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Just got back from another exciting sturgeon trip. I took Roger (a sturgeon newbie) with me on this trip. Roger was at my house, just before 4:00 AM, which I always consider a good sign when a fishing buddy arrives a couple minutes early.
We got launched by about 9 and fishing by about 9:20. It didn't take long for Roger to give up his sturgeoninity when ~15 minutes later he was hooked up with a 5' sturgeon (picture attached). I played the "gracious host" by letting him catch the first one.
After catching one so quickly I figured we were going to catch a lot of them in short order. I figured wrong. We missed a few bites but didn't hook up again until after moving over 5 miles and at ~1:30 I hooked one, but it got into the rocks and broke off. About 20 minutes later I landed a 6 footer and an hour later Roger landed his own 6 footer. That was it for Tuesday.
We were on the water again the next morning as early as we were able to see. The action (for Roger) was good for about an hour and after it slowed down we started moving. We took another long boat ride (the opposite direction from the day before) and I showed Roger the lay of the land, in case he decides to invest in sturgeon tackle and fish sometime on his own. We tried where it was a little deeper but didn't even get a nibble. We moved back up where Roger had seen a couple fish on the fish finder while we were exploring. Anchored up there and it was fish on again (for Roger) and he kindly let me break another one off and he also had a break off. It slowed down a little and we decided to try again where we started the day.
This was a wise move. Lots of sturgeon were showing on the fish finder and they were biting (mostly for Roger again, but at one point we hooked doubles). I quickly got mine in (it was only a 4 footer) and Roger fought his sturgeon for ~25 minutes. We knew it was definitely a nice one, and when we finally got to see it we could tell it was special. It measured out right at 8'! It took me many years to finally catch an 8 footer and Roger does it on his first trip!
We had a great time and ended up landing 10 (8 for Roger and 2 for me). The smallest was 30", then 48" and the rest were 60" or longer, so the quality of the sturgeon we caught was exceptional.
I'm always excited when a newbie does well, but I've got to quit being such a "gracious host".
![[Image: Roger-sturgeon.png]](https://i.ibb.co/mqvY4bx/Roger-sturgeon.png)
Man that boat makes all the difference in the world! We go for Friday- Monday trips alot and if we get 2 a day were stoked!! Shore fishing is very hard to do there with the private and steep access! I can't wait to start going this year, do you mostly use herring?
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04-15-2021, 05:13 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-15-2021, 05:15 PM by wiperhunter2.)
Nice report Kent, sounds like a great trip. Congrats to Roger for catching such a big sturgeon.
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(04-15-2021, 05:08 PM)Fritzfishin Wrote: Man that boat makes all the difference in the world! We go for Friday- Monday trips alot and if we get 2 a day were stoked!! Shore fishing is very hard to do there with the private and steep access! I can't wait to start going this year, do you mostly use herring?
We got every bite but one on herring.
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Glad that you guys were able to scratch a few out. Are the flows still down?
Live to hunt----- Hunt to live.
Thats crazy! I use pike minnows and morts, ive tried all the herring,squid,sturgeon candy stuff and never caught one one it
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04-15-2021, 08:30 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-15-2021, 08:41 PM by Roghet.)
I owe a big public shout out to Kent for inviting me out and being such a good host. He was gracious enough to invite me out on his boat, gracious enough to give me his best poles and tackle, and (however maybe just a teeny-tiny bit less gracious about this but) was still willing to let me have some good luck so a sturgeon newbie could come home with such a good fish story! HAHA I came home (a bit sleep deprived haha) very grateful to have had the experience.
For those that haven't had it, imagine tying your line to a 300+lb couch, then pushing it overboard and hanging on for a half hour until it lets you reel it back to the boat. (This is my first post in a while, so I'm not remembering how this will work, but...) Here's a YouTube video of some of the pulling and the final moments when the fish took pity enough on my arms to meet fin to face. My only wish would be having it on film when these things would jump out of the water when hooked. (Is a transpecies a thing? Cuz it almost seemed like these were either that or doing a darn good impression of marlins that belonged out in the ocean.)
https://youtu.be/NuL_zFMW4-4
Yeah, I'm thinking about getting geared up and trying again myself, but [insert meme from the movie JAWS with the characters saying "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat" here] Until then I hope to get back to playing with the cats at Utah Lake soon. And I'm grateful that my experience is they bite just as well at 3pm as they do at dawn, which suits me really well. 
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04-15-2021, 08:57 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-15-2021, 09:04 PM by Kent.)
(04-15-2021, 06:07 PM)a_bow_nut Wrote: Glad that you guys were able to scratch a few out. Are the flows still down?
They are up a little (~7,000 fps).
(04-15-2021, 07:52 PM)Fritzfishin Wrote: Thats crazy! I use pike minnows and morts, ive tried all the herring,squid,sturgeon candy stuff and never caught one one it
Our go-to sturgeon bait has always been pickled herring.
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(04-15-2021, 08:30 PM)Roghet Wrote: I owe a big public shout out to Kent for inviting me out and being such a good host. He was gracious enough to invite me out on his boat, gracious enough to give me his best poles and tackle, and (however maybe just a teeny-tiny bit less gracious about this but) was still willing to let me have some good luck so a sturgeon newbie could come home with such a good fish story! HAHA I came home (a bit sleep deprived haha) very grateful to have had the experience.
For those that haven't had it, imagine tying your line to a 300+lb couch, then pushing it overboard and hanging on for a half hour until it lets you reel it back to the boat. (This is my first post in a while, so I'm not remembering how this will work, but...) Here's a YouTube video of some of the pulling and the final moments when the fish took pity enough on my arms to meet fin to face. My only wish would be having it on film when these things would jump out of the water when hooked. (Is a transpecies a thing? Cuz it almost seemed like these were either that or doing a darn good impression of marlins that belonged out in the ocean.)
https://youtu.be/NuL_zFMW4-4
Yeah, I'm thinking about getting geared up and trying again myself, but [insert meme from the movie JAWS with the characters saying "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat" here] Until then I hope to get back to playing with the cats at Utah Lake soon. And I'm grateful that my experience is they bite just as well at 3pm as they do at dawn, which suits me really well. Oh. You're THAT Roger. Good to see you back on the board and happy to hear you had a good outing with Kent. Those cats in Utah Lake are gonna seem kinda tame after tusslin' with sturgeons.
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Kent, way to get a “Sturgeon Virgin” addicted. Well done.
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(04-15-2021, 08:57 PM)kentofnsl Wrote: (04-15-2021, 06:07 PM)a_bow_nut Wrote: Glad that you guys were able to scratch a few out. Are the flows still down?
They are up a little (~7,000 fps). Thanks.
Would like to get my brother up that way again before things kick into high gear for the summer.
Live to hunt----- Hunt to live.
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04-17-2021, 02:47 AM
(04-15-2021, 09:52 PM)TubeDude Wrote: Oh. You're THAT Roger. Good to see you back on the board and happy to hear you had a good outing with Kent. Those cats in Utah Lake are gonna seem kinda tame after tusslin' with sturgeons. Kent was kind enough to get me back in the action. That was a real treat. But now that my old boat is fixed I'll be back at Utah Lake in June! You are quite right about the comparison. But hey, better to be pullin' in fish of ANY size rather than pushin' up daisies! HAHA
Don't be surprised if I reach out to learn more of your latest tips and tricks.
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(04-17-2021, 02:47 AM)Roghet Wrote: (04-15-2021, 09:52 PM)TubeDude Wrote: Oh. You're THAT Roger. Good to see you back on the board and happy to hear you had a good outing with Kent. Those cats in Utah Lake are gonna seem kinda tame after tusslin' with sturgeons. Kent was kind enough to get me back in the action. That was a real treat. But now that my old boat is fixed I'll be back at Utah Lake in June! You are quite right about the comparison. But hey, better to be pullin' in fish of ANY size rather than pushin' up daisies! HAHA
Don't be surprised if I reach out to learn more of your latest tips and tricks. You're always welcome at Casa de Tubes. And since your sons are both gone, I might even crawl in your boat and introduce you to the way of the flig.
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