Anybody try fishing Sturgeon?

[Razor]

Strugeon grow very big and look tasty... I am planning on trying to go on and fish for some :P

If anybody has some tips or methods, i would appreciate if you posted below!

Thanks,
Ben

[RAK]

I heard sturgeon like worms. :-X

[fatworm]

Big worms... :)

[Razor]

:)Lol!!

[noxcape]

up here in bc sturgeaon are catch and realese only but i know people catch them on stink bait like rotten salmon or even squaw fish

[Razor]

up here in bc sturgeon are catch and release only but i know people catch them on stink bait like rotten salmon or even squaw fish


We have same rules on the Upper Columbia River... but if you go down to the Snake river, there is a special season where you can fish for sturgeon... I think its 1 per person.

[JoeW]

Wow! I understand Lake Erie used to be full of Sturgeon (back 130 years ago)! So many, groups of guys would run nets out in a half circle from shore into the Lake, then pull the net in and club them! Others speared them in the shallow water when they were spawning! Must be good to eat if people wanted them that bad! But like Blue Pike and Lake trout, the Sturgeon haven't been seen in Lake Erie in decades, mostly because of overfishing, I think! I read somewhere that balls of algae make good bait? Good luck- Take pics! Best--- JoeW

[Razor]

Wow! I understand Lake Erie used to be full of Sturgeon (back 130 years ago)! So many, groups of guys would run nets out in a half circle from shore into the Lake, then pull the net in and club them! Others speared them in the shallow water when they were spawning! Must be good to eat if people wanted them that bad! But like Blue Pike and Lake trout, the Sturgeon haven't been seen in Lake Erie in decades, mostly because of overfishing, I think! I read somewhere that balls of algae make good bait? Good luck- Take pics! Best--- JoeW


These days, there are limits on fish. If there wasn't, I think (know) all the good fish would be gone!

[Jmarksman]

Fish the bottom, cut bait chunks on spoons work well for me.

[Razor]

Sturgeon come from the ocean to spawn... Columbia is full of them but you can't take them though... or else...:eek:

[noxcape]

hmmm i don't know about that coming from the ocean theory i have never heard of one being caught in the ocean they are caught out here in the fresh water only in the fraser and cultas lake where they are stuck i also know the ottawa river in ontario has lots of sturgeon and there are no oceans any where close to them lol :P sorry had to throw my 2 cents onto that one

but on a good note the world class sturgeon fishing on the fraser should be picking up very soon with all the salmon showing up in the fraser time for some more 11 footers to be caught

[JoeW]

Wow-- if you can, read the attached article! TWO Sturgeon were caught in Lake Erie a year ago! Didn't know that! And evidently the "Great Lakes Sturgeon" is a landlocked type that never goes back to the ocean. AND-- look at the reason why they were thought to be extinct! Ya live and ya learn! Thanks, guys (and gal) Best----- JoeW :eek:

PS- I don't know where or when the 11 footer in the pic was caught- but it said Lake Erie! All I know is that I don't want any fish that big near my boat! Heck, I get nervous with a 3 foot Pike coming in! :)

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09200/984887-358.stm

[noxcape]

lol that pics a fake its actually caught from the fraser the guy in the red shirt closet to the boat is a local guide here in bc on the fraser :)

[JoeW]

I didn't think it was a Lake Erie Sturgeon either. But the Pic is labeled "Giant Lake Erie Sturgeon". Fake! If that would have been from Lake Erie, I would have heard about it, and there would be 100 bazillion guys out there fishing for them! Thanks for the reality check! But the link does show that a couple were taken from Lake Erie a year ago- interesting reading! Best--- JoeW :)

[fatworm]

lol that pics a fake its actually caught from the fraser the guy in the red shirt closet to the boat is a local guide here in bc on the fraser :)

Good catch!!:cool:

[Razor]

hmmm i don't know about that coming from the ocean theory i have never heard of one being caught in the ocean they are caught out here in the fresh water only in the fraser and cultas lake where they are stuck i also know the ottawa river in ontario has lots of sturgeon and there are no oceans any where close to them lol :P sorry had to throw my 2 cents onto that one

but on a good note the world class sturgeon fishing on the fraser should be picking up very soon with all the salmon showing up in the fraser time for some more 11 footers to be caught



They come back to the freshwater during a certain period of their life. I never heard people fishing them from the ocean because its probably really difficult or illegal. On the Columbia, we have to wait until a certain season.

:D The bigger the better!

BTW I like the size in that picture joeW! Its probably going to last a whole year or even more! (matters who eats more lol)

[noxcape]

that fish in the pic was caught under the mission bridge on the fraser its catch and release for sturgeon in all of bc

[Razor]

Blame the internet... everybody on the internet steals other images and claims as if it were theirs.

[RAK]

If you ever decide to come out here, make sure to PM me. I am still learning to catch those big guys. They are Fairly easy to catch(If you go with a guide). It is very important to have good fishing equipment.

Maybe I will be a guide when I retire. LOL

I call sturgeon: "Friendly Freshwater Sharks".


Fishing guides teach you how to fillet sturgeon. Here is one great Video on "Filleting a Sturgeon".

YouTube- Filleting sturgeon

[JoeW]

That looks simple enough. Just like filleting any other fish! I thought Sturgeon were covered all over with those hard "skutes". Guess not. Man, that guy's knife is sharp! Best---- JoeW

[Kngfshr]

Hi, Razor. Yes, in deed, there are sturgeon in the great lakes but they are far and few between and not generally fished for due to restrictions and protection. And yes they can be caught in the ocean at certain times off the coast of Oregon and Washington. If you are willing to travel, your best bet is to try the lower Columbia River below Bonnaville Dam. Sturgeon can be kept during most of the year but the season is closed during the spawn and though I have never eaten them, I understand they are delicious. Only fish between 42" and 60" may be kept but they also fish for trophy fish that could reach 20 ft. and 2000 lbs. and take hours to land. This is catch and release fishing and the fish cannot removed from the water. Type Columbia River sturgeon fishing into your computer search bar and check out the guide sites for more info on seasons. You should find all the information you need.

[Kngfshr]

Thought I would add a couple of pics of Herman the sturgeon who lives at the fish hatchery at Bonnaville Dam about 45 mins. north of Portland, Or. on the Columbia River. Herman is 11 ft. long, 70 yrs. old, and 500 lbs. In the wild, they live to be 200 yrs. old and weigh up to 2,000 lbs. By the way, the rainbows (steelheads ?) in the pics are probably 20-30 lbs.

[Kngfshr]

Just thought I would add, there are sturgeon in some lakes and rivers around the country, including the Mississippi River, but are protected in most areas. These Lake sturgeon and River sturgeon are miniscule compared to the White sturgeon found in the rivers in the Northwest (Columbia, Snake, and Fraser Rivers to name a few) growing to about 3 ft. long.

[greatdane]

Back in the late 60s and early 70s I lived in Lillooet on the Fraser river. A local school teacher used to target the big Sturgeon. He used an inner tube from a large truck that he would put around a stump or cable to a large rock. He would use a steel cable from the tube to a home made treble hook. For bait he would put a chicken on each barb and wing the result into a big back eddie.
He would catch 2-3 a year and had a list of buyers for the roe. If he could line up enough buyers for the estimated roe he would use a farm tractor to pull the fish out of the water.
These monsters ran 18 to 20 ft long and looked prehistoric.
One other method used was to tie the cable to the top of a willow tree and use that as the strain gizzmo.
Never thought to borrow a camera and take pics but sure wish I had done so.
Alan.

[Kngfshr]

I called this guide, Charlie Foster, for a July trip to the Columbia river for Chinooks, steelhead, and keeper size sturgeon (42-60") but he told me he really wasn't interested in small fish. He specializes in trophy size sturgeon of 10 ft. or bigger. Went with a friend of his but only fished 4 hrs. due to high winds that kept blowing through the Columbia Gorge for several days. Had two hook ups but didn't boat either.

[happyhooker]

Ive found the best bait for sturgeon is fresh peeled tiger shrimp yes like those sold in the grocery store soak the shrimp in herring oil for 2 days cast em out on a bottom dropper rig and hold on

[dbarnett1]

We have sturgeon here in MO in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The Conservation claims that we have a small population of them in some of our bigger lakes and in the James and Osage rivers. I have never hooked one or seen anyone else do so, but I have some friends who have. The conservation dept. here has a health warning on eating sturgeon caught here claiming they have high levels of mercury. Not sure if this is true or is just a way to keep people from fishing them out. I'm also not sure on the limit although I think it is 2 per day and 2 in possession. I do know folks who live and fish on the big rivers here in MO do fish for them quite a lot. Our state conservation magazine did an article on them about a year ago and they claim cut bait seems to work the best.

[dugger]

I heard it was like poor man lobster

[bass or bass?]

What ever bait you would use for catfish will work for sturgeon. When I was in the U.S.A.F. in Bossier City Louisiana we fished the Red River and regularly caught them while cat fishing. They pull like a run away train, and in heavy current you better have a stout rod :eek:. And yes, those river sturgeon love the current.

[dbarnett1]

I just got my copy of the Missouri Conservationist magazine today. One of the articles is on new game laws for 2011. One new law is that now only commercial fishermen in certain parts of the Mississippi river may fish for or possess Shovel nose sturgeon. The reason for this is because they look too much like the palid sturgeon which is endangered. The article was just a quick info type up so I'm going to suppose that that's it for sturgeon fishing in MO. I don't know much about them as I've never caught one or fished for them but I was hoping to one day. Oh well I'll just have to be happy catching the big ole cats. :)

[RICHR]

I FISH FPOR STERGON EVERY OCT. ON THE WISCONSIN RIVER BELOW THE DELLS. YOU NEED 30LB TEST AGOOD STIFF ROD A FEW DZ NIGHT CRAWLERS . PUT AS MANY WORMS ON THE HOOK AS YOU CAN. PUUT IT ON THE BOTTOM AND WAIT.:) THATS HOW WE GETEM. AND IN WIS. THEY HAVE TO BE 70 IN LONG TO KEEP THEM. AND A TAG FOR THEM IS 50 BUCKS.

GOOD LUCK:cool:

[injunjoe]

A recent article in a Haverhill Massachusetts paper was all about a colony of Sturgeon living in a 1 mile stretch of the Merrimac river. Biologist matched DNA to a group of Sturgeon up in Maine they say they are migrating down from Maine to spawn in the Merrimac. Estimated size of school 2000 fish. Fasinating stuff.http://www.eagletribune.com/haverhill/x618367895/Sturgeon-take-surprise-route-from-Maine-to-Merrimack-River