27,000-acre Caddo Lake – really a flooded bald cypress forest – has more diverse fish species than any other lake in the state of Texas. Paddlefish – also called Spoonbill catfish or Shovelnose catfish – are native to Big Cypress Bayou, which feeds Caddo Lake. They’ve also been found in Red River tributaries in Texas. Paddlefish became a threatened species when they suddenly stopped spawning. The reason biologists found for this is Paddlefish need the pulse influx of water in the spring to tell them it’s time to spawn. They lost that cue when the dam at the Lake of the Pines was installed, which stopped the natural flow of water they required, thus their internal clocks shut down.
Now, they are making a comeback in Caddo Lake, with help from biologists and conservation programs such as CLI! The prior years restocking initiatives have gone so well that in 2018, we have a fully funded program and this fall approximately 14,000 paddlefish will be ready for release into the Caddo Lake area!! We are very proud of this program and hope you will join us for the fall release! Read more about it HERE!
Want to release and follow your very own Paddlefish this Fall? Click HERE!
