I guess that all depends on how big of a fish... I pretty much quit fishing when I moved to Ohio, I an a saltwater guy...but a Penn Senator is always good for big tuna! These are my buddies, all the way up to the 12/0. I have a few but my largest is a 6/0. Also have a bunch of PENN spinning reels and a few Abu G's
That's a nice collection, and nice display for them! From your like of big reels and the "cat" in your screen name, I was wondering if you were a cat fishing guy. Now I know.
Spinning Shimano Saragossa top water striped bass is a blast. Conventional the senators are great for the price but an international is the cats azz! The lightest gear you can get the job done with is my favorite. Different set ups for different fish. I have only one chainsaw my tackle hoard is on a whole nother level.
My buddy also has a bunch of Internationals! I am not a Collector, but he has just about one of everything Penn has made...Rods, Reels, Thermometers, ash trays, signage,belt buckles, etc
I caught 2 under legal size, one was short by 2 inches and the other by 3 inches. I caught one keeper, that turned out to be the biggest one of our group, it was 49 inches from eye to the fork of it's tail, and weighed 77 lbs. It took me about 10 minutes to get it in, and the other guys were giving me a hard time, till it got to the boat. I've known by buddy on the right since high school.
Well, it could go either way. Spoonbill are a very curious looking fish. This one had a lot of caviar, worth well over a few thousand. It's so controlled, you cannot transport the eggs anywhere, unless it's in the fish. If anyone wanted the eggs, they would have to take the fish home and clean it there. Not that I want them, but it's an interesting part of Spoonbill regulations.
Scanning through the channels on the boob-tube the other night while making dinner and ran across a show on the food network , pretty sure it was Andrew Zimmer on The weirdest thing I ever ate or something like that and part of it was snagging spoon bill's.
When I was probably 13 or 14 I went fishing for drop line bait (bluegill) below an old mill dam. I was belly deep in water and got my line on something. It was moving, but not easily...I assumed it was a branch or something. I pulled and pulled and eventually a big old spoonbill popped it's head up. I didn't even know they existed....I freaked out. I will never forget that one.
Yeah, that would freak me out to, at that age and had no idea of what it was. They are primitive fish, with fossils predating dinosaurs.
I wish I could, but those regs apply to everyone, and they take it seriously. In Oklahoma, they have a processing center set up where you can take your fish there to be cleaned and packaged, and in return they keep the eggs and sell them on the market. It funds their Spoonbill program. The Russian mob is believed to be involved in poaching and selling the eggs on the black market. There was a big state and federal sting operation about 10 years ago where they busted about a 100 poachers. https://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/mdc-federal-agents-snag-major-paddlefish-poaching-operation
I'm guessing you mean the meat, and not the eggs (which I haven't eaten). You can cook it like any other fish. We like it unhealthy and deep fried, with Andy's Breading. We also like to grill it with Cajun seasoning. A lot of people will smoke it. The meat is a little firmer, than say crappie. We cut it into thinner strips, than leaving thick. Smokers will leave it thick. I guess we got about 20 meals out of the 77 lb'er above. It has a mild flavor.
