Yellowstone River – Syndication Server

After a morning of fruitless casting along the Yellowstone River in North Dakota, Tyler Hughes realized he had forgotten a critical implement he would need if he were to snag a large paddlefish.

Turns out, he definitely needed the long-handled gaff he had forgotten and was no doubt happy he had jumped into his truck and retrieved it from his campsite. Because 30 minutes after he returned, he snagged a giant paddlefish, as reported by Outdoor Life.

“At 11 a.m. I hooked something big that I thought was a rock or log,” he told Outdoor Life. “But then it started moving, and I knew I’d hooked a big paddlefish.”

The snagging season for paddlefish was May 1-15, and Hughes snagged his giant on May 3.

“The fish took all 250 yards of my braided line, and the knot connecting it to my 30-pound test monofilament backing line was headed out of the rod guides,” Hughes told Outdoor Life. “I knew I had to get the mono back onto the reel because the river is full of snags and the fish would break the mono for sure.”

After a 15-minute battle, Hughes managed to get the paddlefish to shore where friends gaffed the fish and dragged it up the bank. A second gaff, presumably brought by one of the friends, was used along with Hughes’ gaff, as shown in the video posted by Outdoor Life.

The paddlefish was taken to a weigh station where state officials verified the weight of 131 pounds. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department announced that Hughes’ fish tied the state record from 2016 by Grant Werkmeister, adding that “the two fish are the heaviest caught and documented in North Dakota.”

Photo courtesy of Tyler Hughes.

A grizzly bear that killed a bull elk in a Yellowstone National Park river battle last Friday has become a major tourist attraction.

That’s because the male grizzly has partially buried the elk on the bank of the Yellowstone River, across from a paved road, and is taking his time consuming the carcass.

“Wolves tried to come in yesterday, but this bear won’t even allow ravens to share, which is unusual,” Deby Dixon of Deby’s Wild World Photography, told For The Win Outdoors.

“This bear is methodical and does not appear to be concerned about anything taking away his food. Most bears stuff themselves in a hurry, for fear of losing it to another.”

Dixon on Tuesday captured a remarkable image showing the bear in a ferocious defensive posture alongside the half-buried elk. (See full image below.)

“I don’t want to run into this guy in the forest!” Dixon wrote on Facebook.

(Graphic video showing the bear attacking the elk can be viewed here.)

Grizzly bears do not typically attack full-grown elk, but this elk appeared to have previously suffered a broken leg, which made the animal vulnerable.

“A healthy elk would have gotten across the water before the bear even got to the river,” said Dixon, who specializes in Yellowstone wildlife photography.

After drowning the elk, the bear carved a large section of bank and covered most of the carcass to keep it fresh and prevent its scent from attracting predators.

News of this incredible display spread across social media and wildlife enthusiasts are driving into the park daily to witness the feeding event. (The grizzly bear is known to the park, cataloged as 791.)

Dixon said park staff is doing a good job of keeping tourists from blocking the road, but people are parking farther away and walking back to watch or photograph the bear.

A park spokeswoman told For The Win Outdoors that rangers may not always be present and that tourists “have a responsibility to behave in a way that doesn’t put people, or the bear, at risk.”

–Images courtesy of Deby Dixon/Deby’s Wild World

Tag: Yellowstone River

Angler retrieves critical implement from campsite before record catch

Yellowstone bear ferociously guards kill as tourists watch