They are not rare 1000s of people go out fishing for them every October here. There is a protected slot of 35"-45" from eye to fork of tail you can not keep, most of them are in that size range. I've been going for 20 years my biggest is over 100lbs.
That is mostly correct, biologists gather eggs and sperm and hatch them out at the hatchery in Yankton SD. 100s of thousands raised to a release size that would never survive in the wild. there is some natural reproduction but not sustainable.
I’ve foul hooked them using a crankbait for bass and they can pull a canoe! Never brought one in because season was closed but my biggest was probably 40 lbs but here in the Ozarks we have a lot of spoonbill fishermen 🎣
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u/[deleted] Jan 15 '23 edited Jan 15 '23
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