Sturgeon

[wassachu]

We went out on an outgoing tide in San Pablo Bay, California. San Pablo Bay is the next bay inland from the San Francisco Bay following the Sacramento River. We headed for the shallows. When we stopped and anchored the tide was still going out. At slack tide we had 2 feet of water under our 24 foot boat. We raised the outdrive to keep it out of the mud. The bottom was flat and all mud. We rigged our medium heavy rods and convetional reels with a wad of grass shrimp or a large mud shrimp. We used a sliding sinker and loose drag so the fish wouldn't feel resistance. While waiting for a hookup a large sturgeon rolled next to the boat. It must have been 2 hundred pounds. That got the heart pumping. Sturgeon don't usually bite the bait, they lay on it and suck on it and then pick it up and leave. We waited and finally the line started to play out. Sturgeon usually dive to go deeper but we were in the shallows so the fish ran. By then the tide had come in enough to allow us to lower the outdrive and pull the anchor and give chase. We chased that fish until it tired out. It measured 5 foot 2 inches at about 60 pounds.

California, at one time had only a minimum size for keepers. Sturgeon don't spawn until they are about 6 foot so prople were keeping the large fish. The sturgeon population in California started to dwindle. In Oregon and Washington State they have had a window, a minimum and maximum size limit and the sturgeon population is quite large. California now has a window.

When fishing for sturgeon in California your fishing the bottom, your bait is on the bottom. There is little trash fish or crab in San Pablo Bay unless, due to lack of rain, the salty water flows inland from San Francisco Bay bring the crab and trash fish. Sturgeon run up the Sacramento River beyond Sacramento well into fresh water. While fishing for sturgeon you might hook up with a striped bass which isn't a bad thing.

Sturgeon are protected on the East Coast although fishing for sturgeon on the East Coast would be tough because of all the crab, lobster and other fish.

Sturgeon meat is white and absolutely no bones. The steaks on my fish were quite large and excellent eating. This was my first and only keeper sturgeon and it was a thrill. A real rush! We were fishing about 2 miles from where the world record sturgeon caught on a rod and reel was caught. 468 pounds.

[WAHOONBOX]

HECK I DIDN'T KNOW THAT!....CONGRATS ON YOUR PIG DUDE!

IT IS NICE TO SEE SOME MORE WEST COAST GUYS SHARE THEIR WORLD HERE! AWESOME! THANK YOU.....

[hotrodmarlin]

lets see some pictures!

[Tsukiji]

I've seen a few sturgeon caught in the bay here. Nothing big but I saw a dead one on the beach that was atleast 60lbs. More and more fish are being caught in nets and I think they are doing studies in the James to get a count of them.

Butch