Gorge sturgeon

Pete · 06-16-2001, 01:52 PM

What a bust! Shad at the shad rack ... yeah, sure. Watched 50 boats for 2 1/2 hours ... I think I saw one fish netted. Beacon rock to Horsetail sturgeon ... Holy cow ... 200 boats and I don't think I saw 6 of them float off on fish. This is NOT the place to be. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

The only bright spot was the Fishery (did I say that?) which has regraveled their parking lot and actually had someone directing traffic to keep larger trailers off the main ramp which is too high and dry for most boats to launch from.

SureSet · 06-16-2001, 05:05 PM

I'll second that. Two of us fished all day above and below Rooster rock. 7 fish all day, the largest was 38 and the next was about 20". Saw Four OS hooked, one looked like it was in trouble. Watched the boat try to revive him for at least 20-30 minutes while floating down the river. The guys looked like they were doing everything they could, kind of a bummer, but who knows maybe it got well. Didn't see the final outcome.

SureSet

brshooter · 06-16-2001, 06:18 PM

My wife and I drag Pete up to the fishery to show us how to catch shad and oversize sturgeon. Couldn't buy a fish today. The screen on the finder was lit up with fish up at the shad rack, but no takers. A good thing Pete brought some smelt along or we would not have had any bait for sturgeon. Turned out to be one of those days. The Fish Gods were not good to us today. Three rods in the boat and we all get skunked. Couldn't buy a shad or a shaker. The ODFW fish checker said things were very slow.
Thanks again Pete. Lets go out again sometime.

Pete · 06-16-2001, 06:31 PM

What other fish would you like me to show you how not to catch. Sheesh ... I haven't been skunked on sturgeon in a long time. Tough to get anchored where you want with the chaotic scatter of boats on the water. Makes me miss the contentious, but orderly hog lines of salmon fishing.

Thanks for taking me out! I enjoyed seeing your new NR in action. Very nice boat. I'm sure it will see its fair share of carnage in due time.

Stz ll · 06-17-2001, 04:15 PM

We did go up to the Fishery on Thursday. I will admit that the shad fishing was real slow. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to catch about 6 shad. We then proceeded down to Horsetail Falls Area. We were the only boat anywhere near the Horsetail area. Everyone else was higher across from the Fishery or above the Fishery. We hooked 4 oversize sturgeon. However we only were able to get one of them actually to the boat. 2 did'nt stick, one broke off. Great day anyway. Maybe next time I will go where nobody else goes again. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]