Columbia River sturgeon

[Randygh]

Several weeks ago, my cousin, his son and I went salmon fishing on the Columbia River several miles downstream from the Vernita bridge. We fish the area each Sept or Oct and usually have fair success. This year we only caught one 25# male. But the highlight of the day was when my cousin and I hooked a couple monster sturgeon. We know there are sturgeon in that stretch of the river. Last year I snagged a 3 foot long one which was released. This year on our first drift my cousin thought he snagged bottom until the bottom started moving. It wasn't like a salmon run, just a slow meander. My cousin couldn't budge the fish off the bottom so we followed it for about 20 minutes. He figured is was a big-ass sturgeon and was going to break the line just as the fish decided to surface about 30 feet in front of the boat. The fish lunged about half way out of the water. The fish was huge. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. We guessed it's length over all at 8-9 feet and probably over 200 pounds. The sucker's head was huge. Since the fish was too big to keep and we had absolutely no way of getting it into the boat, my cousin broke the line. (Can only keep the fish 4-6 feet in length.)

On the next drift, I hooked a big fish that I thought was a salmon, but again like my cousin's, it didn't run. Heck another big-ass sturgeon. It just swam around, but I was able to work it alittle. We followed it for about 20 minutes and it surfaced right off the port bow. I caught 36# king at Ilwaco many years ago and it fought vigorously but wasn't as heavy as this sturgeon. My sturgeon was alittle smaller than the one my cousin hooked, but still much too big to keep. Probably 7 feet long and 150# or more. Those sturgeon were the ugliest fish I've every hooked.

[bradvo]

Randy, how exciting. i only tasted it once and if I recall it was damn good eating. Even better cooked.( Joke) Had a brother inlaw in the Kelso area at one time that used to fishem.
i always wanted to give it a try, I hang on to all my gear for retirement-never know where i will end up or what kind of boating in the future for certain.

[Randygh]

My cousin went out the next day and said there was a boat fishing for sturgeon in the area we fished. They anchored and used a float on the rode. If they hooked something they released the rope and worked the fish.

We're thinking about trying for sturgeon next fall. Regs require single barbless hook. I'd use my halibut pole & reel with 80# test. Don't know about bait, but the two fish we hooked took salmon roe. Evidently, the sturgeon dine on salmon eggs. Wonder if the sturgeon actually disturb the redds in an effort to get the eggs? Kinda like racoons and sea turtle eggs. MMMM good, if you're a racoon.

Sturgeon is excellent chow. Smoked sturgeon is as good as smoked salmon.

[SomeSailor]

Something disturbing about eating a 150 year-old chunk of fish.

Just thing... Lewis & Clark may have caught and released that same fish. :)