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Paddlefish angling is red hot;
free permit available online
April 13, 2009 - Hundreds of paddlefish
have been caught and processed this spring as anglers take advantage
of services provided by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's
Paddlefish Research and Processing Center (RPC).
Located along the Neosho River near Twin Bridges
State Park, the Paddlefish RPC is open for anglers to bring in
their paddlefish to be processed into neatly packaged fillets
ready for the frying pan, barbecue grill or smoker. By processing
the fish, the Department salvages the eggs from female paddlefish
and also collects valuable biological data about the Neosho River-Grand
Lake population; arguably one of the healthiest paddlefish populations
in the world.
Fishing for paddlefish began heating up around
the third week in March, and biologists believe there is still
time to catch the fish making their spring spawning run. Additionally,
biologists want to remind anglers who would like to try their
hand at catching a paddlefish, to obtain the free paddlefish
permit which is available online from wildlifedepartment.com.
"We processed over 1,650 fish at the Center
this last Thursday through Sunday, and it looks like this coming
weekend will be just as good," said Keith Green, paddlefish
program coordinator for the Wildlife Department. Before the permit,
it was a challenge to determine the true numbers of paddlefish
anglers, and therefore it was more difficult to manage this important
fish. But now with the permit system, we are learning valuable
information which will greatly benefit our future management
efforts."
The free paddlefish permit also makes the tagging
process easier for anglers. Under the permit system each angler
that obtains a paddlefish permit is assigned a number that must
be attached to all paddlefish that are caught and kept.
"The permit simplifies the tagging process
for the angler while also making mistakes less likely to occur,"
Green said. "Each angler's permit is good for the entire
calendar year and can be used for multiple paddlefish tagged
during that year."
As long as the paddlefish spawning run continues,
the Paddlefish RPC will remain open for anglers to bring in their
fish. Paddlefish, which date back to the Jurassic Period, regularly
weigh over 50 pounds, and anglers who have caught them say the
action rivals catching a saltwater game fish such as a marlin
or shark. Because paddlefish feed exclusively on microscopic
plankton, they will not bite a lure. Instead, they are snagged
by dragging a large treble hook and a weight through the water.
To obtain a free paddlefish permit, or for other
useful information about paddlefish angling in Oklahoma, log
on to wildlifedepartment.com. The Web site provides paddlefish
angling hotspots, photo galleries, paddlefish regulations and
instructions on how to fish for paddlefish in Oklahoma as well
as more information about the Department's Paddlefish Research
and Processing Center.
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