weird behavior(sturgeon)

rob allen · 05-28-2001, 09:05 PM

ok So today i go bass fishing up in the Gorge but they apparently just finished the spawn and were nowhere to be found. the water was warm so i decided to go snorkeling to figure out where they went.. I still couldn't find them.

Anyway so I am back at my truck looking into the lake and i notice a large shadow hovering over the weeds in about 4 maybe 5 feet of water. This is a little backwater pond off the Columbia maybe 4 acers and a max of 15 feet deep. I grab out my Binoculars and see that the shape is a fish. It's brown so my first reaction is a huge carp. My eyes adjust to the scale and I realize that it's about a 7-8 foot sturgeon!!! So here is this Huge Sturgeon on the surface in a tiny lake 2 small culverts away from the Columbia! cruising around not on the bottom but hovering over the weeds. I watched him for about 1/2 an hour. weird huh?
You ain't heard nothing yet!!!
So on my way home I stop at the dam all look at the shad going by all 84,000 of them that day. After that I walk down to the fishing hole to watch the guys haul in the shad one after another.
I see a small splash in front of this one guy then see a tail sticking out of the water.. I assume the guy has illegally kept a sturgeon above the deadline. I walk down to get a closer look and see it's about a 10 footer just hanging out next to shore cruising up and down the bank 2-3 feet from the bank.. It gets weirder This guy hooks a shad and as he gets it close ready to land the sturgeon turns aggressively and inhales the shad in one gulp.. Everyone started laughing (good thing it wasn't a hatchery springer about 3 weeks ago).
Then I go down to watch the fishermen with the big rods. I grab out by Binocs again and look up and down the line. I see this guy running frantically down the bank looking out into the river I scan the waters surface and I see a white sturgeon rod floating down the river about 30 yards out...
So I am sitting here thinking are the planets in alignment for weird behavior or is this a normal everyday occurrences????

Do DO Do DO.... Do DO DO DO...
That's the twilight zone theme is you didn't catch it.

David Johnson · 05-28-2001, 09:56 PM

Last summer while fishing near the Astoria Bridge for salmon I see a bunch of baitfish breaking water so I asume there are bigger fish working them to the surface and figure they're salmon so I start trolling around and through the bait fish.

Then I see fish roling and breaking the surface and they look like sturgeon, then I see one jump and it was a sturgeon. It seams they were working the bait fish just like any other preditor. This was in 50 or 60 feet of water too.

I've also caught several sturgeon on Kwikfish as well as walleye jigs and we once caught one on a trolled herring.

Jim · 05-29-2001, 01:45 AM

Sturgeon are a predator and I believe prefer a live meal over a dead one. STS magazine did an article on this and a technique to get these boys other than bait laying on the bottom.

Dave you got one up on me with the Kwikfish but then I don't fish them often...but usually get a couple a year trolling herring for Kings...always the surprise!!

Jim

WildHawg · 05-29-2001, 07:02 AM

Sturgeon do strange things. I was with Dave that day on the Columbia. We all thought it was salmon so naturally Dave trolls through them when we notice what appear to be sturgeon pushing baitballs of candle fish to the top like Chinook, and actively feeding on them. It was a strange sight to say the least. I have seen them hooked in the mouth on kwikfish and spinners before too.

I once spotted a big sharkfin sticking out of the water and stirring up the mud in only 2-3 feet of water across from the boatramp at John Day (Astoria). Went to investigate and saw a dandy big fish feeding on the shelf. Had to anchor off to the side in deeper water and cast off to the side to try and catch him. Lo and behold, the dummy bit, and I was rewarded with a 71 inch (when you could keep six footers)pig!! Yeehaw!!! That sturgeon didn't leave that shelf till I wore him out and drug him over the edge after I pulled my anchor. Fighting fish in 2-3 feet of water is different to say the least.

sinker · 05-29-2001, 08:01 AM

reminds me of an article I read one time about sturgeon fishing in Field & Stream. They were talking about fishing San Francisco Bay. They said the preferred method was to troll large spinners. Me being a native WA boy with distant relatives that grew up fishing for sturgeon and listening to them talk about them I thought California must really be the land of fruits and nuts. Sturgeon eating something alive, who'd have thunk it.

Killertraylor · 05-29-2001, 09:04 AM

I know that they can swim fast enough to catch live bait, but I'd think they'd have a hell of a time inhaling them in that sucker. I was talking to a charter captain on the lower Columbia this last weekend and he said that all of the sturgeon they had cut open had between 20 and 40 sardines in them - those sturgeon must be eating some live ones.

LAYthe5 · 05-29-2001, 02:05 PM

During shad fishing last year You could see sturgeon break water all day long in the shallow water where we were. If you watch your finder closely you'll see a lot of high suspended fish regularly.

LTF

FishCatcher · 05-29-2001, 03:55 PM

Just got the new copy of STS magazine today in the mail. It has an article talking about targeting sturgeon with a fly. Also mentioned hooking them while fishing for salmon with spinners. They hooked and landed a 9ft sturgeon using the custom made fly. It took nearly three hours to get it in. A little to long in my opinion.

Firedog · 05-29-2001, 04:33 PM

There were alot of sturgoen hooked this spring on Kwikfish and last fall I even saw a few doubles on quickfish. I know that back in the old days of spinner casting at the big rock below bonneville it was common to hook them on spinners.

rags · 05-29-2001, 04:49 PM

I hooked a Sturgeon two weeks ago above the 205 bridge on a quickfish. I had just landed a springer, put my rig back out and was tagging the fish (I know I should of tagged it first) and while I was writing in the info my rod doubled. Thought I had a monster springer on but it was a Sturgeon that absolutely buried my quickfish.

BUGLEMAN · 05-29-2001, 10:12 PM

I had a sturgeon slam my quick fish also below Bonni. It was a hog and would not even budge. I could even feel it pump the rod as it swan on the bottom. I wonder how many oversize there is swimming around with plugs in thier mouth? Scarry.