I was out on pool 10 last night when I had a massive rock sturgeon surface right next to my boat less than 25 yards away curious if anyone else has witnessed this neatest thing was using my down imaging on 597 I located the fish on graph massive long white ovel with a shaddow on my down imaging just figured id share a spectacular site
The local baitshop has a picture of a Sturgeon jumping from the water just below L&D 7. The owner of the fishing float was shooting pics of the dam and just happened to snap a pic just as the Sturgeon breached the surface of the water. It’s a pretty cool pic.
Jeremy and I had a small Sturgeon swim to the surface literally feet from the edge of his bass boat one year. I just happened to look down as the Sturgeon was swimming up. That was something a guy doesn’t see every day.
I personally dont know for sure why they surface like that but its pretty common, some say its for communication, i personally think its just to taunt me 
its borderline depressing when you’re fishing for them on bottom only to have them jump around your boat on the surface.
last night i have about a 5’footer surface within 15′ of my boat, and scared me at 1st lol
it wouldve been great to have a pic of it, but you never really when/where they might surface next.
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I personally dont know for sure why they surface like that but its pretty common, some say its for communication, i personally think its just to taunt me
its borderline depressing when you’re fishing for them on bottom only to have them jump around your boat on the surface.
X2
About the only thing good about that is you at least you know you are fishing in an area where they are.
I have heard from alot of seasoned sturge vets that they jump to get lampreys off of them because they fall off when they hit the air.
Until we teach sturgeon to talk or do fin language, we will never know.
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…because they fall off when they hit the air.
I’ve had them in the boat with lampreys attached before, so I don’t buy that.
I think they are just trying to get as far away as possible from Ryan 
Hence the Avator 
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…because they fall off when they hit the air.
I’ve had them in the boat with lampreys attached before, so I don’t buy that.
As have I I actually caught 3 last weekend that had them on them 2 fell off immediatly after hitting air one took a couple seconds after gettin into the boat. Then fell off. These guys aren’t the only ones that have said this. Ask around rainy river everyone will tell you the same.
I’m not stating it as fact, but it’s definetly plausible.
I think they are like dogs. I say, because they can!
Believe what you want to believe. I have seen lampreys fall off, but I have also had to pry them off with a knife. Till we can communicate with sturgeon, I guess we won’t know!
Paddle fish jump too and I’ve had the same experiance as Ralf on both paddles and sturgeon.
As far as I know they could jump to (hopefully) have a lamprey fall off as sometimes they drop off easily and other times they just don’t want to come off.
Without any data/reports, I like to lean towards them cleaning out their gills.
Since they suck up the bottom and “exhale” it partially through their gills, it’s possible they are trying to clean them out.
On the other hand, I like “because they can” too. 
I’ve read online literature that discussed it as a communication method (based on info from some Florida sturgeon) – a fish jumps to call other fish over, so they can find each other. Knowing that these dinosaurs roam the bottoms in groups, I tend to favor this explanation.
Maybe this weekend I’ll try kerplunking with a paddle to draw the fish under my boat…
anordqu42 if that was the one I read it wasn’t conclusive was it?
If so, take Pug along. He’s and experienced back of the boat klonker. too experienced some would say.
Instructions
Sad, 4K+ views. And I got taunted by some Euro trash too.
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Since they suck up the bottom and “exhale” it partially through their gills, it’s possible they are trying to clean them out.
Not that I know, but I don’t think that would do it. They would have to some how simultaneously flare their gills too to move the gill plates from protecting them. As for parasites, fish are more apt to rub on rocks or the bottom and I think a biologist in a study once said parasites cannot be removed that easily.
A lot of fish jump. I am thinking it is nothing more than them being spooked by something or just a random act. I bet that they dart just as much horizontally, if not more. When they go vertical, they just run out of water. We know this is why silver carp jump.
Who knows and who cares.
(Says the guy who just wrote a 2 paragraph reply)
Maybe it’s the same reason I jump off the boat…it’s fun!
No Brian, nothing conclusive…just one guys theory. But if I had to pick one theory to believe, this would be the one. Actually, it leaned more toward the idea of telling other fish there was food around…which is even better when fishing around jumping fish! I’m sure it is the same you’ve read, a National Geographic article.
Same idea of “jumping to communicate” exists for common carp. Again, just ideas and peoples thoughts, not sure if there is any actually proof.
Or maybe I should just say “D, all of the above” and just fish…
Agreed.
It’s very frustrating watching (big) fish jumping out of the water all around the area and not getting a bite. Very frustrating! 
Think I’ll go back and watch pug clonk again…gives me the giggles.
I kinda like the theory of communicating. Ive been out on the flats and witnessed 6 sturgeon jump out of the water in the same area seconds apart. Either they were communicating or one of them had bad gas and they needed to clean their gills out in a hurry. 
Communicating may also explain last year when reeling in a sturgeon next to the boat another sturgeon jumped out of the water right next to the boat, almost a two fer.
I have one problem with the communication theory. In nature it is survival of the fittest. Why would they call other sturgeon to compete for a food source, unless they some how can herd and attack baitfish.
Possibly in 3 letters you haven’t heard arranged in this format for a while….
S-E-X 
I know, leave it alone and fish, but I couldn’t help make some observations on Friday night –
We boated 3 sturgeon with lampreys attached. I started counting once the fish was lifted out of the water. “1 mississippi” counts. For 2 sturg it took a count of 3 before the lampreys released, one took to a count of 5. I know it totally ignores the idea that surface tension of the water helps to knock them off, but I still thought it interesting. And at least 2 of these fish thrashed on the water surface pretty violently before being landed…enough that I thought for sure the lamps would let go.
Also Friday night I thought it was pretty quiet out there, at least from the point of hearing sturgeon jump, as compared to just two nights before. I maybe heard one jump.
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