New to Sturgeon

[guarddawg52]

I'm new to Sturgeon fishing. I just hooked my first one last weekend, and now I have the itch to go out and buy everything related to catching sturgeon. But instead I thought I would ask you guys what is the most important stuff a guy needs to be a novice sturgeon fisherman?

I don't want you to think that you will make me feel stupid I'm talking pole size/brand to what kind of line to lures or hooks everything that a person would need to make a solid go at getting fish.

Any help is what I'm looking for.

Thanks!!

[curado]

at least a 6600 size abu reel loaded with 20lbs line

[fear_no_fish]

A good sized salmon rod, i use a 10 foot shimano rated for 8 - 17 lb test but its considered a little light but you have to play larger fish out anyways
But any heavier downrigger/salmon rod will be just fine
a abu garcia bait caster like a 6500 c3 would do or something about that sized or bigger
30 pound power pro would do just fine, i suggest braided line for the job
a half dozen or so 2 - 4 oz weights
im not sure what they are called but you clip your weight on and run your main line through a tube so tthe weight slides
strong brallel swivels
beads
3/0 or so hook (what ever size you feel correct) make sure to buy good quality hooks, not eagle claw haha :]
for leader just some heavy line will do, every one likes there own leader
then bait of choice, i use sand shrimp
then magical thread to hold it on the hook
then scent is never a bad idea
http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/tp-im ... RigWeb.jpg
you should end up with some kind of rig like that
hope this all helps

[Matt]

Heavy action salmon rods will do the trick and as curado said a 6600+ abu reel will work. I would suggest running braid for better hook setting power. I use a 9'6" medium/heavy ugly stik with a 6600 C4 and 300 yards of 55 lb braid. Then all you need is lead, slydo's, brads pretied sturgeon leaders, and bait.

[returnofthefish]

Catch some shad and use them as sturgeon bait. They are swimming up the Columbia right now.

[CRW]

We had really good luck with tying whole squid on,but the way I understand it anything smelly should work. Someone told me that chicken or pork that sat out in the sun for a day or two would work good, but I haven't tried that.

What size sturgeon are you trying to target, shakers, keepers or oversize???

[Matt]

chicken or pork that sat out in the sun for a day or two would work good, but I haven't tried that.

I believe that the best bait is anything that can be found naturally in the system you are fishing. This is why most people fish with sand shrimp, nightcrawlers, shad, etc. Although chicken and other meats should work, I would stick with natural baits found in the waterway or estuary you are fishing. Also, I wouldn't recommend letting the bait soak in the sun and go rancid. Sturgeon DO like to smell out their food, but they DO NOT like rancid or spoiled lunch (most fish do not). I think the best bait is either LIVE, freshly dead, or freshly thawed frozen.

[Hoss 350]

In layman's terms, here is the best setup for sturgeon fishing that I know of:

Rod: Medium Heavy rod, short for use on a boat (6-7 feet); long as possible for long casting if you are shore fishing.

Reel: people ususally use a level wind type in the "big salmon" size, but not quite "halibut" big. I have a spinning rod setup that I use for roosterfish down in Mexico that I also use for sturgeon. It is a size 80 reel with a medium heavy Ugly Stick, 8 foot long

Main Line: Big mono in the 20 to 50 lb range depending on use, or a braided line (my preference) in the massively big range, like 80 plus. I use bigger in braided not for strength but so that the line diameter in the thinner braided line won't cut the fish up so badly if it gets tangled in the line.

Swivel: your everyday average barrel swivel. Some use a three-way swivel but more on that in a minute.

Weight: Big cannon ball in a size big enough to get to the bottom and hold there in the current you are fishing in. I recall mine are 4 to 6 ouncers. Run your weight on a light weight dropper line, 10 inch long or so, off of a slider (or the three way swivel mentioned above). For two reasons. It gives the bait 10 inches of free movement before th fish feels the weight. And two, it allows you to pull the weight loose by breaking the lighter test line in case you get hung up. You loose the weight but save your hook (therefore not leaving a baited, fish-killing hook on the bottom). I use sliders for one main reason, and that is so that if your main line breaks above the swivel, you won't be leaving a weighted, baited hook on the bottom, which is a fish killer. The line passes out of the slider if the fish takes it, and no big deal.

Leader: Some like cord-type leaders, others just use the biggest mono they can get their hands on, for the reason listed above - bigger line diameter will be easier on the fish if it gets tangled up in your line.

Hook - I use 5/0 circle hooks. Use whatever you like, but they must be barbless by law. I'm told the circle hook is not really needed because sturgeon rarely swallow a hook. I use the circle hook just to be sure, though.

Bait - This is the big one. YOur best bet is to use whatever is in the river you are fishing. Lots of catfish and trout? Catfish and trout cut baits will probably work best. Lots of sand shrimp? Herring? Shad? Whatever is there will be your best bet. However, there are a couple of old standbys. Herring, picked herring, and roll-mop herring seem to be a good bet no matter where you go.

[Pradeep]

The wife and kiddo are on the Columbia as I type this out. We use Med/heavy rod (We have the ugly stick just like the one Matt suggested). 50 lb test (braided) with a 5/0 hook (barbless), slider and weight (dependent on current). We use anchovy mostly with sand shrimp once in a while to change things up. Both sand shrimp and anchovy are secured to the hook with strechy string.

Good luck and have lots of fun.