A different kind of report

[pdxfisher]

After reading a post by @uplandsandpiper on another site I could not stop thinking about sturgeon fishing. I have not caught a sturgeon in a few years. I was hit with stage 5 kidney failure and have lost a lot of strength as a result. I was not sure I should go after those beasts but night after night I dreamt of mighty battles with those prehistoric throwbacks. I finally decided I would go and if during a fight I decided could not take it I could, regretfully, cut the line.

 

With that plan in place I decided to give it a go. Turns out I was being overly cautious and maybe I have regained more strength than I realized because I had a BLAST!!

 

I got to the ramp a bit after sunrise, in no huge rush. I got unloaded and launched and started pedaling around looking for sturgeon. I found some likely looking marks on the old FF and decided to hook up to a barge with the clamp that is right there beside me. That was supposed to be right there beside me. Doh! I left it in the truck so back to the ramp I went, grabbed my clamp and pedaled back to the spot that looked promising.

 

I baited up a 5/0 Gamakatsu circle octopus with my normal sturgeon bait (1/2 anchovy). I cast out wondering if I was marking carp or sturgeon (I have been fooled before). I cast out and in short order I could feel some line rubs. You feel that plink, plink, plink as the line slides over their scutes. I knew I was in the right spot. It still took a while for that first bite but I was so excited when I reeled down on that fish and felt some decent weight.

 

That first fish put up a nice tussle and would have been in the keeper range if there were a season. In the 50+ degree water those sturgeon can really pull!

 

The bite was red hot at first and stayed pretty good for most of the day. My strategy is that after I cast out I slowly count to 300 and if I have not had any bites or line rubs then I reel in and recast. There were only a few times I reeled in without a fish. 

 

I ended up with 18 on the day with my best being a nice, thick 6 footer. Unfortunately my gopro was glitching during that part of the day I missed getting that fish and 4 or 5 others on video. There were a handful of tiny shakers but most of the fish were in the 3 to 4 and half foot range, which is about my favorite size to catch. My arms are still a little sore.

 

I also broke off 2 big fish and pulled the hook on a third. I am confused by the line breaks. I think maybe the braid was wrapping around the sinker or something weird because there is no way I should be able to pop 50lb braid. I was not wrapped around anything either time just leaning on a big fish in the middle of fight and POP. I am thinking about switching to 30lb mono. I am wondering if that might hold up better. I will have to think some more about that.

 

Overall, I am just so excited that I was able to once again do battle with those beasts.  The weather ended up being much better than forecast. The wind seemed lighter and the rain did not start up until I was back at the ramp! The fish were cooperative and let me win most of the time. It could not have been a better day.

 

Here is an action shot from the day:

 

 

Here is a short of an exciting moment:

 

 

 

 

Here is a (way too long) video of the day:

 

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

18 sturgeon???!!!??? That is beyond my ken and beyond my imagination. I caught one once, a four-footer, and I thought I was Al Lindner. That one sturgeon was so strong that my arm was limp after the fight. And you go out and catch 18. 

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Mythical creatures that hopefully will make a full comeback to all their native ranges.

 

Congrats, and here's to continued health that allows you to chase such special fish.  

 

Them and Muskie were the bucket list fish of my childhood, read about them all the time in North American Fisherman, and watched folks like the Linders on tv fish for them.   

[flyfisher]

That is awesome.  I caught one striper fishing on the Delaware river and my brother and dad didn't get why I was so psyched about it.  Like you said, it is literally catching a dinosaur. 

[TnRiver46]

8 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Mythical creatures that hopefully will make a full comeback to all their native ranges.

 

Congrats, and here's to continued health that allows you to chase such special fish.  

 

Them and Muskie were the bucket list fish of my childhood, read about them all the time in North American Fisherman, and watched folks like the Linders on tv fish for them.   

You can get both of them in east TN now if they are still on your bucket list, reintroduction has been successful 

 

great trip @pdxfisher, I think you’ve got your strength back! 

[galyonj]

Atta boy.

[A-Jay]

You're Still The Man !

Nicely Done & Congrats 

A-Jay

[TOXIC]

Nice! I assume I hooked one jigging for walleye last year in the St Clair river in Michigan.  I absolutely couldn’t move the fish and finally broke 2 arms off the treble hook I had in him.  Another dinosaur that is fun to catch are from my old home state of Nebraska in Gavin’s Point dam, spoonbill/paddlefish.  Woow what a fight those put up. 

[pdxfisher]

Thanks everyone! That was such a fun trip. I went into it with a lot of trepidation but it turns out I was worrying about nothing. Of course if I hook an 8 footer I may change my mind about just how much strength I have back

 

If all goes well my son is going to go with me on my next trip. I am hoping to get him his first sturgeon. I used to take him a lot when he was younger but then he got to that age where he wanted to hang with his friends. However, this year he has started to get an interest in fishing again. I am excited to get out there fishing with him again!! Plus he can carry all the heavy stuff

[Swamp Girl]

I'm happy for you, @pdxfisher. Happy for the kid too! Tell him to hang on!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nuw8GJbqx94

 

[Eric 26]

@pdxfisher I left the emoji for the last sentence 😉 It’s awesome to read a positive post such as this regarding your medical history and I wish you nothing but positive thoughts going forward. If you don’t mind my asking I’m curious why anyone would keep a sturgeon regardless of size and what exactly besides their roe is edible. I’m hopeful this question doesn’t come across as anything but curiosity considering your comment of “would have been in the keeper range if there were a season” I have nothing against legal harvesting and feel it is actually a good practice. 

[pdxfisher]

Sturgeon are very good eating and have a lot of meat. A lot of folks smoke them (when there is an open season). The bad news is that they have integrated a lot of toxins by the time they reach the slot limit size. I have no interest in keeping one but the open seasons are wildly popular out here. 

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, pdxfisher said:

I have no interest in keeping one but the open seasons are wildly popular out here. 

Here it's C&R only...no keeping Sturgeon.

[pdxfisher]

4 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Here it's C&R only...no keeping Sturgeon.

Out here there are a few limited seasons in certain waters. Biologists sample the fish and set a quota based on what they feel is sustainable. 

 

There is one place that is always open for sturgeon (2 fish per year limit). It is the Willamette River above the falls. Those fish are remnants of a stocking program from 40 or so years ago and not considered native to that section of the river. There are not many sturgeon in that section of the river compared to the lower Willamette or Columbia. 

[TnRiver46]

We have to release them as well but I did eat some at a restaurant, pretty tasty . Far different than anything else I’ve had 

[gim]

12 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Here it's C&R only...no keeping Sturgeon.

Not entirely accurate.  You can keep one in a specific size range on the Rainy River during the spring season.  You must put in for a harvest tag and draw one in a lottery.  And then if you harvest one you must report it to the DNR so they can keep track.  Sort of like registering a bear, deer, or turkey.

 

Lake Sturgeon fishing on the Rainy River is on my bucket list one day.  They have made an incredible comeback up there after they were nearly over harvested many years ago.  They take an extremely long time to reach reproductive maturity so its important to keep track of every single fish that's been taken.

[MassBass]

Great report. Where I'm from it is illegal to target Atlantic sturgeon, all the time. Here and there a striper fisherman soaking bait in the brackish area will catch one as by catch.