Author Topic: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon  (Read 14096 times)

Offline slipperybob

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8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« on: Jan 09, 2010, 02:00 PM »
I spent two hours fighting a sturgeon with 3# Asso Ice Fishing line on a Cajun UL rod with a Shimano Saharo 750.  I really got my butt kicked around by this beast.  It was really interesting during the first hour of the sturgeon doing mostly long runs.  My line was almost spooled out...50 yrds of line.  Then I struggle to get the beast and work the fish toward my hole.  I could see the sturgeon coming up to about 15 feet on the Marcum LX5...thought it was going to be over soon.  Wrong...the fish made several more long runs...It was really interest in the following 15 minutes.  It was big tug of war match.  I reel up several yards of line...the fish would make several long runs.  There was no giving up by either of us.  The next 15 minutes there after I had to allow the sturgeon to make circles around me over and over and over.  The fish swims away, I reel her back, dives down, I slowly pull her up.  I'm watching the LX5 show her position going down to bottom 35 feet, then I would her up to about 20 feet, then she runs and over and over the struggle continues.  Now the big girl was getting tired...so was I.   I was able to slowly lift and pick up line feet by feet and got her up to about 10 feet.  Thought I was going to get a glimps of her, but she wouldn't have it that way.  She made more runs but now they were slower and less distance.   Over and over again I would pull her in feet by feet, and eventually I got her up under the ice.  Finally I was going to get a look at her.  Uh oh...this sturgeon was huge...  No way to fit her head through the 8 inch hole.  her gill plate itself was almost the size of the 8 inch hole.  She darted away.  My 3# line was still holding.  My orginal plan of using another line to hook the fish was out of the question.  Now I was struggling to get my phone to use the camera feature.  Darn it, I barely even used it before and now, it can't even get a picture of the fish in the hole.  I got her up by the hole a second time.  She seemed more docile this time.  Nothing but a blurr.  So now I'm struggling to figure out the video feature.  Trying to get the video feature to at least show a blurr of the beast under the ice.  She had enough and made another dart and now the line is wrapped around her tail and snapped.  She was gone...along with my lucky jig too.

Ah...another big fish that got away story...I'd say the sturgeon was about 8 feet long...but in fact it was maybe only about five feet long.   Regardless, there was no chance to fit that size of a fish through an 8 inch hole. 
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Offline coreyl302

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #1 on: Jan 09, 2010, 04:09 PM »
Must be nice theres nothing like that up in good ol' New Hampshire
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Offline hillmann

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #2 on: Jan 09, 2010, 04:18 PM »
on what size line?

Offline slipperybob

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #3 on: Jan 09, 2010, 06:30 PM »
3# test  Asso Ice Fishing line...slightly blue in color.

It took me sooo long becuase of the light line I was using for crappie fishing.  To make matters worse was to include the UL noodly Cajun rod.  Basically there was about no rod action other than maximum bend in the rod.

Wish I was using any other type of heavier line to reduce the fighting time.  Even 4# test would've been better although it would've been even better if I had the use of a baitcaster.

My line is all twisted...curly after the sturgeon.  I really should just strip it off, but maybe I just need to use it some to get the twists out.
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Offline brewsta3224

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #4 on: Jan 09, 2010, 08:58 PM »
Awesome story. Too bad you didn't get the chance to take a pic/video to commemorate the memory. They call it fishing, not catching, just for that reason.

On the other note, you would have released it, and not bringing it through the experience of landing and laying on the ice greatly increased its survival rate, and the chance some young angler will get "hooked" on the sport if they were to live your tale...

Fishing and Catching, sometimes, are two completely different sports!

Offline slipperybob

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #5 on: Jan 10, 2010, 10:03 AM »
Situations like these really call for a 4-5 foot rod, when they're making a run under the ice just to prevent line from catching under the ice and snapping.  I would've been happy even with a 3 feet rod.  Although it's very rare that my line would snap on the bottom of the ice...it has happen before on lesser fish so it's good to be prepared.
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Offline slipperybob

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #6 on: Jan 10, 2010, 12:10 PM »
Now that I've thought of it...I wouldn't even have enough room in my ice shack to haul up such a prehistoric beast.  ;D
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Offline Water Wolf

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #7 on: Jan 10, 2010, 10:52 PM »
Wow, what an icefishing adventure you had slipperybob. :o

Too bad you were not able to snap a photo of that monster, but, at least you had the thrill of the fight and a story that will last a life time. ;)

What luck jig and bait did it go for?

Would that be a lake or white sturgeon you hooked?

WW
Looking for that BIG BITE!


Offline slipperybob

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #8 on: Jan 11, 2010, 05:55 AM »
My lucky jig for crappie fishing is just the red forage minnow tipped with a crappie minnow.

The St.Croix River only has Lake Sturgeon to my knowledge.  The one thing that really surprised me was how white this girl was when I pulled her up to the hole under the ice.  It was about the most pale white sturgeon I've ever caught in this lake.  Normally the Lake Sturgeon's have a brownish hide on them but this one was ver light in color.  Of course my first impression was that it's a White Sturgeon, but we don't have any record of have White Sturgeons in the St. Croix River to my knowledge.  It could've just been it's winter color.
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Offline Water Wolf

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #9 on: Jan 12, 2010, 02:20 PM »
I see neat. :)

Too bad you did have someone drill a few holes to make your main hole bigger, you may have at least got a bit of it up.

Sturgeon probably adapt to the bottom type and water clarity just like any other fish. It must be a white sandy bottom in that area.

WW
Looking for that BIG BITE!


Offline slipperybob

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #10 on: Jan 12, 2010, 06:42 PM »
Now that I think about it...I would've have to either clear out the Ice Cube...or have someone take the hole thing off and relocate the shelter to drill the addition holes.  About the only smart thing to have done was to have drilled the necessary hole space long before I reel the big girl in.  Ahh hindsight is always 20/20... ;D
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Offline TIBS

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #11 on: Jan 12, 2010, 06:53 PM »
Just think that on Lake Winnebago there's a short spearing season for lake sturgeon and they've been caught up to 150 pounds!  I would agree that if that fish was large, it was likely a Lake Sturgeon, whites are not found around here, only out west that I know off....  Here in the midwest we've got Lake Sturgeon and Shovelnose Sturgeon, which get nowhere near the size of the Lake variety.

Shovelnose Sturgeon:


Lake Sturgeon:

Offline gbrebory

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #12 on: Jan 13, 2010, 09:52 PM »
we have lake sturgeon and i have seen them and they dont look brown more of a grey/silver im not calling you a liar for saying that they are brown but just not around here and im sure that in the winter they lighten up even more........ btw michigan state record sturgeon in 192 lbs better have one hell of an auger to drill a hole big enough to fit that fatty

Offline slipperybob

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #13 on: Jan 14, 2010, 07:52 PM »
we have lake sturgeon and i have seen them and they dont look brown more of a grey/silver im not calling you a liar for saying that they are brown but just not around here and im sure that in the winter they lighten up even more........ btw michigan state record sturgeon in 192 lbs better have one hell of an auger to drill a hole big enough to fit that fatty

Oh no...you just didn'st say...the liar word... ;D

All the sturgeons I've ever caught in the St.Croix have brownish to tan hides...matches that brownish stain in the St.Croix river.  This is the first sturgeon I've ever caught in the St.Croix that looked extremely light and pale.  There are also white albino sturgeons, but this one isn't pure white like those either.
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Offline kauffman_matt

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #14 on: Jan 16, 2010, 09:39 PM »
I caught a 40 in sturgeon on Lake of the Woods about 4 weeks ago on 3 lbs line.  I honestly thought it felt like a eel pout until I got it near the hole.  The hardest part of catching it was getting the fish up the hole.  I fought it for a total of 45 min and 25-30 min of it was at the hole.  I have been lucky enough to catch bigger fish in my life but I can honestly say that that fish was by far any away the most fun that I have ever had the pleasue of catching.  A half hour before I caught the sturgeon I had caught a 24" walleye.  Needless to say it was pretty had to let the air out of my tires the rest of the day.  A day of fishing I will never forget for sure!

Offline Zorros shack

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #15 on: Jan 19, 2010, 06:33 PM »
Didn't know they had lake sturgeon in MN! It is amazing how big they grow and how long they live also.

Offline fishingypsie

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #16 on: Jan 21, 2010, 07:10 PM »
that
 sounds fun
\\\"dont just fish, FISH!\\\"

Offline schmutzomatic 5000

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #17 on: Jan 23, 2010, 10:05 PM »
Here in the U.P. of Michigan it is a daily adventure for someone to catch a sturg.  They are a real pain when you are jigging for walleye with a jigging rap. The other day a guy had a five footer on with a lure in his mouth that snagged a sock and he got snagged in the sock.  Luckily they play out more easy in the cold water.  Welded a treble to a rod that I carry to be able to hook the raps in the fish and remove them without hooking the fish. (filed the point off)  I was able to remove the raps and the sock without getting him through the hole (as stated only his nose would fit out anyways) A guy I know got one through the ice that was just over 70" that had five jigging raps in it.  Most people fish with power pro and a fluorocarbon leader.  Takes the ice alot better to play the fish and remove the lure.  It is a shame they like it below the dam where the walleye feed.  These fish are OLD.  You can put a camera down and sometimes see four or five.

Offline hallyslayer

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #18 on: Jan 24, 2010, 07:02 PM »
This is a pic of a 5 8' white sturgeon I caught out of the fraser river.... just to help give you an idea on size... and colouration..



I am the little guy in the middle..  ;D

Offline Bellybuster

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #19 on: Jan 24, 2010, 10:55 PM »
no pics....I don't believe you.....nah...just kidding
must have been a hoot
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Offline HardWaterMachine31

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #20 on: Jan 25, 2010, 09:19 PM »
Nice, musta been one hell of a fight. They got a spearing lottery on my home lake (Black Lake, MI) every year in february. I've seen my fair share of lake sturgeon in my day. They come in a couple different colors. White, Black, Dark Green, and dark blue. The first one i ever saw i was a big white one in about 30 ft of water go under my hole.

Offline troutnstout

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #21 on: Jan 25, 2010, 09:49 PM »
Awesome story, gave me chills.  Reminds me of an epic fight my father had with an atlantic sturgeon this summer while fishing for stripers. 

I'd love the opportunity to fight one through the ice. 

Offline andycapp

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #22 on: Jan 26, 2010, 03:37 PM »
I have have seen a Sturgeon only twice in the wild. Once when I was 13-14 fishing on a pier in Rochester NY. A guy was fighting one and was trying to get it to where he could hoist up on the pier. He lost it, the second was in Cape Vincent NY snorkeling. It was by far the biggest fresh water fish I have ever seen.
There are stories about strugeon being caught in the Gennese River in the early to mid 1700's being pulled out of the water by team of horses. Cartier writes about the huge sturgeon he saw in Eastern Lake Ontario in the late 1600's

Offline Pint of Plain

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Re: 8 inch hole can't fit sturgeon
« Reply #23 on: Dec 22, 2011, 03:29 PM »
check

 



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