Long overdue introductory story!
I know this story is long over-due, let’s say by a year or so. About 5 years ago, a friend of mine and I-fish lurker introduced me to sturgeon fishing. After going up to the fishery several times with him and catching lots of keepers, I decided it was time to get my own gear.
I purchased a 6 ft Shakespeare Tidewater rod combined with a used Penn 113h 4/0 spooled with 80lb tuff line. Anyone who knows what a Shakespeare Tidewater rod is knows it is not a very good rod for Sturgeon, because it has no tip and has a very short butt. The Penn 4/0 was a used reel that had been sitting in my friend’s garage for about 15 years and needed a good cleaning and greasing. When I bought the reel my friend John made sure to tell me I needed to clean and grease the reel. Being the Gung-Ho individual I am, I did not clean or grease the reel (A lesson I will never forget).
It was a warm June day, and my friend John and I decided to go catch a few shad, then do a little oversize fishing (Something I had never done). After running my old aluminum boat up to Camas for Shad, we were ready for Sturgeon. We set anchor in about 70 ft of water under the power lines and prepared to do battle. John had told me not to expect too much action, as this was not the prime fishing area that was available in the Gorge.
After about 20 minutes of sitting in the boat with our lines out, I noticed I was getting a bite. As I went to grab the rod, John told me to make sure and set the hook. Once I felt the fish had taken the bait, I ripped back with all I had and it felt like I hit a brick wall. This was one humongous fish.
The adrenaline was pumping through me like the water going over Multnomah Falls. As the fish was tearing line off the spool a bearing started to seize on my reel. By this time John had released the anchor line from the boat and we were in tow. I was still able to crank up on the reel, but every crank was like cranking a large boat on a trailer with a small winch. Since the bearings had begun to seize on the ends of the spool, the drag pressure was increased ten fold. This made it very difficult to fight a fish of this size, because the drags were not doing the work for me.
The increased drag pressure also made it more work for the Sturgeon, as it tail walked across the top of the water. When I saw this enormous prehistoric creature rise from the water I was in shock. This was not your typical 7-8 ft oversized Sturgeon, this fish was pushing 12-13 ft.
As I fought the beast from the deep, all John could do was smile and laugh. I could see I was not going to get any help fighting this monster. Finally I thought I had gained on the fish as I had him under the boat, boy was I wrong. This monster was just getting started. The fish was now pulling line off the reel as well as the boat up river. Again the monster from the deep surfaced like a sub, only to dive once more into the deep.
At this point I was exhausted, it was all I could do to hold on to the rod. This fish was making me give everything I had and then some. If only I had listened to my friend John and cleaned up the reel. After finally buckling to my knees holding the rod over the gunnels, the Sturgeon won, it straightened out a 10/0 VMC hook.
A sigh of relief went through me, because even though I had lost the battle it was over. I learned many valuable lessons that day, one being to make sure my gear is always in proper working order. I have many other stories to tell but this one will suffice for now.
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 If it isn't fickle then it isn't a pickle!!! Member of the 12' boat club! Small Boat Huge Fish or SBHF
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Pickles
My wife [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img] decided I could have a new boat. So now I am the proud owner of a Thunderjet Luxor. So if you see a green Thunderjet that says Pickles on the back feel free to say hello.
:grin: . I have been enjoying you posts.
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