Sturgeon
- Thread starter Helen O
- Start date
B~C":26m98mdw said:I'll be packing my cooler collection to work tomorrow
Beautimus, B~C! You're my best friend!
Speaking of sturgeon - I have some on my plate that K cooked up right now. And I gotta hand it to Raven Dave. As per his instructions, she sliced it real thin (1/4" strips), gave it a dunking in the tempura batter, and fried it in the skillet. It is actually very good. Up until now, I thought the sturgeon was just tolerable, but this time I am having seconds.
Try deep frying with a coating of Penko, that's a brand name for some a dry coating mix, iz good.
I was experimenting with some salmon the other week and splashed some Kikoman Sweet Cooking Rice Wine on the fish then sprinkled on some pickeled ginger, wrapped in foil and threw it on the BBQ,,iz good.
Hope to have a chance at seeing you do the run around the boat dance this year
I was experimenting with some salmon the other week and splashed some Kikoman Sweet Cooking Rice Wine on the fish then sprinkled on some pickeled ginger, wrapped in foil and threw it on the BBQ,,iz good.
Hope to have a chance at seeing you do the run around the boat dance this year
Wheeler Dealer
New member
B~C Wrote:
Hope to have a chance at seeing you do the run around the boat dance this year.
Oh! do tell more!
Hope to have a chance at seeing you do the run around the boat dance this year.
Oh! do tell more!
Wheeler Dealer":3jzh6ry5 said:
Not much to tell. Seven foot sturgeon, 30lbs. line, all alone on an anchored CD22. The fish wanted to make a couple laps around the boat, and the pole wasn't long enough to reach over the antennas on top of the boat. One hand on the fish pole, one hand on the roof rail, and two feet on the narrow deck around the cabin. By the second lap, the line to the fish was a lot shorter, and he went under the anchor line. I pulled some slack in the anchor line, held it in my teeth, and swapped the pole to the other hand under the line. It took a while, but I got the beast to the boat, looked at him for a minute, and turned him loose.
Wheeler Dealer
New member
TyBoo Wrote:
Not much to tell.
Quite a story in my book. Way to go on getting it in :thup.
My story would have been something more like; 7ft. fish, 30lb line the fish ran around the boat but when I tried to get up to follow him, I banged my knee so bad I nearly lost the rod. Then when I finally got around the bow I slipped and fell in. With one hand on the rod and one on the safety ladder the fish ran around the anchor rope so I reeled myself to the rope and with my one free hand cut the rope. At this point I was not able to get back to the boat so I signaled the lovely Terrie to pick me up at which time she repeatedly ran over me.
Next time we would like pictures too since this didn't seem to be much of a big deal :wink.
Not much to tell.
Quite a story in my book. Way to go on getting it in :thup.
My story would have been something more like; 7ft. fish, 30lb line the fish ran around the boat but when I tried to get up to follow him, I banged my knee so bad I nearly lost the rod. Then when I finally got around the bow I slipped and fell in. With one hand on the rod and one on the safety ladder the fish ran around the anchor rope so I reeled myself to the rope and with my one free hand cut the rope. At this point I was not able to get back to the boat so I signaled the lovely Terrie to pick me up at which time she repeatedly ran over me.
Next time we would like pictures too since this didn't seem to be much of a big deal :wink.
Lynn Marie
New member
Got some good news, bad news about Raven Dave, one of our resident lower Columbia sturgeon fisherman today. Raven Dave, besides being a good fisherman is also a good tile layer and I've been trying to get him to measure up a project for us. Called, left a message, etc. but the dang guy didn't get back until his daughter called and said she was going through his notes trying to get stuff caught up because he'd had a heart attack a couple days ago. No wounder he didn't call. That's the Bad news. The Good news is that he's doing ok. They put a shunt in and with any luck at all he might even get to come home today. Knowing Dave I'd say he has a good chance of getting out because he has to have great luck, he just can't be that good at catching fish.
Tiffany, his daughter, said she hoped he'd spend more time on the water and less at work cause he needed a good stress reliever. Must not know as much about fishing as dad.
Anyway, we wish him well with a speedy recovery. Don't want him to miss
the annual Lower Columbia Sturgeon Derby which will be coming up soon.
Tim
Tiffany, his daughter, said she hoped he'd spend more time on the water and less at work cause he needed a good stress reliever. Must not know as much about fishing as dad.
Anyway, we wish him well with a speedy recovery. Don't want him to miss
the annual Lower Columbia Sturgeon Derby which will be coming up soon.
Tim
Lynn Marie
New member
Went by TyBoo's favorite early season sturgeon hole today and there was a boat anchored up fishing it and since I was in the car it wasn't me. Also wasn't Mike unless he's got an aluminium jobber.
Also stopped by the Raven Dave shop since his rig was parked outside and sure enough he was there putting in a few hour at work. Really good to see him on his feet since it was only a couple weeks ago he had his heart attack. I need to see all my sturgeon buddies back on the river then I'll feel better about the upcoming sturgeon festival.
Tim
Also stopped by the Raven Dave shop since his rig was parked outside and sure enough he was there putting in a few hour at work. Really good to see him on his feet since it was only a couple weeks ago he had his heart attack. I need to see all my sturgeon buddies back on the river then I'll feel better about the upcoming sturgeon festival.
Tim
Lynn Marie
New member
Sturgeon will be starting next Saturday here in the lower Columbia and I'm trying to get things in order so I can get out and try my luck. Should be clear to go since the 15th is my brothers birthday and Judy thinks taking him fishing is a great present, so do I. Tide isn't the best but a day on the water of most any kind is alright by me. Chores left include getting the boat a spot at the marina, finding some good bait, and trying to find a home for some of last years catch. Guess we'll eat BBQ fish this week.
Anybody from up river ready to give it a try or are you guys waiting for a local report. Maybe the TyBoo will hit the water with his highliner helper TyBoo Tiffany the Surgeon Queen. Sure hope so cause I've been missing his helpful banter and I'm not sure I can find the right spot to anchor without him.
Tim
Anybody from up river ready to give it a try or are you guys waiting for a local report. Maybe the TyBoo will hit the water with his highliner helper TyBoo Tiffany the Surgeon Queen. Sure hope so cause I've been missing his helpful banter and I'm not sure I can find the right spot to anchor without him.
Tim
Lynn Marie
New member
Thats the great thing about sturgeon, you just idle out the slough from the mooring basin a little ways and drop the hook. When your butt gets tired you fire off an engine and slowly motor back in. Besides, we got those dandy little four stroke fuel savers. Maybe this fuel thing will cut down on the Thunder Jets!
The bad thing about sturgeon fishing is having to buy bait cause my supply dried up.
The bad thing about sturgeon fishing is having to buy bait cause my supply dried up.
Anita Marie
New member
Good luck Tim, that Sturgeon fishing sounds kinda fun. Don't you worry about running out of beer too fast with so much idle time on your hands?
Lynn Marie
New member
Mike,
If I see you coming I'mm pulling anchor and won't drop the hook till you have yours set. Don't want to be in the teachers chair.
Tim
If I see you coming I'mm pulling anchor and won't drop the hook till you have yours set. Don't want to be in the teachers chair.
Tim
Lynn Marie
New member
First trip of the season was great, we had three C-Dories on the river at the old sturgeon hole. The TyBoo was in it's normal spot and started catching fish. Mike said they cuaght 6 of which 5 were Kays. This new 25' fishes just like the old 22' did.
Also had the Raven on the water with skipper Dave. The Heron wasn't wet yet but Chuck was with Dave so I'll say that counts as half a boat. Those guys hooked 7 fish.
I had my brother with for his birthday and we had two fish on the Lynn Marie.
Bad part is that out of the 15 fish caught none were keepers. With the new 45" minimum this year both ours went back although we could have retained one last year that was over 42".
While we didn't get any keepers we all had a great time with lots of action so we'll look forward to the next trip.
Tim
Also had the Raven on the water with skipper Dave. The Heron wasn't wet yet but Chuck was with Dave so I'll say that counts as half a boat. Those guys hooked 7 fish.
I had my brother with for his birthday and we had two fish on the Lynn Marie.
Bad part is that out of the 15 fish caught none were keepers. With the new 45" minimum this year both ours went back although we could have retained one last year that was over 42".
While we didn't get any keepers we all had a great time with lots of action so we'll look forward to the next trip.
Tim
OK all... this is going to sound dumb, but I am not familiar with sturgeon. If I did not know better only by watching and looking at pictures of how pleased you all are catching them... based on their appearance I'd question the taste much less their eat'ability. Those critters look like they came out of the Jurasic dinosaur period :crook with the spines down the back and the ugly brown scales.
Are they really a sought after game fish? you know like tuna, bass. and walleye?
Help me out here... I need educated in North West Fishing....
Butch
Are they really a sought after game fish? you know like tuna, bass. and walleye?
Help me out here... I need educated in North West Fishing....
Butch
Kay and I and the kids today. Five shakers and one 48 incher. Grandpa had the hot pole this morning, but I let TyBoo Tiffany the Sturgeon Queen have at a couple of them, and she still has the touch.
Well, Tiffany certainly thinks so! Sturgeon fishing has really taken off down here, starting when the salmon thinned out several years back. Now there are plenty of salmon again, but the sturgeon fishery is still popular. So popular, in fact, that the rules get tighter every season. There hasn't been a commercial season for sturgeon for a few years, and the only local fish for sale is "incidental catch" by the salmon netters (yeah, sure!). It goes for about ten bucks a pound when available. Most people either love it or hate it for eating. I like it if it is fixed like Raven Dave told me to do it. Sliced in thin strips, some of that tempura batter, and fried hot and fast. It isn't halibut by any means, but it is better than what most restaurants use for their fish-n-chips.
The biggest draw for the sturgeon is the fishing itself. The rigging and technique is simple, and because the boat is anchored, it is very relaxing. Until you catch one of them, that is. They do not like to go for boat rides. Usually, they head for the bottom, but if the water is shallow, it is common to see them jump clean out of it when hooked. They make a big splash. We always use light (30#) gear, so it takes a while to bring them in. Lots of fun. The biggest one I ever hooked was around 7' long. A passenger on my boat last year got one about 6', but it was huge and heavy. Had to be well over 100 pounds. (It isn't legal to remove the big ones from the water, so we didn't weigh it.) The legal limits for size right now in the Columbia are between 45" and 60" (up from 42" earlier in the season.) The heaviest legal fish on our boat was 54" and 50 pounds. The longest was 59" and 45 pounds (yep - it was Tiffany who got it). The edible meat from a legal fish is usually about 40% of its weight.
Farther up the Columbia, there is a lot of C&R fishing for the giant sturgeon. They catch them up to 13' long. That has never appealed to me. It's more fun pulling the anchor, me thinks. Somewhere I have an old photo of a sturgeon that was caught using the "horse fishing" method. If I can find it, I'll show it to you.
Well, Tiffany certainly thinks so! Sturgeon fishing has really taken off down here, starting when the salmon thinned out several years back. Now there are plenty of salmon again, but the sturgeon fishery is still popular. So popular, in fact, that the rules get tighter every season. There hasn't been a commercial season for sturgeon for a few years, and the only local fish for sale is "incidental catch" by the salmon netters (yeah, sure!). It goes for about ten bucks a pound when available. Most people either love it or hate it for eating. I like it if it is fixed like Raven Dave told me to do it. Sliced in thin strips, some of that tempura batter, and fried hot and fast. It isn't halibut by any means, but it is better than what most restaurants use for their fish-n-chips.
The biggest draw for the sturgeon is the fishing itself. The rigging and technique is simple, and because the boat is anchored, it is very relaxing. Until you catch one of them, that is. They do not like to go for boat rides. Usually, they head for the bottom, but if the water is shallow, it is common to see them jump clean out of it when hooked. They make a big splash. We always use light (30#) gear, so it takes a while to bring them in. Lots of fun. The biggest one I ever hooked was around 7' long. A passenger on my boat last year got one about 6', but it was huge and heavy. Had to be well over 100 pounds. (It isn't legal to remove the big ones from the water, so we didn't weigh it.) The legal limits for size right now in the Columbia are between 45" and 60" (up from 42" earlier in the season.) The heaviest legal fish on our boat was 54" and 50 pounds. The longest was 59" and 45 pounds (yep - it was Tiffany who got it). The edible meat from a legal fish is usually about 40% of its weight.
Farther up the Columbia, there is a lot of C&R fishing for the giant sturgeon. They catch them up to 13' long. That has never appealed to me. It's more fun pulling the anchor, me thinks. Somewhere I have an old photo of a sturgeon that was caught using the "horse fishing" method. If I can find it, I'll show it to you.