Since that time, Blind Pony and Lost Valley hatcheries have been raising lake sturgeon and then stocking them into the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. I often watched, but I found host Jeremy Wade’s antics a little silly. Apr 13, 2014 - This Pin was discovered by Sheryl. It weighed 315 pounds and was taken just below Portland in 1866. In 2011, a Mississippi commercial fisherman caught a 327-pound alligator gar in his net. On a historical note, in his 1950 book, Steamboating: Sixty-Five Years on Missouri’s Rivers, Captain Bill Heckman reported the largest fish ever caught in the Missouri River was a blue catfish. Plan on getting your River Monster this 4th of July! They are more abundant in the Missouri and Mississippi rivers than anywhere else in the state. River Monsters Official Site. Like flathead catfish, blue catfish can be caught using a variety of methods and baits.

After we baited the lines and cast them out at our favorite fishing hole, we leaned back in our chairs to enjoy the cool breeze and the warm sun on our faces. The line started screaming off his reel, and we quickly realized we needed to follow this fish if we were going to land it. Included on the monster fish list are alligator gar, lake sturgeon, paddlefish, flathead catfish, and blue catfish.This is the largest of the monster fish found in Missouri. For example, a 5-foot-long flathead catfish could swallow a 3-foot-long fish!

These big fish are very long-lived species, so the longer they are in the environment, the bigger they will get. Since that time, however, it has become very rare in Missouri and is listed as a state-endangered species. Check MDC’s current fishing regulations to determine paddlefish season dates, length limits, and daily limits.This is the largest species of catfish in North America. The world record bull trout is a 32-pounder caught in Idaho’s Lake Pend Oreille. On Mingo NWR, alligator gar must be released unharmed immediately after being caught. Like all catfishes, it has skin without scales and barbels around the mouth. your own Pins on Pinterest Once blue catfish get larger than about 18 inches, they eat mostly fish. Unconfirmed reports suggest the Chinese variety grew up to 23 feet long, and it was once found in rivers across that country. Since that time, nine other conservation areas have been added to the stocking program. No matter your choice of fishing method or bait, you’re in for a lot of fun if you hook into one of these monsters.Also known as spoonbill, paddlefish are one of the more well-known monster fish in Missouri. There are also good populations of blue catfish in Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Reservoir. Someday, MDC hopes to remove them from Missouri’s endangered species list.Probably the most popular and sought-after monster fish in Missouri is the flathead catfish.

We hoped to catch a few small channel catfish for dinner.

In fact, it is the second largest freshwater fish in North America next to the white sturgeon. Not hardly! It is now fairly common to get reports of lake sturgeon up to 80 pounds being caught from those early stockings. Paddlefish have a paddle-shaped snout, skin without scales, and, like sharks, a skeleton made of cartilage rather than bone. So how big do they get?

All of a sudden, my friend’s pole bent over double and nearly jerked out of his hands.

Flathead catfish typically occur in the large rivers and lakes in Missouri.

The current Missouri record is 127 pounds. Tackle boxes, rods and reels, seat cushions, and bait buckets went flying as we scrambled around the boat to pull up the anchors and find the dip net. One exception is that blue catfish will readily take cut bait, where flathead catfish usually do not. The state record is 142.5 pounds, and a 198-pounder was speared in an Iowa lake. The state record is a 57.75 pound fish caught in 1994 in Nelson Reservoir near Malta. When actively feeding, they swim slowly with their mouth open and strain food out of the water. The record is a 72-pounder caught in Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories. Because paddlefish will not take bait, they are caught by snagging. Missouri’s paddlefish snagging season occurs in the spring to coincide with their spawning migration. One unique trait flathead catfish have is that they will attempt to eat almost anything they can get into their large mouths. While you’re there, watch videos of state-record alligator gar, flathead catfish, paddlefish, and blue catfish. Or pick up the Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations wherever permits are sold.Experiences like the one my friend and I had that warm spring day are occurring much more frequently because of MDC’s continuing fisheries research and management. Dams have altered much of the state’s waterways, though the paddlefish and sturgeon are hanging on in the free-flowing Yellowstone.