Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3805 Feb 15- Mar 1 | Page 18

16 FRESHWATER Feb 15 - Mar 1, 2019 VOL.38 • ISS. 5 Checklist For Sturgeon < Big arches holding on and near the bottom. This is the kind of returns you are looking for when sturgeon are the target. This indicates that there are multiple sturgeon in the area and that they are feeding. Set the anchor down current, get some bait in the water and get ready to yell, “Fish On!”. > Salmon roe is an excellent bait for sturgeon, but to be effective you’ve got to have quite a bit of roe for a day on the water. For the average angler, there are better options. Note that the baits are rigged on barbless hooks and the leaders sport egg sinkers to keep the baits right on the bottom. presents So, You Want To Catch A Sturgeon? I ’ve caught a lot of sturgeon. Not as many as real pros like Jay Lopes, Dave Hammond, Hayden Mullins and Joe Gamez, but I’ve landed my share and more. If you’re a West Coast angler I think you should experience the thrill of landing at least one big bad diamond back. When you commit to hunting sturgeon, you are going after big game. The stakes are high and you’ll likely experience the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, frustration, boredom and heart racing thrills… I caught my best, but not biggest, sturgeon while fishing with Captain Barry Canevaro a number of years ago. It was February 12, the sky was overcast and the surface of Montezuma slough was glassy flat. My hook was armed with a pair of ghost shrimp and a big fat pile worm. The bite was a classic “sturgeon pump” with my Lamiglas rod going into full pull down mode as the big fish slurped up the baited hook. I snatch the rod, reared back, the rod doubled over and the fish didn’t budge! A beat later when the sturgeon decided something was amiss it shot off on a powerful crescent shaped run toward deepwater, blitzed upward and exploded completely out of the water on the first of several sailfish like gyrating jumps. I can still see the big 8-ounce pyramid sinker dancing around the sturgeon’s head as it wildly tried to shake the hook. It was the incredible fight and the repeated jumps that made that sturgeon so memorable. When I finally brought the big fish to the boat and Barry scooped it aboard it measured an inch under the top end of the slot. Not only was the fish a great fighter, but it also got to take a ride home for dinner… What an incredible thrill! This winter we’ve had a good deal of warmish rain and the rivers are running high and muddy. All in all, the late winter and spring are shaping up nicely for sturgeon fishing and anglers in pursuit of diamond backs should do well. I’m not writing this article with seasoned sturgeon anglers in mind. Instead, it’s my goal to provide some notes for guys that have minimal experi- ence hunting sturgeon. I know I’ve got a lot of readers that have been dreaming of trading punches with a sturgeon for 10, 20 and even 30 years and have yet to hook one. This piece is for you guys and girls… If you really want to load the odds in your favor, I strongly advise you to jump aboard with one of Norcal’s fine sturgeon skippers. Here’s a short list of skippers that have a proven history of boating big numbers of sturgeon: Chris and Jonathan Smith of the Happy Hooker, Hayden Mullins of Dragon Sportfishing, Jay Lopes of Right Hook Sporfishing, David Hammond of Delta Pro Fishing, Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sportfishing or Joe Gamez of Golden State Sportfishing. Having said that, I know that many of the guys reading this have their own boats and want to hook a diamond back on their own terms. Okay, let’s go get one. Finding Them During the late winter and early spring, sturgeon are apt to turn up anywhere between the southern end of San Francisco Bay all the way up through the Bay and Delta system to Isleton and above, but the best area is Suisun Bay and the West Delta including Montezuma Slough, so focus your effort on the water between the Powerlines on the Sacramento near below Decker Island and the Benicia Bridge below the fabled Mothball Fleet. Get a good chart and know how to read it for navigating Suisun Bay. There are lots of sand bars out there and running aground on them is no fun. You’ll also need a decent sonar unit. A FISH SNIFFER HOW – TO by Cal Kellogg ^ When you consider effectiveness, toughness and price lamprey eel is hands down the best bait available for most anglers. The bait is tough and isn’t easily damaged by small bait stealers. When a sturgeon comes knocking and your hook is armed with eel, the bite tends to be prolonged and distinct, giving the angler maximum time to set the hook. ^ Sturgeon rely heavily on their sense of smell to locate their forage, so adding Pro-Cure Super Gel to your bait or marinating your bait in Pro- Cure bait oil can give you an edge in your quest to hook that diamond back! CONTINUED ON PG 17