IS IT APRIL YET!? 
We had a bunch of newbies at the excursion last year…and some of them did outstandingly well…others just did VERY good!
Let’s talk about the last first. Holding the fish and the release. Unfortunate for the Lake Sturgeon, their gill covers make good handles.
Here’s some photo’s from last year. There are some good holds and one…not so good hold. Take care of your catch. Use a net if you want to weight them. Sturgeon are very hardy, but keep them out of the water long enough to get your measurements, take a few photos and then make sure she’s ready to swim before the release. With the larger fish it’s easier to “revive” them in your net than hang over the side of the boat. Some larger fish in the 50 inch or better class will take a bite longer to bring around. Watch for them to “belch”. Shortly after that they will be ready to go.
Hoky doke…TERMINAL TACKLE
For terminal tackle many will be using a 2 or 3 oz No Roll Sinker, a swivel rated above 100 lbs and a 4/0 or 3/0 Gamakatsu hook. This year we’ll be see in more of the Team Catfish circle hooks. Twenty pound mono or super braids like PowerPro.. in the 55 to 80 pound range will work fine. 80 pound is over kill, but if that’s what you have spooled, don’t be afraid to use it.
I get a little nervous around 20 pound mono, but there are some that use it all the time and catch some heavy sturgeon.
Sturgeon are not leader or hook shy, no need to worry about color or trimming the ends of your knots.
BAIT
FIRST OFF..RESERVE YOUR BAIT EARLY! Worms are generally hard to come by in April. Walleye season isn’t open in most places and worms are simply not the bait of choice this time of year. The two bait shops listed at the end of this post are already preparing for the masses of crawlers used.
I purchace a $3. minnow bucket to take my crawlers up in. It’s has a cover and much handier to tote around than the flat. The bait shops appreciate having the flats back too.
Most will use crawlers. Two to five on a hook. Some cut them first…while others warm them in there mouth. LOL! There are so many different ways to get the “edge” on sturgeon…well, each can decide.
How many worms? Good question! Last year the bait shops had less than 10 flats of crawlers in the LOTW’s area in April. If the sucker and eelpout bite is great and you do run out, there is always the bait shops. I fished 4 days last year with two of those days with the family and I used about 3/4 flat of crawlers.
Fathead minnows are used too. I haven’t used them on those waters in the spring, but there were a few guys that did and reported very good luck using them. Same hook, just place 3 to 5 fatheads on the hook and cut one or two in half…you’re good to go.
RODS
A heavy bass rod works on most fish, but if you get into a biggie…well I’ve heard some pretty strange cracking come out of them! Please do not bring under powered walleye or bass rods. You won’t be doing yourself or the fish any favors by taking an hour to land one. (I’m not kidding about hour.)
The perfect rod will have a very soft tip for detecting bites. Seldom will you get a bite that bends the rod over. Most of the time it’s what I call a “sunfish bite”. Soft tips are good for detecting this…but the rod also needs to have the backbone to land fish in the 20 lbs and up size.
Bob Moore has a very good selection of Rods, including the new Team Catfish line. The 1/2 Ton Rod look pretty “sturgeony” to me!
Everts has the St Croix line and the Premier series has a great sturgeon/trophy catfish rod and the Triumph line has a very good sturgeon rod for a little less ching.
REELS
I use the Garcia 6500’s or the 7000’s. A reel in that class will work great. If you are using the circle hooks…and I strongly recommend them…the reels do not need a line out alarm. Once there’s a nibble, just sweep the rod back and FISH ON!
There are some that keep the bail open and their finger on the line. Once they feel that little something…it’s fish on!
BOAT and ANCHORS
Since it’s going to be the first time out for many…make sure your tires are inflated properly including your spare tire. Boat registration up to date? How’s your starting battery? Oil? Don’t forget the KEYS! LOL!
Wind is not your friend while sturgeon fishing. Many will have two anchors along to keep the boat from swinging. I recommend it.
LakeMaster came out with a new LOTWs/Rainy River map chip last year. This made it a snap to fish along the old river channel and to find the deepest holes in the area.
One note, when boating over a deep hole, you’re likely to see a HUGE number of marks on your graph. Most will be the largest fish marks or arches you’ve ever seen. Don’t fish IN the hole. Fish the edges. Most report much better fishing around the edges than actually in these piles of fish.
Rod holders make fishing more enjoyable.
One rod is all that’s allowed per angler.
Stay on the US side of the river.
When anchoring…remember the next boats anchor is likely to be 50 or more feet a head of the boat. I generally ask permission when I anchor. I remember the last time I asked…they said SURE want a beer?!
NETS
Now that you have your 50 pound fish to the boat, how will you get him IN the boat!? All of the cat guys have large nets…some have HUGE nets…although a net make life more pleasant, running out any purchasing one isn’t really a financially sound decision since you might only use it once a year.
When the fish is up next to the boat, put one hand just ahead of the tail then use your other arm to cradle the fish and support it’s middle weight…then just lift him in. If you run into a REALLY big fish, it might take two of you to do this. The good thing is that most of the time when a sturgeon comes to the top…she’ll be tuckered out and will hold still enough to bring ‘er aboard.
Please do not lift these guys out of the water buy their gill plates.
RECORDING YOUR CATCH
A camera is a must have.
Many have seamstress tape measures that go to 72 inches..at least (about $3 at Fashion Bug). Take a length and girth (at the widest part of the fish, normally the belly). Do not pinch the tail in taking the length. You will need these measurements for the annual sturgeon contest and the awards night at Wigwam.
We will have a lenght/girth conversion chart to give the angler a weight without using a scale.
Clothing
Don’t forget the PDF’s!
Clothing. We have been very luck the last few years. Temps in the 50’s, a warm sun and not much wind. Now the guys that went up a week later than us last year found out what 12 inches of snow on the ramps can do. Be prepared for COLD and you’ll be ok either way.
TAGGED FISH and THE DNR
Our MN DNR guys have been working hard at tracking these fish. They have over 5000 tagged as of last year.
If you see a (most of the time) yellow tag on the back of a fish, please do not remove it. Record the numbers on the tag, the length and girth of the fish. The DNR isn’t real exact on location. If it’s caught in the bay, mouth of the river ect. that’s all they are looking for.
The DNR might be out tagging fish. They will ask you to flag them down if one is caught out of your boat. The fish will be transported to their boat using a net.
If it wasn’t for this type of team work, much less would be known about this creatures.
THE STURGEON DANCE
I hope many of you see your rod tip shake and have the opportunity to see a 50 inch OR longer fish go from 30 feet of water to airborne in a matter of seconds…and then back down to the bottom again. I get goose bumps just thinking about the last one that did that.
You might wonder how a fish can do this without blowing it’s swim bladder. Sturgeon are of a few fresh water fish that are physostomus, (don’t ask me to pronounce it, I can barely spell it!) meaning their gas bladders are connected to the gullet by a duct. Walleyes, crappies and perch are physoclistous, they use their blood to put gas into and release gas from their swim bladders.
With this duct, they can release the gas in their bladders much faster, hence the 30 foot depth change. Many times when reviving a sturgeon you will see a “burp” of bubbles coming out of the gill area. Generally it’s because your hand is supporting the bladder area under the fish and pushing the air out.
Although the above seems cut and dried, there are many variations to sturgeon fishing. There are others with a huge amount of experience to draw on. I’m sure they will share if a question is asked. No dumb questions here!
This is fun socialized fishing. Don’t need to get up too early and you don’t need to fish too late if you don’t want to! FYI there are many secrets given out at the Wigwam Bar…and some about fishing sturgeon too!
Now a word of warning. If you see a Green Lund with a guy and two blondes in it…approch with caution. If the blondes have a rod bent over and are screaming like 2 year olds…stay way back…I have no control over the FW and FD!
Phone Numbers
Wigwam Resort 800-448-9260
Adrian’s Resort 218-634-1985
Bait and Sturgeon Gear
Evert’s Resort~Hagar City/Redwing
715-792-2333
4 Season Sports Shop Red Wing
651-388-4334
Joe’s Sporting Goods
651-209-7800
