Sturgeon tips

[daymere]

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Sturgeon are bottom feeders. They basically eat anything edible that they find on the bottom. Bugs, crayfish, dead fish, dead animals, snails and worms that are washed into the river are all on the menu. With this in mind, Sturgeon fishing is like fishing for big Channel Cats. An easy rig to use is a bell sinker and a hook. Slide the bell sinker on then put a small slit-shot about 3 feet from the hook. Let the sinker sit on bottom and have the hook and bait swirl around on the bottom freely. When you get a bit, let your line out to make sure the fish has it for a few seconds then set the hook. The Sturgeon will be in the deeper pools behind rapids. Sturgeon in the Red River average between 20 and 40 pounds but fish up to 1o0 pounds have be caught. With this in mind, try using a medium to heavy rod with 15 to 30 pound test line. Use a heavy leader and a #10 or #12 hook. Make sure they are strong hooks.

For bait, you can use a big glob of worm, cheese or salmon eggs in a nylon sack like a big spawn bag. You can also use a chunk of meat off a sucker or carp.
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[Bassmaster-ND]

Thanks daymere. We have them in the missouri river here. I've always thought it would be cool to catch one. Maybe I will someday[cool]
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[daymere]

hope you catch a big one they sure are unusal looking and boney.
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[Flagmanonice]

[shocked] Are you sure its a sturgeon in the Missouri ? I thought it was paddle fish out there ?

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[PunkBass]

i'v caught a couple sturgeon in the missouri before. not very big but it counts. Still havnt tried out the paddle fishing yet[]
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[Flagmanonice]

[shocked] A FRIEND OF MY COUSIN JUST CAUGHT A 93 LB STURGEON ON THE RAINY RIVER , HERE IN MINNESOTA !! JUST A COUPLE OF POUNDS SHORT OF THE STATE RECORD !! I"LL TRY TO GET A PICTURE OF IT !!

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[daymere]

awsome love to see a pic sounds like hes in the area of travel for monsters and he should keep in the area.might be even more sizeable ones.
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[DrownedDesertRat]

We'll hafta get out there together sometime and see what we can catch as far as sturgeon. That would give us some real nice points for the fishing contest.
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[lonehunter]

[cool] i'm working on the stergon too ![cool]
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[DrownedDesertRat]

You have enough points. Give us little guys a chance![][][][][][][][]
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[lonehunter]

hirst message of the day and you put a big ol' on my face ![cool]
thanks !!!!
maybe i'll just try for a itty bitty stergon , lol !
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[DrownedDesertRat]

Glad I could help. Anything to put a on someone's face. But don't worry, I will eventually catch up. I should have taken a picture of them yellow bullheads I caught yesterday. But I'm after the elusive Sturgeon. Just gotta get to the waters where they're legal.
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[tubeN2]

Are you using a spinning or conventional set up??

Either way you would want some quality 30lb test mono or 65lb test Power Pro with a 30lb mono leader.

Depending on the amount of current, you should use 3 to 6 oz pyramid sinker tied on a reverse dropper loop. That will give you the weight on the top and bait on the bottom.

Mackerel or squid work well when there is no live bait.[cool]
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[davetclown]

can you catch local shad or other bait fish like gills or perch cut their heads off and gully them and use them for bait?

one of the biggest problems with sturgeon fishing is all the sheephead catfish and other bottom feeding fish that may be habitating there.

you dont need live bait, just fresh... and preferably caught from the same waters you are fishing for them in.
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[Elidon]

This probably isn't very environmentally friendly, but my dad would always use WD-40 and we'd catch sturgeon every time we went out []

It's my favorite fish because it's so different from anything else. They look prehistoric and the meat texture is like a steak.
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[davetclown]

Our dads and their dads used to do a lot of things that werent envoronmentaly friendly. Like lake michigan and the mississippi river was chicago's septic feild. I hate to think of the number of local species that were wiped out by economic ignorance.

Welcome to bigfishtackle.
I only have one under my belt, I got him on a worm. Not a real exciting fish to target untill you get one on your line and then its worth all the wait.

they are different for sure, One day I hope to catch a Paddle fish. another vary old species.
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