Spoonbill question?

[rudeopossum]

After all the warm weather and rains that got the spoonbill running up the rivers. What affect if any will this cold snap do to the spoonbill snagging? We have the OKAM next weekend and want to see everyone snag a big un.

[jbarnes17]

It will slow them down a bit, but on the bright side they'll hold of on spawning so that means they will be around just little while longer. I think they will be movin pretty good by next weekend cause it supposed to warmer (I hope) next week.

[Larry Collier]

David I agree that your event shouldn't be hampered by the weather. As long as there's water running their urges to spawn will overshadow any slight dip in the air temps. When I was younger the weather never stopped me from getting lucky :embarassed:

[tkishkape]

The spoonies are still running thick on Kerr, so I expect that they're still on the move upstream.

Get 'em while the gettin is good.

I used some of the red meat from a spoonie with a strip of the skin for bait yesterday on the Arkansas. Blues love it!

[KSFish]

It's funny you mention that about using them for bait. A guy I snagged with last week said that his limb line setups really worked good with some left over meat!

Have the females started moving yet? We were snagging males last week in Miami and I can't wait till the females move up!

[tkishkape]

The one I got last week in Kerr Lake was a female, and her eggs were fully developed and black.

They're on their way to becoming caviar in the 'fridge!

The red meat trimmings are very tender and easily stripped from the hook. I cut a 1X2 strip of skin, poked a hole through it with an awl, and hung it on the hook after baiting with the red meat. After a single bite, the meat was ripped from the hook, but the skin kept the catfish coming back. I would have been "fishing on credit" if the leathery skin was not on the hook.

The blues just can't get enough of the meat of the spoonbill. I'm going to cut several strips of the skin, poke holes in it, and then soak it in epsom salts to keep it from spoiling. I think that it will work just like the pork skin lures we're all familiar with.

[Larry Collier]

Albert I've mentioned skin fishin on here before and I agree it is an effective bait all on it's own. Not as good if the skin is all that's on the hook but still effective.
This time of year fresh bait like live shad and perch for juggin is at a premium so I bag every scrap left over from cleaning fish no matter what the species of fish.