Outdoor digest 4/5/02

Mingo diploma ceremony planned for April 26

PUXICO, Mo. -- A commencement program for students who have received their GED, fulfilled their high school diploma requirements or completed their vocational training at the Mingo Job Corps will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, April 26 at the center's gymnasium on Route T near Puxico.

The program is open to the public. A reception for graduates and guests will be provided.

Crappie group plans several spring tournaments

BELLEVILLE, Ill. -- The SICA Inc., a chapter of the American Crappie Association, will hold its first spring tournament Sunday at Lake Egypt. A tournament meeting will be held Saturday at the Egyptian Hills Marina with the weigh-in at the marina at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Other tournaments planned:

April 21 at Lake Kinkaid. The pre-tournament meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Landing Bar and Grill, 13693 State Highway 149 in Murphysboro, Ill. The weigh-in will be at 3 p.m. at Kinkaid Marina.

May 5 at Rend Lake. The pre-tournament meeting will be at Bubba's Place at Nason, Ill., at 6 p.m. May 4. The weigh-in will be at the pavilion east of the Rend Lake Resort at 3 p.m. Sunday.

May 19 at Smithland Pool on the Ohio River. The pre-tournament meeting will be at the Golconda shelter off Illinois Route 146 in Golconda at 6 p.m. May 18. The weigh-in will be there at 3 p.m. May 19.

139-pound paddlefish sets state record

KIMBERLING CITY, Mo.-- Some anglers fish a lifetime and never catch a record fish. Then there are anglers like Wayne Russell of De Soto who, on his first paddlefishing trip, snagged the largest spoonbill ever taken from Missouri waters.

On the second day of season March 16, the 56-year-old retiree hauled in a 139-pound, 4-ounce paddlefish from Table Rock Lake. The fish measured 57.5 inches from the eye to the fork of the tail and was 42.5 inches in girth. The previous record, a paddlefish weighing 134 pounds, 12-ounces, came from the Lake of the Ozarks in 1998. Russell fought a tough half-hour long battle to bring in the behemoth. He says the battle left him a little sore, but very happy.

"When I hooked it I thought I was hung up on a log," Russell said. "Then it turned the boat and headed off. After that it was like a tug-of-war where I tried to pull him in and he tried to pull away."

Russell finally got the fish close enough to use a gaff hook and tie it to the boat.

"I couldn't have caught the fish without the help of my two brothers-in-law," Russell said. "Jim Skiles introduced me to the sport and Paul Pruitt kept the boat straight in the water so I wouldn't lose the fish."

Although they are among the largest fish found in Missouri, paddlefish feed by straining tiny plants and animals from the water. The feeding method makes them next to impossible to catch with bait. Instead, anglers pursue them by jerking lines with big, three pointed hooks through the water and snagging the behemoths.

The only time paddlefish gather in sufficient numbers to make this method of fishing practical is in the spring. Driven by the urge to spawn, the big fish swim upstream. Dams stop them below the Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake. At Table Rock Lake, they swim up the James River and Flat Creek in the Cape Fair area. These seasonal concentrations create terrific fishing opportunities for anglers who are hardy enough to brave sometimes frightful weather and muscle huge fish out of the swirling water.

Paddlefish snagging season continues through April 30.

Commission to meet April 29-30 at Eminence

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.-- The Missouri Conservation Commission will meet April 29 and 30 at the Jerry J. Presley Education Center, Eminence.

Commission meetings are open to the public. Items to be placed on the agenda for presentations or other business should be sent in writing to Director, Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, Mo., 65102-0180; or fax to 751-4467.

Requests must be received by April 15.

People requiring special services or accommodations to attend the meeting can make arrangements at the same address, or by phone at 751-4115.

-- From staff reports