the east of the state on June 8 to look for paddlefish. This method doesnt require the physical demands that shoreline fishing does. Harris paddlefish joins the ranks with the new hook-and-line record from June snagged in Oklahoma that weighed a jaw-dropping 164 pounds. The historical and current population sizes are less accurately known, but effort is underway to estimate population size. Paddlefish are caught at James Kipp each year, and the current state record paddlefish weighing 142.5 pounds was snagged here. The whopper fish weighed 92-pounds, was 67 inches long, and had a girth of 37 inches. Harris and Fisketjon generally fish in the same area at Yellowstone River where they have had success before, spending hours staring into the water and waiting for the moment to shoot the bow and arrow at a paddlefish. Lukehart booked a fishing trip for his wife and himself to their home state of Oklahomas most famed spoonbill waters, Keystone Lake. One paddlefish per angler. Once the slack was gone from the reel on his bow, it took him both hands to pull the fish in from the fast-moving current, and he definitely had to stand his ground to stay out of the water. The entire length of the newly constructed two-mile-long Intake Bypass Channel is closed to paddlefishing. There are two main paddlefishing seasons for rod anglers. The paddle, head and gill flaps are covered with tiny sensory pores that it uses to detect food organisms. This is the land where men built a dam across the mighty Missouri River and created the . The family had been scheduled to leave for a weeklong vacation in Wisconsin that morning, but theyd put off their departure a bit so Harris could get in a few hours on the river while it was running high. The Montana record is 142 1/2 pounds, caught above Fort Peck, in 1973. It is preferable for males to mature at a younger age than females so they may reproduce more often, as opposed to taking the time to grow large, risking death before they spawn. HOT! If you are serious about getting a chance to snag a spoonbill then the first key is to get a camping spot. Its kind of crazy in that you wait for part of a fish to come up then draw back fast and put an arrow into the water, he said. The young Paddlefish are pale, nearly transparent, and swim in loose groups, preferring to feed on a large zooplankton called, The paddle is not developed at all on very young fish, but by the time the fish reaches 8 inches, the paddle may be half the total length of the fish. If you havent noticed, paddlefish arent the prettiest fish. Fish above Fort Peck Dam (known as the Fort Peck stock) are now isolated from fish below the dam, although some upriver fish can pass downstream. Managing Montana s paddlefish:new approaches. We have recently been able to sample several eggs attached to artificial substrates near the Montana-North Dakota state line (Fairview). The downstream fish are part of the population inhabiting the Yellowstone River and Lake Sakakawea, known as the Yellowstone-Sakakawea stock. The fish filets are similar to that of ahi tuna, thick and square. He has caught at least one each year for 30 consecutive years. Paddlefish also have a thick skin of armor and can weigh as much as 150 pounds. In Oklahoma, anglers can only use barbless hooks, which allow for easy releases, and can harvest only two paddlefish per year. Habitat includes slow or quiet waters of large rivers or impoundments. They could be heard talking about how she could avoid charges for hitting a mailbox. Montana has three paddlefish seasons, and the first kicked off May 1 for the Upper Missouri River section from Fort Benton downstream to Fort Peck Dam. The east side of the bridge is the most ideal point to cast from but space is limited. In Montana, paddlefish are found in the Yellowstone River as far upriver as Forsyth as well as the Missouri River above and below Fort Peck Dam. From what I can tell, most people chunk it, batter it, and fry it. LOS ANGELES (AP) A tiny neighborhood store in downtown Los Angeles sold the winning ticket for the Powerball jackpot worth an estimated $1.08 billion, the sixth largest in U.S. history and the third largest in the history of the game. Whats the Deal with the Trout, Walleye and Perch? MADISON, Wis. (AP) A judge sentenced a former Wisconsin prosecutor to 18 months in prison Monday for secretly recording sexual encounters with two women, including one he was prosecuting in a restraining order case. But I do have some friends on Facebook who say they smoke it, and thats good, too.. For that fishery, a lottery system with 1,000 harvest tags was used. Managers accurately estimate the ages of the fish caught in the fisheries. Anglers are encouraged to monitor river flows at theUSGS Landusky flow gauge. Anglers will have the opportunity to apply individually or as a party (up to 5 in the party). In the turbid waters of the Yellowstone, observing the actual spawning will be difficult. The Kokanees Are Back in Holter! Read the full article by Sage Marshall Steven Hill on the Field and Stream website here. For this reason, management of the stock occurs under a Cooperative Management Plan between the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Changes in the age structure of the population are being monitored to insure that young fish are added, and old fish retained, in the populations (. Each year the fish react differently depending on the run-off timing and water temperatures. HOT! What the heck is a paddlefish, you ask? What I am saying is, put your ear to the ground and listen for word that fish are being snagged. Instead, you have to play the numbers. The upper Missouri River is run on a lottery basis to get a white harvest tag, while those who arent lucky enough to draw the white tag can still get one to do catch-and-release paddlefishing. The body is smooth and virtually scaleless (Holton and Johnson 2003). To narrow it down for you, here are two of the very best spots to land a paddlefish in Montana. My first catch was a 13-pounder when I was 13 years old, he recalls. Since the initial boom, however, the population has been gradually declining as a result of steadily lower productivity of the reservoir (a natural process) and from harvest and natural mortality of fish produced during the boom period. Photos: 55-Year-Old Montana State Record for Brown Trout Broken on 4-lb. For example, in early May of a recent season, our group of five anglers snagged a total of four paddlefish on the Yellowstone River near Glendive. Most species of Paddlefish are now extinct, and fossil Paddlefish from 60 million years ago have been found in the Missouri River basin near Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana (. Once in the reservoir, paddlefish have abundant food for growth and maturation. But the paddle is not a shovel, a scoop, a rod or a spear. The two were feeling pretty confident with the number of fish they were seeing on the surface. Almost all the line was off the reel, if not all the line, before I started curling him and got him heading back towards shore a little bit.. The record breaking catch measured 69 inches from nose to tail and weighed 85 pounds, making it not only a state record but a world record as well. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is looking to enact a judicial overhaul, spurring widespread demonstrations. Montana's Steve Harris, Jr. shows off his new bowfishing world-record paddlefish. Feeding ecology in the reservoir is fairly well understood. Unsuccessful paddlefish drawing applicants will be issued a snag and release only license for the Upper Missouri River. Published 4:23 PM PDT, July 22, 2023. I personally had the opportunity to snag a paddlefish when I was just 8 years old, and the 60-pound fish at the other end of the line almost pulled me into the muddy Missouri River. Florida Faces Social Security Crisis as Soaring Inflation Hits Benefits. The number of tags allocated each year may change to ensure sustainable population management. The initial hours were slow, but they started getting things dialed in using Garmin LiveScope forward-facing sonar. One ring forms on the jaw each year. In some years, he caught as many as four, fishing in Montana and North Dakota, and he estimates hes hauled in around 80 paddlefish in total, five with a bow. Harris told the Standard on Tuesday that he uses a bow and arrow to catch the fish because it is more of a challenge than conventional methods. Montana anglers can use a bow during the regular snagging season on the Lower Yellowstone River on catch and keep days. The best approach is to study up on Montanas paddlefish regulations every year, especially if you plan to meet the deadline (usually in March) to enter the drawing for a harvest tag for later that spring. A state Department of Justice agent began investigating Steffen in early 2020, according to the criminal complaint in the case. Youre only seeing little pieces of fish when youre doing it, because the water is really muddy.. The current North Dakota record is a 131- pound fish snagged in 2016. But he came up, and I could see most of his body, and I got a good shot on him., The fish made a run out to the edge of the current, Harris continues. The state record was caught in 1973 on the Missouri River near Kipp Park by Larry Branstetter. Following the announcement of the harvest closure, catch-and-release snagging will be allowed , at Intake Fishing Access Site only, for 10 consecutive calendar days or through June 30, whichever comes first. A witness told the agent that a woman the witness knew had openly talked about having sex with Steffen in exchange for leniency on her pending criminal cases. Even before his catch this year was certified as a record breaker, it was memorable. While Oklahoma produced the recent world record paddlefish, your odds may be better farther north. It came up only 4 or five 5 from shore and was swimming straight away, which is about the easiest shot you can ask for, Harris says. 1996. Updates are also being posted on the Glendive Chamber page. Spawning migrations are tied closely with the timing of spring highwater. Paddlefish can grow well in reservoirs (even faster than in rivers), but they need natural, free-flowing rivers to reproduce effectively. Even though paddlefish have been around for so long, its hard to imagine many of them getting much bigger than the one Sidney, Montana, resident Steve Harris Jr. hauled out of the Yellowstone River on June 8 with his bow. Snagging of paddlefish is legal May 1 through May 21 for those with a valid paddlefish tag. Another season is open in an area that includes parts of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers. Also on the iPad was another video of Steffen having sex with another woman earlier in 2018. Many spawning sites are not yet well identified, however, and paddlefish undoubtedly spawn over gravel bars and areas of finer substrate in several areas of the Yellowstone. Even though the campground itself is 4 acres and hosts 40 campsites, it is usually filled for the entire month and a half of paddlefish season. The aging of the population, along with decline in fishing success rates and higher harvest of tagged (adult) paddlefish account for the reduction of the paddlefish limit from two per person per year to one per person per year in both Montana and North Dakota, and the proposed reduction to a 1,000 fish annual harvest cap per state. The eggs become very sticky after they re fertilized, stick to the gravel and cobble, and hatch in about 7 days in 60 F water. Officials verified that Wyatt Frankens headed out to O.H. They can live up to 50 years and range throughout the U.S. from Montana to Louisiana. It was 85 inches and weighed an estimated 198 pounds. No ticket for Tuesday's Mega Millions drawing matched the white . I work hard at whatever I do, whether its hunting or fishing, Harris says. Fishing regulations are strict in states where paddlefish exist. Located 15 miles north of Glendive, this fishing access has been deemed by locals as the Paddlefish Capital of the World.. The young paddlefish are pale nearly transparent and swim in loose groups, preferring to feed on a large zooplankton called Leptodora kindtii. Montana bowfisherman Steve Harris, Jr. shot and reeled in a world-record paddlefish earlier this month. Paddlefish tolerate, or perhaps seek, turbid water (Holton and Johnson 2003). An important recreational snag fishery exists for this stock in areas near the Fred Robinson Bridge. Any paddlefish harvested anywhere in Montana MUST be reported to FWP within 48 hours of harvest. Montana has three unique paddlefish seasons, andanglers may select only one area to fish for paddlefish: Upper Missouri Riverfrom Fort Peck Dam to Fort Benton(White Harvest Tag), Yellowstone River and Missouri River downstream of Fort Peck Dam(Yellow Harvest Tag), Fort Peck Dredge Cut archery-only season(Blue Harvest Tag). A free paddlefish cleaning service will be provided and funded by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks at the Intake FAS for the first five weeks of the season. MADISON, Wis. (AP) A judge sentenced a former Wisconsin prosecutor to 18 months in prison Monday for secretly recording sexual encounters with two women, including one he was prosecuting in a restraining order case. Then the big one showed itself. It was a catch-and-release day when I went down there to kind of scout it out, because the river was coming up fast and it was supposed to peak out the next day, Harris told MeatEater. The cottonwood trees quickly block out the shoreline, making many of the spots nearly impossible to throw out a line without snagging yourself on a branch. Fishing for Paddlefish in Montana, episode 1. What now? Another good approach is to ask ahead of time at the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks if there has been any word on paddlefish being tagged. To actually get a recordlet alone a world recordit just blows your mind. In this video, Marcus Hockett, Dale Evans and David Samallow drew keep tags in the draw. Species like sturgeon and catfish will enjoy a nice worm floating along the muddy river bottom. Montana Record Table Meanwhile, hes figuring out how he wants to eat his trophy dinner. Without spawning habitat, we really can t do much for the species in the long run. Scarnecchia, D. L., and P. A. Stewart. The bow enthusiast works at High Caliber Sports in Sidney. One of those river monsters is the paddlefish, an odd-looking species that has been around some 65 million years and keeps a devoted corps of adrenaline junkies coming back to key Montana river banks each spring in hopes of snagging one of the prehistoric fish. SIDNEY, Mont. The American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) is one of the more unique and obscure fish species of North America. What to know about the severe heat. In some parts of the country, a paddlefish is called a spoonbill cat fish. The greatest threat is loss of spawning habitat. More than half the worlds population sees AP journalism every day. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation broke the news Wednesday via Facebook, writing, We have a new WORLD- and state-record paddlefish that was snagged at Keystone Lake on June 22.