Sturgeon tips...

[Rimshot]

I am a fairly new boat owner and I'm trying to learn all I can about sturgeon fishing. Well, actually I have the fishing part down pretty good, it's the catching part I'm having trouble with . Specificly, when the fish aren't in holes(like now) what do I look for? Holes are easy to find if you can read your graph but I have no idea where to look if the fish aren't there. Do I look for structure? Small depressions on flats? Edges of channels? Can someone please share a few words of wisdom? I'm not looking for anyones secret spots here, just some education so I can find my own . Thanks a bunch.

[fish_on]

Watch the other fishermen on the river. If they are catching fish in a certin area go see what is diffrent about that area and if you don't want to fish there find a place similar. Just because that is a hot spot doesn't mean it is the only hot spot. If they are not deep find a shallower flat. It is my experiance, which is not as much as many on this board, that rough river bottom is not as productive. Look for slow slopes or drops with flat bottoms. Think of where the food might be and go there. This is what I do, right or wrong probably more wrong than right.

[Tacklebuster]

The fish still are in the holes but the influx of smelt have them moving. The best advice I can give you is trial and error. I like to anchor and fish small dips. Sometimes it's only a few feet in variance. Be prepared to move if your not getting bit within 20 minutes. You want to key in on current. I have found that most of your active fish will be in the current.

I found fish yesterday in a spot that I have not had much luck in since last summer. They are moving and you must move with them. I like to stay away from the crowds and find a pod of fish that has not been hammered on in a while. Those fish will typically hammer the bait. It took me about 6 months of fishing the Portland area to get into fish on a consistant basis. You must come to the river with a variety of baits (when the smelt run is over) and have a couple of different game plans.

The basics I have found is the fish will feed in the front of the holes on the outgoing and will feed along shelves and flats on the low slack and the flood. That however does not always hold true but it's a good place to start. Make a log of the places that produced bites and at what stage of the tide it happened. After a few months of logging info in your journal, take a few hours and piece together the puzzle. Last but not least, it's a chess game. Sometimes it's technique and skill, other times it's s*$t house luck.

I plan on fishing Monday, Tuesday, and possibly on Wednesday. If your in the neighborhood and want a little lesson, shoot me an e-mail. I am always looking for fellow sturgeon slayers to share a stretch of river with.

[Rimshot]

Tacklebuster,
I really appreciate the detailed info. I will be out tomorrow and probably next Wednesday as well. I will send you an e-mail when I know for sure about next week. I would love a good sturgeon lesson. There has got to be a legal fish with my name on it, now if I could just find it...... :grin: . Thanks again!