Caviar anyone?

If you are looking for something different, then I'd strongly suggest giving spoonbill fishing a try. Spoonbill? Yep, you're reading it right. Without a doubt the fastest growing fishing fun in the Midwest is spoonbilling.
These odd looking creatures grow to mammoth weights and will give the angler all he wants when trying to pull one of these monsters from the bottom.
Spoonbill (or paddlefish) is not a member of the catfish family like most think but closer relative to the mighty sturgeon. Catching them is very different from most species of bottom feeders (such as catfish). Feeding on primarily plankton, they cant be caught traditionally with baits like shad, worms, liver, etc. so they have to be snagged.
Armed with heavy tackle, the angler stands near the back of the boat dragging the heavy sinker and barbless treble hook across the bottom using a sweeping action, thus snagging the fish.
Call it odd, unusual, or even primitive but you'll certainly call it exciting when you land your first one.
Using our new camo G3 1860 CC, the field staff crew of Steve Matt, Mike Englemeyer, and myself experienced our first spoonbill snag recently on Grand Lake near Grove OK and were we pleasantly suprised at how fun this was and how big these monsters of deep could be.
Guide Joel Buss of Joels Fishing Guide Service furnished his services and immediately had us on fish. Young in age but well beyond his years, Joel is very diverse and offers some great angling on Grand Lake in OK and Beaver Lake in AR.
Check out his website at www.beaverlakeguideservice.com and give this young man a call to book a trip and experience this great adventure for yourself.
Watch for this action on the new G3 Sportsman this summer on FSN Midwest.
Sunday mornings at 8 am.

Is there a more fun fish to catch?

Small rivers produce huge Whites
Photo by Steve Matt

One of the first species of game fish to migrate their way into the shallows for spawn are the scrappy white bass.
As water temps begin to climb into the 50's, the white bass can be caught on shoals and sandy flats in rivers arms and creek channels off main lakes. Grubs, small crankbaits, and jigs are ideal baits to use. Slow steady retrieves with an occassional popping or jerking action can mimic bait fish and once you catch one, chances are you'll hook several.
Spinning reels are ideal and our choice of equipment was the Pflueger Presidents model with a 6 1/2 to 7ft light action rod. 4 or 6 pound test usually works best, allowing the light lures to fall slow enough to give it a more natural presentation. Plus, with smaller baits, a lighter line allows you to be able to cast farther as well.
The average white bass will usually weigh between 1-3 pounds but in some areas 4 pounders or more are not uncommon.
On a recent trip into the Natural State (AR), fellow G3 Field Staff member Steve Matt put myself, his bother Paul, and friend Terry Mattox on some monster whites.
Rigged with the new G3 Eagle 175 Panfish (Yamaha 60 hp 4 stroke), we had the ideal boat for navigating our way up the small creek arm. None weighed under 2 pounds, with the largest tipping the scales at nearly 5lbs! Thank goodness our G3's had two livewells onboard! Fish this size can fill one up pretty quick.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there as soon as you can and start patroling the shallows for (without question) the most fun game fish to catch.