Sturgeon Fishing Tips and Tricks

Sturgeon are a fish that is close to the level of extinction due to the popularity of both the fish and its eggs and environmental impact via human interaction. The green sturgeon, for instance, is a threatened species and is disallowed in most areas as a fish that can be kept after catching them. White sturgeon are still allowed to be caught but there are restrictions throughout North America in regards to how many may be caught. These restrictions also place emphasis on the size of the sturgeon as well. In most places the would-be sturgeon fisherman must have a license to catch them. There is no limit on how many sturgeon are caught. The limits in place across North America only apply to keeping the fish once caught. Once the legalities of capturing this fish are understood the would-be fisherman can continue their hunt for the perfect sturgeon catch.

Sturgeon are a fresh water fish. They are found in rivers and lakes in North America. Some of the best places to fish for them are along the rivers of the west coast in America, and in the far North of Ontario, Canada. It is considerably easier to catch a sturgeon in a river than in a lake. In a lake the fish has far too much room to roam.

This fish is a bottom feeder. Their preferred die is anything that can be found at the bottom of a lake or river. Typical food sources for them are snails, dead animals, and crayfish. Pretty much anything organic that is washed to the bottom of a river or lake is a food source for them. Some of the best bait for catching a sturgeon is large globs of worms, a block of stinky cheese, or a sack of salmon eggs. In some locations game fish can be used for bait, but in places such as Ontario this is strictly against the law. A notable trick for catching sturgeon with unorthodox bait is to leave chicken or pork out to rot in the hot sun for a while. Once it is nicely rotten the sturgeon will go nuts over it as bait.

The sturgeon is a large river fish. To catch one of size the necessity of using heavy equipment is very important. It should be noted that many locations where these fish can be caught disallow the use of trolling and similar methods to catch them. The typical sturgeon that is caught will not be a legendary behemoth despite the fact that there have been some caught that were thirteen feet long or more. Most of these fish will vary between twenty and one hundred pounds. A fifteen to thirty pound test line is usually appropriate for these fish. Combine that with a heavy leader and a size ten or twelve hook for best effect.