If you read the muskie write-up you’d have had fair warning this was coming. Two friends, Stevie Z and Clive made different long distance trips to the valley this past fall to try their luck muskie fishing. But, before getting to the toothy beasts I decided to drag each of them out for some fun wrestling with dinosaurs…

Over recent years myself, Brenda, Leah and a number of friends have had some absolutely dynamite days catching the hardy, hard fighting lake sturgeon. Oftentimes catch numbers would be well into double digits, and I still remember with a smile Lenny and I during our first two days ever fishing ‘em, landing 30 of 35 fish with sizes exceeding into sixty plus inches long. Big fish people, and hardy-hard-hard on ya too! Everyone has caught some real gems out there…

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For decades I’ve had a love affair with sturgeon, having made several trips west to B.C. for the whites there and, having caught the odd one off of James Bay when living in Northern Ontario. To be able to enjoy such a wonderful, powerful species, that in places allows catch and release opportunities, is a blessing to any willing anglers.

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Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully, these timeless beauties won’t be abused as they have been in their past here and in other parts of the world. Hopefully too, new anglers will be careful to whom they share details, and that any busy guides profiting realize just how much more responsible they are in connection with the fishery. Out in B.C., it is said that the white sturgeon fishing is better today than in our years past. That once troubled numbers of fish through care and concern, tagging, research, new handling and catch-release regulations, have helped keep the white sturgeon fishery alive and well. But still, a fish hooked and released is a fish stressed and the wrong kinds of people can easily bring risks to the fishery. So, be wise and careful to any and about any of these gentle giants you might catch.

Well 2019, and with Stevie Z this year we got kinda rocked. Alotta bait was nibbled away at and it certainly said something about timing, when considering we were the only boat seen out on a perfect sturgeon day. In the end we mustered up just four fish for our efforts. Now, being that Stevie has caught B.C. white sturgeon with a personal best at 8 or 8 ½ feet I think it was, catching eastern lake sturgeon was more or less just so we could have some fun and he catch his first ever of this kind. We did it!

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Later this fall, when after a long drive fresh jive Clive arrived alive, he and I took off for our own day of sturg-in! A Sunday, it was bumper boats on the water and it started with one lippy-fawker sounding off on me while in deep search mode. I gave it right back to him too. After a full days fishing the mouthy boat of three caught four fish, one of ‘em decent, while Clive and I hammered through eighteen. About ten of those were smaller sized, a few were mediums but we did get some nice sized sturgeon too. The best two-rod numbers day I have ever been a part of, there’s no question Clive enjoyed catching these fish for the first time.

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Our day ended really well for me too. One of those benchmark sixty and uppers hit the net and the fish was a chunker! Only getting two cracks at these fish this season was a bit of a downer, timing with partners, work, weather and muskie plans held me back, so it was a real feel good big sturgeon along with Clive and Stevie’s firsts that in the end will make 2019 a memorable one.

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Thanks for coming along here at the site and reelin’ in some of these fish with your mind .
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