Sturgeon

marvin4239 · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008 4:11 pm Post subject: Sturgeon

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This may be old news to you PNW Brats but someone from Chicago sent me this picture. and story

FYI: This Sturgeon is Still alive, just worn out from the fight. They turned him loose after the photo.

This Sturgeon was caught on the Willamette River just below Oregon City two weeks ago. It weighed out at over 1,000 lbs and measured out at 11'1'. It was 56' around the girth and took over 6 and a half hours, and 4 dozen beers, for the 4 guys taking turns at the reeling it in.

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starcrafttom · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008 4:20 pm Post subject:

They did not turn HIM loose, all big ones are females so they turned HER loose. thats a hugh fish and very old. at 11 ft she has to be well over a hundered years old. must have been fun. Did you know that the big ones will travel from the sacromento river to the big c and even up to the frazer in B.C.

Captains Cat · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008 4:20 pm Post subject:

Wow, a 56 foot girth! Even at 56 inches, this was a whopper....

bshillam · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008 4:47 pm Post subject: That would scare me,

My wife and I just started fishing on the Columbia with "My Heaven." Pulling up anything this size would scare me....Awesome! I can't wait to catch a keeper. The wife says she has a recipe that she wants to try.
Thumbs Up

Robbi · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008 5:40 pm Post subject:

This photo is real, but it is not from Oregon, nor from a few weeks ago. It is a fish that was caught in the Fraser River in British Columbia in 2005. I remember seeing the photo in a fly shop when I was in BC over a year ago, so I did a little research and got this information. It is truly an amazing fish. Heck, in it's life time it could have been on a few trips to Oregon and California! I wonder how far they travel? Robbi

starcrafttom · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008 7:05 pm Post subject:

Robbi the state of california did a tracking study a few years back. we all knew that the fish traveled from the bay area all the way up pass chico. Well they found out in short order that the same fish were caught in all three river systems. All with in a year and a half. I know that every May they move into the snohomish with smaller ones living here all year. these fish are not slow at all and move around a lot in search of food.

marvin4239 · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008 7:39 pm Post subject:

A few years back I read and article about a sturgeon being caught in the Altamaha River around Brunswick GA so I guess they are on the east coast also. I've never seen one myself. This may be blasphmey to you west coast guys but those things are ugly. Hope they taste better than they look.

thataway · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008 9:30 pm Post subject:

There are a number of species of Sturgeon. The Atlantic Sturgeon is the most common on the East Coast and Gulf Coast. However we also have a Gulf Sturgeon. One of the issues in the water control from Lake Lanier is in reference to the Gulf Sturgeon which migrate into the Apalachicola River system and are an endangered species.

There are other species in the inland rivers, Great Lakes of the US and world wide. Sturgeon are present in Europe and Asia. I am not aware of the population of natural Sturgeon in the Southern Hemisphere, but there is fish farming of Sturgeon (for roe) in the Southern Hemisphere.

CW · Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 12:56 am Post subject:

Yeah, I've had that same photo on the wall of my classroom for two years and it was the from the Frazier. It is a white sturgeon, though we also have the green sturgeon out here. My wife and I fished on a charter boat in the early 90s one day upstream of the Astoria Bridge on the Washington side near the Deep River. There were many "oversize" (bigger than the legally retainable 60") sturgeon jumping completely out of the water all around us. I even got two on video of at least 8 ft. When the big ones are hooked, they often shoot right out like a rocket on their first run. Two summers ago I had the pleasure of watching a trio fight one on salmon gear (30 lb. mono.) for about an hour and a half right upstream of Kalama. It was close to 9 ft. Last year we hooked one on a big salmon spoon in 45 ft. of water right out from Kalama's Totem pole, but it wrapped the 100 lb. line around a log after about 40 min.. and got away. My dad fought it and said "That fish fought harder than the striped marlin we caught in Cabo." It certainly adds spice to know that at any time, a monster might take your bait or your salmon lure. They like sardine wrapped Kwikfish too. C.W.