Warning: The Sturgeon General Says These Fish Are Addictive!

0 Comments 18 February 2010

by John L. Beath

Armor-plated survivors from the day of dinosaurs prowl the lengths of the Columbia River in search of easy meals. Their vacuum-like mouths extend below their head and suck up whatever their noses and whiskers signal as eatable food to their brains. When they happen across an angler’s bait with a barbless hook, their vacuum bite sends shuttering pulses up the sensitive super braid and makes the rod tip tremble. When these Jurassic-like fish get extremely hungry, they just inhale the bait quickly and use their powerful tails and muscular bodies to swim away in search of more food. This type of bite leaves no doubt at the angler’s end of the scene.

Pacific Northwest anglers can target oversize white sturgeon ranging in size from five feet to 14 feet or smaller copies that can be turned into a five star seafood meal. For those who choose to target these behemoths, – the biggest and most sporting fish of the Pacific Northwest – they should come prepared to do physical battle. A typical oversize sturgeon weighs 175 pounds, jumps three to five times and has the power to pull an angler off his feet if the drag is set too tight. Big sturgeon can send reels into a melt down and force anglers to drop anchor and chase them for miles down river before gaining control of the fight. These BIG fish can challenge the strongest of men and send muscle groups into spasms during and long after a fight.

Columbia River anglers that target “keepers” that range in size from 42 to 60-inches typically love their white-fleshed fillets. The river is divided into sections that have quotas and offer opportunities throughout the year. Near the mouth of the Columbia River, in the Astoria area, charter boats target the highest number of keepers the river has to offer – roughly 13,000 fish. However, in this area keepers must measure between 45 to 60-inches and typically weigh slightly less than legal size fish farther up stream.

During my last sturgeon fishing trip I wanted to target keepers and have the opportunity to take home what many anglers describe as “The best eating freshwater fish in the world.” While many anglers say they like salmon or walleye as their favorite eating fish from the Columbia River, most of them have not tried fresh sturgeon.

Instead of fishing the lower river, where crowds are the norm, Charlie Foster, owner of NW Sturgeon Adventures and my guide for the day, asked me to meet him at the Wind River boat launch. The launch sits just off Highway 14 on the Washington side of the Columbia River above Bonneville Dam and offers quick access to the Bonneville Pool. Foster said we would likely have the entire river to ourselves. After launching his boat, the “Sturgeon General” he maneuvered into the slow moving Columbia and watched his fish finder closely, waiting for his favorite “keeper hole.”

On the way to Foster’s favorite spot, I asked him about his guiding experience. He told me he has been fishing sturgeon on the Columbia River for 32 years and exclusively guiding for sturgeon year-round since 1993.

“I’m the only guide in the Northwest that specializes and only guides for sturgeon year round,” admits Foster. “And once you go for big sturgeon it’s hard to fish for any other fish. I love the constant action and can’t get excited for any other fish.”

Minutes after launching Foster pointed at his fish finder that revealed a bowl that sunk from 80 to 110 feet. He then said, “You’ll catch fish here throughout the year; they like to sit in this bowl.”

In minutes, he anchored the boat 100-feet above the bowl. A quick scan of the river, as far as I could see proved Foster’s claim, we had the river to ourselves. On a previous trip this year, Foster’s clients reeled in 32 legal keepers and 25 to 30 undersize fish. An average eight hour trip here results in five to six legal keepers and roughly 30 undersize fish according to Foster.

Within minutes of deploying pickled squid baits and fresh squid baits the starboard rod tip twitched and thumped with the first bite of the day. James Green, cousin of Foster’s stepson Ken, set the hook and fought the fish to the boat. Foster’s ten-year-old son, Lynn, fought several undersized fish in the first hour and so did Ken Green. Action kept everyone alert, and kept us guessing which rod would catch the next fish. Sometimes two rods went off simultaneously, as if choreographed by Fish Gods who enjoy watching anglers weaving their lines over and under as they bump into each other.

In addition to watching rod tips, several ospreys soared above and swooped down on unsuspecting shad and small bass. With talons clinched tight and their still squirming catches positioned aerodynamically forward, the ospreys flew off to their giant nests that line the banks of the Columbia River. Occasionally a big sturgeon would jump out of the water for no reason near our boat – reminders of the size of fish we could hook. Just over an hour after setting the anchor, a 47-inch sturgeon sucked up a fresh squid bait and gave me a thrilling fight.

Soon after catching the legal size fish, the wind grew stronger from the east, prompting Foster to call for a move to below Bonneville, where winds and water remained calm. Within thirty minutes, Foster had the boat on the trailer and into the Bonneville Boat Launch. Minutes later, we arrived at marker 85, the legal line to begin fishing downstream. Before setting anchor, one of the boats nearby hooked a monster-sized sturgeon that jumped between our boats, revealing 8 to 10-feet of pure brute prehistoric power. The big fish turned downriver and forced the guide to drop anchor and chase the fish. I watched for an hour as the boat fought the fish before they slipped out of sight.

Foster’s technique here includes small and large baits. “Do you believe in the saying, BIG BAITS catch BIG FISH?” he asked me before revealing his oversized sturgeon baits. I quickly replied of course, but sometimes small baits catch big fish too.

The first two rods in the water had pickled bait. The next two had big shad baits. He likes extra large shad in the three to four pound range. On one rod, he rigged a half shad bait with head and tail cut off and a pennant-shaped piece of shad added to the hook. He explained that the small piece of shad on the hook keeps the hook from lying on its side and gives the hook a better hooking surface. The other rod was rigged with a whole shad minus its tail and dorsal fin. This bait would feed a family of five in many parts of the world and could not fit in the mouth of any small sturgeon.

“Our best day this year we caught 13 oversized sturgeon below Bonneville Dam,” explained Foster. “The average oversize sturgeon this year measured seven feet long and weighed 175 pounds. The biggest we caught and released measured 10 ½ feet long and weighed about 500 pounds.”

“Some of these fish are easily recognized because of distinguishing features,” Foster said. “I’ve caught the same sturgeon several times in a week. It’s easy to recognize because it had a split lower lip.”

We did not hook any over size sturgeon that day, but had two missed bites from big fish and hooked more than two dozen undersized fish. Constant action from undersized fish kept us busy and entertained. We also watched a few boats battle big fish but overall it was slow fishing for oversized sturgeon. But as the Sturgeon General warned, this fishery is addictive and, in my opinion, the single best fishery on the West Coast if you want to do battle with BIG fish without BIG water.

Where to go

You will find easy access for prop or jet drive boats from the Bonneville Pool all the way to the ocean. Even bank anglers enjoy miles of roadside access on both sides of the river.

Several boat launches on both sides of the river offer quick and easy access to the best sturgeon holes. If you want to target legal keepers try the solitude of the Bonneville Pool. Anglers can also concentrate efforts from Cathlamet Washington to Astoria Oregon. This area offers the most quotas and most numbers of legal-sized fish. Anglers should expect to sort through a dozen or more fish for every keeper.

Fishing for oversized sturgeon continues to grow in popularity on the lower Columbia River. You can find good to excellent fishing for oversized fish anywhere from Camas Washington upstream to Bonneville Dam. However, the most productive section of river goes from Rooster Rock State Park to the dam, where guides report their legal catch rates at less than five percent.

When searching for a place to anchor your boat, depth is not as big a factor as finding dramatic depth changes. Sturgeons concentrate in areas with ledges, severe slopes and bowls on the bottom. Spawned out shad, salmon and other food sources flow into these areas and attract hungry sturgeon.

Sturgeon Limits & Seasons

A Washington or Oregon license and sturgeon record card enables anglers to fish either side of the Columbia. Rules and limits are shared too, making it easy for the two states to manage the resource. Anglers can legally catch and release throughout most of the river year around. During peak spawning season in May and June the area directly below Bonneville Dam is closed.

The Lower Columbia River operates on a quota system, allowing sports anglers to catch and keep 1 sturgeon per day, 2 in possession, 10 annually. When the quota of 42 to 60 inch fish is reached, the area closes for catch and keep but remains open for catch and release.

Best Places & Times

Below Bonneville for keepers: October through third week in November.

Below Bonneville for oversize sturgeon: Aug 1^st through October.

Bonneville Pool (above dam) for keepers: March through April.

Astoria for keepers: May 15^th to June 15^th.

Oregon’s Willamette River: Oversized sturgeon, October through November. Note: Foster says when Columbia River water temperature reaches 46 degrees virtually all of the sturgeon migrate into the Willamette River.

Barometer

“The best time to fish for sturgeon is when the weather has remained constant for three days,” explains Foster. “The first day of a barometric change sturgeon go off the bite and suspend off bottom. On the second day of a change they will start biting lightly.”

Baits

Foster says everyone should have pickled squid, fresh squid and shad when available. Some anglers also use herring, smelt or sandshrimp. Pickled squid usually catches more undersized fish but keeps the action going. Fresh squid works best for legal keepers. Oversize sturgeon love big shad baits.

Leaders & Hooks

Foster uses leaders made from 130-pound Dacron with a 9/0 Mustad barbless 92641 bait hook. His standard setup includes a 32-inch leader tied to a 4/0 or 6/0 swivel. He ties a 24-inch piece of heavy 180-pound Neptune green cord with a 3/0 swivel and split ring with two beads on either side of the swivel. This shock cord is tied to the leader swivel and 80-pound Power Pro mainline. Leaders made from monofilament will not hold up to the sturgeon’s super-sharp armor plating. Small sturgeon due more damage to leaders because their scutes (armor plates) are sharper than larger sturgeon.

Weights

Carry a wide-variety of cannon ball leads ranging from 10 ounces to 3 pounds. The Bonneville Dam regularly changes water flows, which can cause the river height to rise 6 to 10 feet in just three or four hours. When the height changes, the current increases and so does the need for more lead.

Rods & Reels

Foster exclusively uses 7 ½ foot fiberglass Seeker rods with fast tips. For keeper size sturgeon he uses 17 to 30-pound class rods and 40 to 60-pound for oversize sturgeon. “Bites are light during winter months,” explains Foster. “I also use roller guides because with them I can see every bite.”

Penn 112, 320 or 340 GTI reels work great when fully loaded with 80 to 100 pound Invisibraid, Power Pro, Fireline, Tuff Line or other similar high tech lines. My favorite reel for this fishery is a two speed Avet HX 5/2. Sturgeon reels should hold at least 300 yards of line to withstand a runaway over-sized fish.

Anchoring

Deploying an anchor is the best way to experience exceptional sturgeon fishing. Most anglers today use an EZ Marine Anchor System. Anyone can now safely anchor without fear of loosing their boat or pulling back muscles. The EZ Marine unit consists of a large buoy with a block-like one way pulley attached. To anchor you simply toss the anchor overboard while holding the EZ Marine block and buoy hold the pin open and let the line exit through the device. The system uses 300 feet of line.

To pull anchor, drive the boat ahead of the buoy. The drag of the buoy allows the line to pass through the one-way block until the anchor reaches the anchor. Then collect the line, drop it in a bucket and lift the anchor/buoy into the boat. When anchoring anglers should stay safe distances from other boats, at least 50 to 100 yards of separation above or below neighboring boats.

About Lower Columbia River White Sturgeon

Sturgeon can live over 100 years, and reach lengths to 20 feet given the chance. The largest Columbia River sturgeon on record measured 20 feet long and weighed 1,500 pounds. It takes roughly 12 ½ to 13 years for sturgeon to reach the legal 42 inch minimum size. They reach the upper legal limit of 60 inches in 17 to 20 years. Between their teenage years and almost 30 years old, sturgeon grows about 3.2 inches per year. Females first spawn between 15 and 20 years old, thereafter they spawn 300,000 to 4 million eggs every two to eight years, depending on their size. The older they are the less often they spawn, but the more eggs they produce.

Sturgeon fishing among anglers has become so popular it now ranks as the top sport fishery on the Lower Columbia River in terms of effort. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates that sports anglers take 175,000 sturgeon trips annually. Considering the decline of salmon opportunities and the shear size and numbers of Columbia River sturgeon, it’s no surprise that these prehistoric fish will continue to grow in size, numbers and popularity.