It was a wild one - sturgeon

[Kent]

I've never fished sturgeon before and I'm making my first trip this weekend, so if you have any advice or tips I'd appreciate any information. I'm planning to fish Lower Salmon Falls from shore and I'm confident in all my gear so hopefully the sturgeon gods can bless me

I have fished below Salmon Falls dam and had a little luck.  One advice I would give is to avoid the temptation to use a huge bait.  A huge bait is not necessary and often with a huge bait one gets bites but few hookups.  It is easy for the hook to get buried in a huge bait and not in the mouth of the sturgeon.  A sturgeon has no teach, and as a result it isn't going to bite into the bait, so if the hook is buried in the bait the sturgeon will not be hooked.  Should you hook a sturgeon, in that area, be sure to take your time landing it, and keep your rod pointed up, because there is an underwater cliff that sturgeon are prone to dive under and break off or get unhooked.