St Johns Sturgeon, Part II

fishitis · 01-11-2004, 07:18 PM

Had a great day out on the Willamette with a bunch of friends. Sure glad this stuff is gone---

Met Tacklebuster in the parking lot at the launch. It was nice to meet one of the many people from i-fish that have taught me so much about fishing. We went up the Willamette and he went down. After catching shakers in our first three spots, we finally got into the honeyhole. Put three keepers in the boat in the first hour. Had several doubles and a triple or two.
After releasing a couple just at 42", put the last keeper in the boat, a nice 45" fish. Nothing big today, but all nice healthy fish. Once I become the master like Tacklebuster, maybe I'll be more selective, but for now, into the freezer they go :smile: .
Here's a pic of our fine fish. This is the same group we limited out last year on January 3. I think I'll try to put this group together for springers :grin: .

And here's Tacklebuster and family with another nice fish.

Sure was great to meet you Tacklebuster. Really look forward to some bottomfish. Shoot me an e-mail sometime. By the way, my name is Chris, too.

Back at the ramp, ODFW was checking fish. He said people were really doing good today, with on at 58". The boat right behind us had a nice 57" fish. Sure can't complain about a day like this. Also, tried cleaning them tonight by hanging them from a rope over a garbage can. That sure worked slick, much easier than lying them flat.

blacktail519 · 01-11-2004, 07:29 PM

Beautifull, Thai is all i can say. Congrats to you and your bunch.

glowball · 01-11-2004, 07:29 PM

I forgot all about cleaning sturgeon that way. A friend of the family took me sturgeon fishing for the first time when I was 8 or 9 and that is how he did it. I knew that flat thing wasn't the way it was done.
By the way congrats, nice fish.
Thanks
Kris

[ 01-11-2004, 08:30 PM: Message edited by: llabwolg ]

Tacklebuster · 01-11-2004, 07:53 PM

Chris- Nothing wrong with keeping those beauties my friend, they will eat very nicely. I just gotta save my slots for the estuary this year. Great meeting you and congrats on your fish. I can't wait till the ocean calms down a little and those lings are on the shallow reefs a couple of miles from the jetties. We will have a great time.

Oh yea, hanging sturgeon from a rope over a garbage can is the way I clean them as well. I'll be talking to you soon.

Chris

Dipnet · 01-11-2004, 07:55 PM

Fishitis, congrats on the nice fish and the great pictures.

Dipnet :grin:

Boedy · 01-11-2004, 08:31 PM

Nice fish!

Fshklr · 01-12-2004, 06:17 AM

Nice fish guys!! I too hang'em over the can. I can't believe how easy it was especially after butchering one flat on the kitchen table

Way to go and nice pics too :grin:

CATCH AND EAT · 01-12-2004, 06:48 AM

You guys did well! Glad you could get down the ramps too. Did you have to shovel any or were they pretty clear?

greenbuttskunk · 01-12-2004, 06:54 AM

I was out with redbull, riverkeeper, and safetychain. It was the new boat maidne voyage and I had to get the skunk off. We did not have any luck for quite a while but finally got into a nice school late in the day in the willie. No keepers though, just steady action.
I'm sure I was fishing near some of you, or saw you at the ramp too. I was in my 19' smokercraft. Had the top down since it was so nice out. Actually needed my shades. Saw that OPS was at the ramp at the end of the day checking things out. He was nice enough to remind me to update my trailer reg. but no ticket. Thanks!
Congrats to you who boated keepers.
GBS

Sturgeon 42 · 01-12-2004, 07:56 AM

The OSP checked me at the dock and gave me the o4 sticker for my boat so I might not get checked again, seemes strange he waited for the very last boat to come out???.. :grin: :grin: :grin:

greenbuttskunk · 01-12-2004, 08:02 AM

42, we saw you out there, I was just up river a few hundred yards. That barge that went by us looked like it was going to take you guys out but he went right in close to the big ship. That tug sure knew how to handle that load. How'd you do it there.
GBS

4 REEL · 01-12-2004, 08:03 AM

Could someone kindly explain how to hang and clean. Sounds like it's pretty slick. Please be detailed. THANKS! :smile:

Sturgeon 42 · 01-12-2004, 09:51 AM

Sat Kodiakfisher and myself caught 45 fish and Sun. when you were there I caught 10 maybe but no keepers, the boat outside of me caught 2 keepers Sun. and 1 Sat..... :grin: :grin: :grin:

greenbuttskunk · 01-12-2004, 12:25 PM

good tip TB,
I'll have to give it a shot.

4 REEL · 01-12-2004, 03:16 PM

Thanks Tacklebuster......Sounds pretty easy. Let me get this straight, when you start to fillet on one side or the other. You start 'MID' fish. Then fillet down, then up?

kodiakfisher · 01-12-2004, 03:46 PM

Sturgeon42, greenbuttskunk,

Did you take note that more sturgeon were caught when I was in the boat with my special bait? :grin:

I sense a trend there :tongue: , I was also one of the few to catch a keeper on Jan 1,

Sturgeon42 did you remember to take care of the fishing Gods with a small donation?

Greenbuttskunk, who said high to me on your boat when you called, was it riverkeeper?

Riverkeeper · 01-12-2004, 04:18 PM

It was me. GBS was licking shakers :shocked:

Hi Doug :grin:

01-12-2004, 04:58 PM

Nice! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

5-Cents · 01-12-2004, 05:16 PM

Way to go

Tacklebuster · 01-12-2004, 06:08 PM

4-reel,
I start mid fish and go down. I then finish by going up. I do that so gravity doesn't make the task any harder by having all that meat folding down in your way of your vision and your knife.

4 REEL · 01-12-2004, 07:33 PM

Right on T.B. Thats what I thought, thanks man.

Tacklebuster · 01-12-2004, 11:52 PM

4-reel- Take a rope, loop it and throw it over a rafter. Hang your sturgeon by the tail so the half way mark is at your eye level. Use two knives when doing this. Take a heavy duty knife with a thick blade and cut off your fins. Then take the same knife and skin the scutes off the side. Take your sharp flexible fillet knife and look for the line of yellow cartledge going down the middle of the back. Start to the left or right of the line and start filleting your fish down to almost the gill. Then go from where you started and fillet up to the tail. Repeat process on the other side and then cut rope and let the carcass go into the garbage can. No mess, no gutting, very quick. Lay your fillet on a cutting board, place your flexible, sharp knife at the tail and cut against the grain to remove your meat from the skin. Flip over and cut off all the red stuff.

Once you get good at it there is hardly any waste and it's very fast. I can clean one in under 5 minutes total.

Sturgeon Tom · 01-13-2004, 10:17 AM

Tacklebuster this is another way of fillet a Sturgeon. Hang it by the head. From the back take a thick blade knife and stick it in next to the first diamond under the head and cut to the tail. Then do the other side. Turn to the belly and where the white starts just under the head insert knife and cut down to the tail. Take you knife and make a small cut just under the head just through the skin only. Grab the skin with pliers (I use skinning pliers) and pull the skin off down to the tail. No need to cut any more just pull it the skin comes off quit easy. Do the other side. Let it hang from the tail. Do the other side.
Take your thick knife and cut just under the head through the meat to the center and slowly fillet the fish cutting the meat loose as it falls towards you. Do the other side. You end up with two long Beautiful Fillets. Let the rest fall in to the garbage sack and wrap. I put it in the freezer in my garage and wait for the garbage man. No stink.
Clean all yellow and red off and enjoy cooking and eating.
ST