Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3907 Mar 13-27 | Page 28

26 March 13-27, 2020 VOL.39 • ISS. 7 Rolling Your Own Sturgeon Leaders, Part 3 W ith sturgeon leaders, as with most things in our lives, the Devil is in the details. In a previous article, we already discussed hooks and how the octopus style hook has mostly taken over the top billing over the traditional wide gap Kahle style hook, even though the Kahle style hook is still sold in good quantities. Old traditions die hard, I suppose. This is not to say other styles of hooks can’t be considered. A number of good sturgeon anglers swear by the Eagle Claw baitholder style hook with the baitholder barbs on the shank. Another interesting hook I have seen used is the magnum offset wide gap flippin’ hook. Users of this hook swear that the kinked shank helps to hold the shrimp bait in place better when tied with Magic Thread, the kink giving the thread something to hold on to. A very interesting rig I was shown utilized the Owner Aki Hook, basically a straight shanked, straight eyed octopus hook. As you may know, the octopus hook has a turned up eye and is usually tied to the leader using a snell knot. This clever rascal ties his Aki hook with a heavy 80lb. test mono using a San Diego Jam knot. The beauty of the San Diego Jam knot is that the knot is very smooth, and the tag end “points up” instead of sticking out perpendic- ular to the line. He trims the knot so the tag end is about 3/16”-1/4” long, then bends it at a 45 degree angle. Tied this way, he can run his hook through the length of the shrimp, slide the shrimp over the knot, and the tag GET ON BOARD! end acts as a big bait holder! When it comes to length, I have used sturgeon leaders from as short as 12” to as long as seven feet, and trust me, those lengths have their purposes, too; but the vast majority of leaders are going to fall within three to four feet long. This seems to be the most useful overall length. Sometimes when the current is ripping, the flow of the water makes the bait move around too much and lifts it off the bottom where sturgeon feed. Some very resourceful Captains realized this and started adding twist-on sinkers to the middles of their sturgeon rigs to keep the bait down. This addition seemed to help a lot. My favorite solution is a little simpler and a little more elegant. Instead of a twist-on sinker half way 650-726-2926 Fish ALASKA 3102 Fishing: “Barn Door Halibut” • Salmon • Rockfish • Ling Cod Two 30’ Alumaweld Boats with Cabins and Bathrooms Deep Creek, Anchor Point & Homer Lodging: Clean & Comfortable, Lounge and Full Service Bar, Great Food, Conference Room, Satellite TV, Sleeps up to 24. Alaska (800) 567-1043 trophies@captainstevesfishinglodge.com Fish with the Smith Brothers – Alaska & California’s Finest! Want Sturgeon? Trophy Stripers? 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Twist-on sinkers have by Steve those little “Hippo”Lau rubber ears that are used to twist them on to the leader. If for some reason there is a hot fish on and lines are crossed, there is a good chance one of the ears will catch on to another’s line, causing a tangle. The egg sinker and beads have nothing sticking out, and will glide smoothly past someone else’s line. MOSS LANDING – Carol Jones of Kahuna Sportfishing and other charter boat operators in the Monterey Bay region are getting ready for the salmon season on April 4 and the rockfish opener on April 1. Meanwhile, local anglers are catching halibut, sanddabs and Dungeness crabs in Monterey Bay and perch fishermen are bagging perch off the beaches and rocks. At the annual Ocean Salmon Informational Meeting held in Santa Rosa on February 27, state and federal fishery scientists presented updates on the numbers of California’s spawning salmon, as well as the expected abundance for the upcoming fishing season. The 2020 ocean abundance projection for Sacramento River fall Chinook (SRFC), a main salmon stock harvested in California waters, is estimated at 473,200 adult 2912 salmon, higher than the 2019 forecasts. The Klamath River fall Chinook (KRFC) abundance forecast of 186,600 adult Limits have been the rule for sturgeon anglers working Suisun Bay aboard the Dragon this winter. These heavy fish were landed on January 27. Photo courtesy of DRAGON SPORTFISHING, Pittsburg. SALMON • - ROCKFISH ROCKFISH • - ALBACORE ALBACORE SALMON 831-633-2564 831-633-2564 CONTINUED ON PG 27 Fish The Delta In Style Aboard Capt. Hayden Mullins’s 60’ Luxury Yacht! 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