“We’re looking for the biggest fish in the lake.”
Guide Haydn Williams uttered those words matter-of-factly as he pulled his boat into the Neosho River, a tributary of the Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in Oklahoma.
Hype? Nope. He did not exaggerate. We hunted dinosaurs — paddlefish, the prehistoric fish that could grow to over 100 pounds.
The river monsters hid below. It’s just a matter of running giant hooks at the right fish at the right time, he said.
You’re not exactly a “fish” for paddlefish. You leave the bait buckets and tackle boxes at home. Paddlefish do not become so ugly by eating common forage. They gain size by eating — get this — plankton.
That’s why fishermen sweep large hooks into the water in hopes of catching it.
It was a yearlong pursuit of Grand Lake. But at no time are the chances better than in the spring when the paddlefish leave the main lake and make their spawning runs in Neosho.
It’s a rite of spring to go paddlefish snagging, not only in Oklahoma but also in Missouri.
In reservoirs such as Grand and Keystone in Oklahoma and Lake of the Ozarks, Truman and Table Rock in Missouri, spring fever is spread by potbellied paddlefish.
“The biggest fish we caught weighed 102 pounds,” said 23-year-old Williams. “That was in late January a few years ago. That fish was in 60 feet of water in the main lake.
“It’s easier when they go up to Neosho to lay their eggs. We were only in 30 feet of water. But you still have to find them.”
Williams has electronics in his boat to aid in that pursuit. Two large screens in front of him showed what was happening below. He pointed to the elongated marks that prominently featured the fish’s namesake, the paddle-like nose.
“They’re here,” Williams said. “When the water temperature reaches 50 (degrees), they leave the main lake and are in the river for a day and a half.”
Snagging Fish
In the not-so-distant past, paddlefish snagging equated to back-breaking, exhausting pursuits.
Anglers will sweep large hooks and weights through the water, hoping to find the ultimate needle in a haystack.
Some anglers still do that, especially bank anglers.
But guides like Williams simplify the process. They use electronics to find stretches of water with fish, then troll with weights called divers so their hooks stay at the desired depth.
Heavy-duty rods are placed in holders and anglers wait until the drag reels begin to catch fire.
That happened shortly after Williams stopped the lines on a recent weekday. One of the rods bent hard and bounced off the holder. One of Williams’ clients, Greg Thompson of Liberty, Missouri, grabbed the rod and immediately felt the power of a big paddlefish.
The fight did not last long. When you’re using 80-pound braided line, that’s often the case.
After Williams picked up the fish, he said: “That’s a common fish here. We catch a lot of 30- to 50-pound fish.”
That fish was released, as were three others that Thompson and I had caught.
In Grand Lake, paddlefish snaggers are required to use barbless hooks and may practice catch-and-release.
If they want to keep the fish, they are limited to an annual harvest of two fish, only one per day.
Lots of fish to catch. The population is self-sustaining. Unlike some states, including Missouri, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation does not have to stock paddlefish to boost the population.
“We have a lot of 40- to 50-pound fish, but it’s not uncommon to see some that weigh 80 to 100 pounds,” said Brad Johnston, northeast regional fisheries supervisor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.
And those giants that fishermen talk about in fish stories?
“We got a 131-pounder in a survey in 2016,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see a fish caught in the Grand.”
Paddlefish Season in Missouri
Oklahoma is the king when it comes to paddlefish snagging. Several world records have been set at Keystone Lake in northeastern Oklahoma (the most recent weight was 164 pounds).
But Missouri has outstanding fishing, too.
Although the main reservoirs and their tributaries rely on annual stocking by the Missouri Department of Conservation, the fish grow to large sizes.
The Missouri state record is 140 pounds, 10 ounces, caught in Lake of the Ozarks in 2022.
But big fish also roam Table Rock and Truman Lake. Missouri’s previous record, one ounce less than the current standard, was obtained at Table Rock.
Rick LaPoint, a veteran guide at Table Rock, knows the giant fish still head up the James River to spawn.
He and his son, Aaron, have both guided customers to fish weighing more than 100 pounds.
“They’ll run all the way to the James River as Springfield,” LaPoint said. “The key is keeping track of how far they’ve come.”
The Missouri paddlefish season opens annually on March 15 and runs through April 30 for most major fisheries.
The opener was so popular that some anglers were on the water at 12:01 on March 15 to welcome the weather.
“People here go crazy during snagging,” LaPoint said. “I think it’s the idea of catching a big fish that makes them happy.”
Brent Frazee is an award-winning outdoor writer who lives in Parkville. He was outside editor of The Kansas City Star for 36 years before retiring in 2016.
