Author: Chris Lester

“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…