Tips offered to catch sturgeon

by Kelton Hatch

Idaho Department of Fish & Game

Have you ever wanted to see something from the past that has lived for thousands of years and gets huge? Well you can fish for them in the Snake River, especially at C.J. Strike Reservoir.

White sturgeon are the largest freshwater fish in North America, can weigh over 1,500 pounds, be 20 feet in length and live for over 100 years.

The white sturgeon is a primitive, bottom-dwelling fish which hasn't changed much in thousands of years with some of the oldest fossil records dating back 70 million years. It is characterized by its large body size, large head and mouth, and long cylindrical body. It has four barbels located in front of its large, wide and toothless mouth, located on the bottom side of its head. It has no scales, but instead has "scutes" along its body for protection. The white sturgeon is a slow growing, late-maturing anadromous fish. Anadromous means a fish that goes between fresh water and the ocean. None of the sturgeon in southwestern Idaho can make it to the ocean any more, but there still are populations of them in the stretches of river between the dams.

People interested in fishing for them need to be prepared for a battle. They can get as big as nine feet long. Heavy line (30 pound or bigger), a good reel and strong pole is recommended.

Sturgeons are bottom feeders so baits need to be on the river floor. One way to catch sturgeon is to take a three-ounce weight and tie it to the end of the line. Twelve inches from the weight, cut the line and place a heavy loop swivel between the two cut pieces. Then take 14 inches of line and tie a three-inch hook on one end, and tie the other end to the swivel. Place an 8- to 12- inch fish on the hook and you are ready to find a deep hole in the river to cast into for sturgeon.

It is illegal to keep sturgeon or take them out of the water for pictures. Taking them from the water may harm them. Their cartilaginous skeletal structure will not support the weight of their bodies when being removed from the water and their weight may damage internal organs and kill them.