Read the article with FishingTheSpot: the paddlefish
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See the fishing tripsThe Paddlefish
mid-May to June
60 cm
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The Paddlefish belongs to the Polyodontidae family. The adult size is between 1.2 m to 1.8 m. It has a lifespan of 20 to 30 years. They spawn in April to May. It can be fished from mid-May to June.
The long paddle-shaped snout of this fish represents about one-third of its total body length. The snout helps stabilize fish as they swim and also contains specialized cells that help detect swarms of plankton that this species feeds on. The skin is smooth. Small individuals are pink at the back and white at the base; for older people, around 25 à 30 cm, the body color changes to bluish grey on the back and cream on the vent. The eyes are small compared to the rest of the head and body. On the underside of the snout are two little barbells in front of a large, toothless mouth. When seen through the mouth, the gills are large and show the many closely spaced filaments that trap microscopic food. On each side, a gill cover extends backwards, ending with a long pointed flap. The skeleton is composed of cartilage rather than bone. The tip of the spine extends into the upper lobe of the heterrorcercal tail, much like a shark does.
The Paddlefish lifestyle
Paddlefish consume mainly microcrustaceans and insect larvae, which they filter through water with their gills when swimming in an area where concentrations of these organisms are high. They also eat midge larvae that dig into the bottom, but the method used to eat them is unknown, as the paddle-shaped snout is not used to toss the bottom.
Paddlefish spawn in April or May when they migrate upstream over long distances to find flooded, silt-free gravel bars. When the water reaches about 10°C, a female with several males rushes to breed on the gravel bars time when the eggs and sperm are deposited. The eggs drop to the bottom and attach to the first object they touch. Nine days later, the eggs hatch at a water temperature of about 13° C. Larvae begin to swim persistently immediately after hatching and are swept away by currents.
The Paddlefish habitat
A paddlefish requires very specific habitat conditions to meet its needs. For most of its life, it lives in calm or slow-moving waters, rich in microscopic lives (zooplankton), on which it feeds. However, it must have access to a large, free-flowing river with gravel bars that frequently flood during the spawning season.
Currently, many suitable habitats for paddlefish have been destroyed due to dams, stream channelling, dyke construction and bottom lake drainage. These structures can eliminate feeding habitats and block fish from spawning areas.
Paddlefish can be found in the United States and China.
The Paddlefish angling
The Paddlefish is caught with the hanging method.
