I had not been too motivated to fish sturgeon this fall. But, yesterday I took the boat to my new normal October spot and was quickly rewarded.
Really an interesting night with some big Downers and fish to turn frowns upside down.
This is a very dynamic spot I was fishing and I do my best to stretch my lines out to place one in each type of area within casting distance.
Took 20 minutes to hook up with the first 50” sturgeon. Things are looking Up! That fish was from the deep water.
Shortly after 14# Channel cat from the shallow water.
Another missed channel from the shallow water.
Another missed sturgeon from the deep water…
I’m thinking to myself…Move the lines to the deep…But I reflect on past years and know each of my 3 lines are placed perfectly covering the right areas.
Thump, the shallow line is hooked up. Seems like a big channel, just kind of pulling it in not so much fighting. As it gets closer to the boat I’m surprised it is staying down. It is getting real close and I look at my line and notice it is heading under the boat. I’m cranking and diving the rod in the water to turn it last minute as I can tell it is heading straight for my hull and then SPLASH a sturgeon jumps next to my motor and comes flying in the boat through the splashwell and head rams my bimini top. Then piles out of the splashwell and off on a run it goes! Crap I say!! Hilariously laughing at the experience. A short bit later I have the fish under the boat again and POW line snaps. Son Of A!!!!!!!!! Probably could’ve heard me from quite a ways.
Ok, so line broke from the circus of the fish jumping in the boat. Cut 20 feet of line off and re-tie. Back at it. Minutes later the action continues. I get lost in the numbers, but a 51”, 50”, 54”, 40”, and maybe another over the course of the next hour. Staying busy.
Then I hook up with another big one, again from the shallow spot. Size seems to be coming from the one line and one location. Working this fish hard to keep it from seeking my anchor and POW line snaps AGAIN!!!!! SON OF A!!!!!!!! AHHHH.
Disheartening to say the least. I quickly remember this is the same reel that I broke on the first time and to the floor with it! Grab another reel and back at it again. Frustrated. Contacting BK to see what line I need to buy, because I’m done with 80# Power Pro after last night. While Brian and I and conversing a bit the wind picks up and blows me around and out of position. Another boat had also came in and crowded me. So I pulled anchor and repositioned. Very quickly there after I have a rod double over and scream drag and it is heading in the direction of another line. So I leave it in the rod holder and go to reel up another rod and BAM rod 2 also has a sturgeon. Crap! That rod starts pulling drag. I leave rod 2 in the holder and go reel up rod 3. Can’t handle 3 fish at this point!!! Fish are jumping all chaos is breaking loose. One of the fish obviously bigger is just continuing to yank out line, so I let it and focused on other. Wasn’t anything quick about it but I got the first fish in the boat while keeping the other on the hook. A 49” sturgeon. Quick cut line as it was tangled in net. Measured and tossed fish overboard. Grab 2nd rod and it feels like it has hung up in a bunch of fishing line. Pull and Pull and I’m not making progress. Crap. Quickly organize the boat, setting rods out of the way and putting net back, then up to the bow to pull anchor and deploy trolling motor… then back on the rod. Motored over to the fish and was able to snap whatever it was hung up in. Few minutes later landed a 59.5”, the same fish that had jumped in my boat earlier in the evening and still had my hook and line from earlier!!!! SWEET! Recorded the tag number on the 59.5, 40# and snap a quick picture; off she goes! Though tempted to continue fishing and keep on the bite I knew I wouldn’t leave with a bigger grin than if I left now…????
This double had me running around the boat something crazy; I was able to recover one of the hooks I had lost which made me quite happy! A story to remember.
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It was a nice way to start off my morning. Power Pro sucks. Toss that crap out and get some Cortland Master Braid.
