Kelly Point Sturgeon 11/3

[WaterDog]

Fished the out going tide today on the Columbia for sturgeon. We started out hitting my usual spots to no avil. Then we headed up by T-6 for the last couple hours of the tide and end up boating 16 shakers. Nothing bigger than 36" but for that couple of hours we had fun. :grin:

Talk about a beautiful Day. Started out cold but by noon we were in our t-shirts. Water was like glass all day. Hard to believe this was the 3rd of November. Counted 7 boats from marker 32 to T-6. Too bad it isnt like this all the time.

Smelt and squid with various scent were what we were using.

Don't give us that. You were out there trying for that very last up river. :grin:

[SureSet]

Nothing wrong with a smelt/squid tipped Alvin!

SureSet

[Tacklebuster]

I plan on hitting the area on Friday. We made a run up around K-Point about a week ago and hooked into 4 keepers and about 22 shakers. One of the keeper size fish would have measured out an easy 50 inches. We only saw about half a dozen boats all day. It's gonna get good........

[onebuck]

Out of curiousity how did the sturgeon look? I now often you can tell if they're freshly moving in from the bays as they are often a lighter grey and their spines down the back and sides are often sharper. I've pulled a few out of the Willamette that have been a little questionable but would feel fine keeping one that looked healthy and fresh from the bay.

[CATCH AND EAT]

Waterdog. I just want to personally thank ya for keeping your shirt on. :shocked: Not what we want to see in the first part of November.

Glad you had a good time.

[Hogmaster]

onebuck -

Hadn't heard that one?

There is only one person to ask;

Our resident expert, STGrule

Also, what about "Willamette sturgeon"? What have the studies shown regarding their habits. Do fish tagged in areas of the Columbia frequently get caught in the Willamette? And vice versa?

It kinda comes back to is it safe to eat Willamette sturgeon? I had this conversation with an ifisher and stated that I always cut just the filets off of the backs of sturgeon (in fact all the fish I catch) and do not eat the belly meat (where toxins are known to collect). But I also don't fish for sturgeon in the Portland Harbor in part as a matter of principle, choosing instead to fish up toward OC. But does this have merit? Do some resident fish never leave an area?

STG - Give it up for us!!

Thanks,

Hog

[fishisabonus]

Just stop it! Just stop all this talk about catching sturgeon. [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img] I was denied my clam digging due to the toxins, and they changed the sturgeon opener on me to boot. Now you guys are talking about sturgeon fishing and it doesn't open up for another 20 days!

I am jonesing bad enough as it is. I just don't need to read how much fun you had catching shakers, and catch and release keepers.... especially one that was 50". :smile:

This is just terrible. I am not a patient person, and waiting is not one of my best qualities!

Let the countdown begin!

[invader]

well waterdog its like that because we cant keep any fish!!....if they ever open it back to catch and keep..... then you will see many more boats!!......... maybe even my boat!!................john

Again, whereever you catch them and/or decide to eat them, drain the filets off for a couple of days in a cooler, placing the filets on top of crushed ice. Just filet off the sides and toss the rest. Chime in Sturgeon eaters.

Make sure after you remove the skin, you clean both sides of the filet until there is absolutely only pure white meat showing. Trim ALL excess, period.

You won't be sorry you took the time to do this for better purity and taste. Beats "fresh" strugeon by a mile.

Rick

[ 11-04-2002, 06:11 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]

[scrod]

There are "fresh" sturgeon in the Willamette.Just look for the bright clean look and sharp scutes. If the fish looks "dirty" brownish and has bumps without edges down the back don't bother keeping it. The ice bath that ****** suggests does remove most fishy stuff from the meat. I wonder what makes some fish become residents while others seem to travel to the coast and back each year.

[fishisabonus]

Gee ******, sounds like you know what you are doing. :smile:

Any brown spots left at all, whether you smoke it or eat it fresh, will taint the meat. The same holds true for the really big halibut. Take the time and slice that brown crud off. You will be happy you did!

[Miss B Haven]

No - it won't work, Sturgeon are no good to eat. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] Throw them back. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] If you kill one by accident bring it by and I will see that it gets properly disposed of. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]
:grin:
PS - FIB (bonus, that's your new initials, just can't type the whole thing any more) and ****** have it right if you insist on eating them nasty tasting toxic things. NOTHING but pure white meat left on those filets. I haven't tried the sitting on ice thing ******. Sounds like a good way to take a break after a hard day of catching too! No cut and vacuum pack for a couple of evenings! :smile:

[ 11-04-2002, 08:05 PM: Message edited by: Miss B Haven ]

[STGRule]

Hogmaster (and others): Tagging and telemetry studies have shown that some sturgeon stay pretty close to home but most move around quite a bit. I don't know about the sharp scutes indicating a fresh fish from the ocean, but it makes sense. They are coming from a nutrient and mineral rich place so it's possible. A nice white fish is more indicative of a fish that is staying out of shallow water and since the ocean is nice and deep, that also makes sense. Making sure all the fat is out of the fillets is also a good idea. Better product in makes for better product out. A bunch of the bad stuff that bio-accumulates could have been absorbed at any point in the fish's life. A fish that spent 10 years in the river and then went to sea for a couple of years will look good but may not be "pure". So as with just about everything else in the world, everything in moderation.

[Hogmaster]

Thanks,

Obe Wan Sturgeon Ruler! :grin: :grin:

[STGRule]

Hogmaster: Funny you should say that... Small grandson just handed me a light saber and challenged me to a duel (he has to be Darth Maul (sp?)).

Ain't no bottom feeder that is "pure"

We eat them in moderation like STGRule said.

Rick

[WaterDog]

Catchless and eats-too-much,

If I had taken my shirt off you would have seen it in the news. " Another beached whale shows up at kelly point!" :shocked:

onebuck,

The fish were a mix, some pale with what looked like sharp scutes and others were the dark grey color.

As far as preperation goes I trim off all of the fat I can, wash the fillets, and vac pack. I'm not that worried about eating too much of it. I'm just not that concerned about it. [img]graemlins/icon_argue.gif[/img]

I will say that I do like the fish from the estuary better and I dont eat fresh sturgeon. Tried that once, took a fresh fillet and put it on the grill. The fillet shrunk to 2/3 its original size and was like eating the bottom of your shoe. :depressed: All of the frozen fillets come out tender and flaky cooked the same way. :whazzup:

[Sturgeon 42]

Is Columbia still closed until November 23 or has that changed... :grin: :grin: :grin:

[Tacklebuster]

Still closed......
I really enjoy hitting the area for a little CandR. That's always open......