I'm Back

[fatrap]

Well I'm back. What a trip. Platte SD was a Dud, went down to Pickstown. Caught a nice sauger then hooked the bottom of the river or that's what I thought. 40 minutes later I had a spoonbill next to the boat that we roughly measured 85 to 90 inches long. One of the guys who came into my boat from another boat to help get the hook out.(my boatmate was filming it) said he snagged one in in Nebraska that was less than half the size that weighed 40 pounds. 10 pound Stren on a Fire Tiger Flicker Shad.

30 minutes later I hooked another one that went half that size with nice tigerstriping. Oh yeah. We caught a bunch of walleyes some smallies(took it easy on them) a northern that ate the end of my finger(heavily bandaged right now). Gar, drum and a lot of huge white bass. Mostly trolling with eight and a half rods with counter reels.



fatrap

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Cool, you can thank me later for the Spoonbill mojo I sent your way!!:lol:

Pictures?



TOXIC

 

[Dan J.]

Sounds like a great time FR! I just hope you took a spoonbill for a nice hot bath back at the house!! :lol: DEE-LISH!

 

[Bob G.]

Story is useless without pics of the spoonbill!! :lol:



Sounds like a good trip fatrap!!

 

[Marty Klein]

7+ foot spoonbill? Wow!

 

[fatrap]

I've got video on my new hard drive digital camcorder as soon as I figure out how to pick a frame and save it as a jpeg I'll get them up. Thanks Tox for the mojo.

Dan $1100 fine in South Dakota for removing one from the water. Just downstream Nebraska has a season that opened up the day after I caught the two. I don't know if they live in salt water as the Missouri River(pronounced misery) is now choked with salty tears from the Big Red faitful after yesterdays butt wipping from Wisconsin.



fatrap

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

You just had to go there didn't you....:wacko: First time I ever turned off a Nebraska game before the end.:angry: Martinez has to go and that is not a knee-jerk reaction.



TOXIC

 

[Randy Walls]

Fatrap, didn't you know you can't "LIP" northern!:lol:



That spoonbill would have scared the hell out of me!:blink:



Randy!

 

[Dan J.]

Just saw your pic of the biggest spoonbill I believe I've ever seen! Dang shame on the possession reg's, though. They are incredible table fare. Maybe not THAT big, though! :lol: When you have a legal chance to sample one I encourage you to do so. To prepare the meat, we'd gill & gut, then cut completely around the head behind the gills, but not through the backbone (cartilage stem). Take the fins off the tail down to the spine's end and pull on the head, removing spine and all with the stem attached leaving a huge "tube" of incredibly delicate, light, white, bone-free meat. If you enjoy halibut I'd say it's dang near identical. You can't go wrong with it baked, broiled, or fried.



Way to go on a masterful catch of such a behemoth!!

 

[Texas Transplant]

It never ceases to amaze me, the information that our members have on this site. Not only do we have 'spoonbill' pictures and descriptions, we have Dan give us a detailed review of how to clean and cook one!



Tex