Photo Credit Bryan Forsmann and battisti
I’ve fished since I was four-years old. At first it was for anything that would eat a worm or a wad of cheese squeezed onto a treble hook. As I got older, though, my attention turned to bass and the ocean – you can say I became somewhat of a snob. If I wasn’t blazing down the lake at 65 mph or hung on a 100-pound tuna, it wasn’t for me.
Yeah, I’d take the occasional night of catfishing or go trout fish but it wasn’t my cup of tea.
As I got into my early 20s, though, I began to see other species in a different light. I grew fond of catching 2- to 3-pound bluegill at Lake Perris and catching 20-pound cats out of Lake Castaic. I also got maniacally into fly fishing. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll always consider myself a bass angler first and foremost, but at the same time, if someone asks me to fish something I haven’t fished before, I’ll surely take them up on the offer.
Case in point – this past weekend.
A close friend of mine that I work and fish with has, for years, bugged me to go fish sturgeon with him on the Snake River. I’ve never caught one or even had much of an inkling to do so. Why? Because to me it was like catfishing – using cut bait on big rods with big line and waiting…….waiting…….and more waiting for a fish to eat. I’m too ADHD to sit and wait – no matter how much Keystone Light is in the coolers.
Anyway, last Wednesday my friend asked me if I wanted to go sturgeon fishing. I had already planned on taking the boat out and since there’s a reservoir above where they sturgeon fish, I figured I could fish bass during the day and sit and partake in adult beverages with them at night. Not a bad idea as far as I was concerned.
Friday around noon, as I was driving the 285 miles from my house to the lake/river, I received a text from my buddy that they already caught a 7-footer and had lost another in the 8-foot class. My thoughts were, “they’re gonna catch’em all before I even get there.” I looked in my rearview mirror, saw my boat and figured we’d catch bass all weekend long.
I arrived at the destination roughly around 2:00 pm, went to see my buddy and he introduced me to the sturgeon clan – a motley crew of sturgeon fanatics consisting of Chuck, Chuck’s daughter Jenna, Kim and his crew, Robert, and Robert’s wife Rebecca. As I shook hands, I saw the rods loaded in their rocket-launcher holders – tips bobbing as the 10-mph current ran across their lines anchored by 14 ounces of weight. The smell of cut bait, coming from a 7-gallon bucket, permeated the air for at least a 30-foot radius. I was sturgeon fishing.
By the time I’d arrived, the clan had caught another fish in the 7-foot range but I wasn’t ready to sit. Heck, I’d just sat for nearly 4 hours. I wanted to go up to the lake and fish bass.
Perch Fishing
Up on the lake, I quickly decided to go check out one of my spots where I take the kids perch fishing. Yeah, it wasn’t bass but I’m allowed to change my mind and the fact I think perch are the best tasting fish in freshwater (before you get your undies in a wad, perch are the ONLY fish I eat out of freshwater) I wanted to get some for the frying pan that evening.
After an hour, my buddy Bryan, Chuck and I had the livewell full of tasty treats and at least an hour of cleaning to do. That and we all were feeling a bit parched. So, it was time to head back to the river, clean fish, have a cervesa and fish dinosaurs.
Upon arriving at the camp, Robert and I made quick duty of the perch and began to cook – me battering the fillets and him cooking them. Then, the words FISH-ON filled the air.
As we stood and watched, Chuck had hooked the first fish of the evening. Fighting it on an 11-foot rod with 80-pound string, he had his hands full as the 8-foot prehistoric fish essentially did as it pleased in the current of the river. But, to watch Chuck fight a fish is like watching a seasoned saltwater angler put the hurt on a 300-pound tuna. He kept the rod high and made the fish work for each inch, foot or hundred yards of line it wanted. Within 20 minutes the fish was subdued and at the shore.
Chuck fighting the first sturgeon since my arrival.
In Idaho, sturgeon are a protected species. You can fish them and catch them but you must leave the fish in the water as you unhook and release it. And folks, if you think that getting knee deep in water next to a sturgeon that’s 2-feet taller and outweighs you by 100-pounds is exciting, try catching them on barbless hooks.
To say I was impressed would be an understatement. Here you have a freshwater fish weighing 300 pounds that, when hooked, clears the water and then sulks in the depth of the river until either the angler or the fish wears out. Sturgeon, in my best description, are the freshwater combination of a mako shark coupled with a yellowfin tuna.
Coming to the bank.
As the night wore on, it was my turn – so to speak. Because I was the only “sturgeon virgin” in our group, the next fish was mine. Now, I don’t like to have fish handed off to me but since I was using their gear and the fact it was my first time, I had no problem with it. 30 minutes after Chuck’s 8-footer, a rod went down, Chuck set the hook and then yelled TERRY. Belt around my waste – since when do you need a fighting belt in the freshwater – Chuck handed me the rod and it was fight on.
I’ll post Part II – Terry’s a Sturgeon Virgin – Wednesday.
Tags: Snake River, sturgeon fishing
