Hook Size for Sturgeon

Just wondering what everyone’s preferred brand and hook is for sturgeon. We always seem to be questioning if we are doing something wrong if the fishing is a little tougher. Also this year we pulled more hooks than we have in the past. For the most part we use 5/0 Gamis or 5/0 Team Catfish hooks. I know some guys will only use 3/0. We typically run 80 or 100 lb PP or 832 for the mainline and leader.

I know some guys are using light leader line or even mono. Has anyone had better results going lighter on the leader? I’d think they would feel 20lb mono as much, if not more than the braid.

Just curious what other people think.

i usually run gami 6/0-8/0 circles and 80lbs mono as a leader or just my main line which is 80 superline. i dont think sturgeons are leader shy at all.

Stick to quality hooks like you say you have. I have used mono and braid and have not noticed a difference only less leader fouling with mono. I wasn’t up this year- but after talking with many people who were I would say that the experience of more fish popping off for so many this year is just higher than normal current. I guided in AK for almost 20 years. If I sat on anchor while my clients fought king salmon against the current I doubt we’d land half of them. With that big of fish in that heavy of current something’s got to give- usually a lip or busted line. Not many people around here are equipped with a quick detatch anchor bouy to drift and fight a fish and then come back and clip to your bouy (essentially saving your spot) but I think a lot more fish would be landed if it were used. Most people aren’t going to invest in this for one trip a year though.

We used 5/0 circle hooks on premade sturgeon rigs we purchased up in Baudette. (Tom’s Tackle brand I believe) They were on black coated steel leaders. 4 oz no roll sinker and 30 lb braid. We had some success, but very new to targeting sturgeon.

8/0

You can catch 30″ sturgeon on 10/0 hooks and a 1/2 LB of bait….

Downsizing, is an 8/0

lindyrig79 wrote:

They were on black coated steel leaders.

Steel? Because of their teeth??

I agree with A Pete above. I stopped using 2/0 gammies years ago when there was a good fish on and the hook bent straight out. I’ve been using the 5/0 Team Catfish hooks and like them.

Andy uses the 8/0 because he uses big baits and has have very good luck with them.

Sturgeon lips are incredibly tough. XX Mag Heavy to the hilt and their lips will hold. I have no concerns tearing lips.

Now, you start running then little hooks with worms you might be fooled by some carp thinking they are sturgeon.

Them little hooks also do not have the gap needed to wrap around a big fish lip so results vary in that case.

I use 5/0 to 10/0 Gammie hooks. I change up hooks depending on the bait I am using. I have not caught that many sturgeons. But I have yet to lose one I have hooked.

We will use some 6/0 as well. I was just curious on everyone else’s thoughts. I got a 65 incher last week that had started to straighten out a 5/0 team catfish hook. I use 80lb suffix, most the guys I fish with run 100lb PP.

One thing I dont think gets talked about enough with hooks is the relationship between bait size and hook size. With circle hooks I think you need to pick your hook based on what you want to put on it for bait more than on what you hope to catch. For a circle hook to work right most of the gap needs to be open more open than with a j hook and this somewhat limits what you can reasonably hang off a given size hook.

For this reason I think saying you use any given size hook means squat unless you say what you’re putting on it. Crawlers are more forgiving than many baits, and 3 whole crawlers on a 3/0 hook is a nice match. Now try fishing with the head of a medium to large sucker on that same hook and your hookups may suffer.

Not to say anybody else on this thread is right or wrong, I just think we are leaving a key piece out of the discussion.

Another thing I would add is that mono or even flouro leader seem to reduce fouling around the swivel, even if the sturgeon doesnt care that you bothered to use it. I sometimes crimp connections in 50# or heavier mono because I find it easier than knots in the heavy lines.

A big hook plus a big bait increases your odds of getting that big bite. I was amazed when my friends and I cut open a dead 53″ Sturgeon we found on the Croix that had several 10+” shad in its gut… Could go on for hours about this topic.