sturgeon excursion

When is it?

I think it was April 2012. Actually I don’t know when the last one was organized.

“usually” the third weekend in april

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“usually” the third weekend in april

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I believe that is Easter this year.

There has not been an organized event the past few years.

Any dates a group from the site is thinking of going? Thinking this may be the year to go again.

St Croixer was putting something together this year. I believe he said the last weekend in April…. The 25th through the 27th.

Not sure of the location.

Rainy/LOW silly!

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Rainy/LOW silly!

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I should have seen that one coming.

After the last few weeks of foul weather, not sure our group will battle the cold this year.

Looking at other locations, sturgeon excursion on the Rainy is currently the failsafe trip. Where else could a guy target them within 6-7 hr drive from MPLS in a southern direction?

Numbers??

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After the last few weeks of foul weather, not sure our group will battle the cold this year.

Looking at other locations, sturgeon excursion on the Rainy is currently the failsafe trip. Where else could a guy target them within 6-7 hr drive from MPLS in a southern direction?

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No 5 hour drives needed and forget about fighting the weather. I’m staying close to home. When the sturgeon “Catch and Release” season is implemented I plan on doing a sturgeon excursion 5 minutes from my house. As soon as the ice opens up on the St Croix I’ll be on the water. Set up the Day Enclosure on the Battleship and I’ll be nice and dry and warm and catching sturgeon. I plan on fishing sturgeon during the early spring season until the cats come alive – a little slice of heaven right in my own back yard.

I would be happily surprised if we saw that this spring.

…the only on the MN side until WI catches up.

Steve’s set up looks pretty darn cozy. A guy could probably fish all day!

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I would be happily surprised if we saw that this spring.

…the only on the MN side until WI catches up.

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I’ve got my fingers crossed for this spring but if I have to wait a little longer I can handle that. That regulation change is welcome news. Life is good!

Agreed.

The open C&R season isn’t going to be good news for the Baudette area.
Although there are more larger fish up there, a person can fish pretty hard in the 16 hour drive up there and back…down here.

So basically all that happens now is for it to go through the legislature and that could happen this year???

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Agreed.

The open C&R season isn’t going to be good news for the Baudette area.
Although there are more larger fish up there, a person can fish pretty hard in the 16 hour drive up there and back…down here.

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I think they will be OK. On the Croix I’ve had one day where I caught numbers and we boated 1 over 50″ at 55″. I’ve been skunked plenty of times down here. My first trip up there every trip on every day we caught numbers and sizes. Even I caught at least a couple over 50″. That would be hard to beat down here…unless you guys know the action down here would be crazy in spring.

Not to mention it is kind of fun staying in a cabin and hanging out in numerous bars within walking distance when not fishing.

What reg change are you guys talking about?

-J.

Open catch and release sturgeon season on the St. Croix Jon. Currently there is only fall sturgeon fishing on the Croix.

Jon, I’ve been pestering the Lake City DNR office for 5+ years to open P-4 to (at least) C&R Lake Sturgeon Fishing.

About a year ago they went one better and proposed a open all year C&R season on the border waters to WI and they weren’t opposed to it initially.

The rule change has been going through all the legal shtuff for both MN and WI.

From my understanding (as far as MN goes) there’s other waters in MN that will be included in this. I haven’t heard the specifics of which waters.

This is a happy time for cat and sturgeon fishermen in these parts!

-J.

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From my understanding (as far as MN goes) there’s other waters in MN that will be included in this. I haven’t heard the specifics of which waters.

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This would be nice. I have been interested in a sturgeon trip up to the Kettle river ever since reading about some DNR sampling up there.

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The open C&R season isn’t going to be good news for the Baudette area.

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We will still go up there for the numbers and size, just not this year. Also look forward to having an open season on the Croix for them

Any insights on how to fish sturgeon on the St. Croix in early spring? Would you target them as soon as the ice goes out or would it be better if the water warmed up to the mid 40s or something? Same baits and locations as one would use during September and October? Would mid-summer have a decent bite? Do the catfisherman have many incidental catches of sturgeon throughout the spring and summer?

I’m a bit intimidated when trying to catch sturgeon on the St. Croix. I’ve tried a handful of times and have only caught one. The lower St. Croix seems so vast and I would think the sturgeon population densities are pretty low so the chances of finding them are not great. But I know some people do have very good dayz/nights out there.

Thanks,

Boone

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Any insights on how to fish sturgeon on the St. Croix in early spring? Would you target them as soon as the ice goes out or would it be better if the water warmed up to the mid 40s or something? Same baits and locations as one would use during September and October? Would mid-summer have a decent bite? Do the catfisherman have many incidental catches of sturgeon throughout the spring and summer?

I’m a bit intimidated when trying to catch sturgeon on the St. Croix. I’ve tried a handful of times and have only caught one. The lower St. Croix seems so vast and I would think the sturgeon population densities are pretty low so the chances of finding them are not great. But I know some people do have very good dayz/nights out there.

Thanks,

Boone

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There is no reason to be intimidated by sturgeon fishing. Everybody gets skunked at one time or another but it has been my experience that sturgeon fishing is almost a No Brainer kind of fishing experience. Put a gob of bait on a hook (nightcrawlers, cut bait, fatheads, shad, whatever) and a fairly light weight to get it to the bottom, cast it out and let it sink and put the rod in a rod holder and wait for a fish to bite.

The sturgeon population on the St Croix is huge and vastly underestimated by even the DNR professionals. They are widely scattered throughout the river systems. They do not only populate the deep water basin – I have caught them upstream all through the summer in water as warm as 80+ degrees and as shallow as 5 feet while chasing channel cats.

My 10 year old grandson is a sturgeon magnet and he has caught several while helping me harvest bait for an evenings cat fishing.

Once the Catch and Release season is implemented I will chase them in the early spring before the cat pre-spawn bite takes off and again late in the fall after the cat bite falls off with the cold weather and then I will chase them all winter by ice fishing for them – they are a great winter ice fishing species and tons are caught incidentally by ice fishermen every year.

That big sturgeon in the photo was caught on a hot summer night – you can catch them year round no problem.

I didn’t realize we were that close to this. I figured another year or two. Now I can’t wait.

I think the biggest benefit will be to be able to fish during low traffic times of year.

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I think the biggest benefit will be to be able to fish during low traffic times of year.

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Amen brother!

Steve,

Thanks for the information. I’ll give it another shot early this spring.

Boone

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Steve,

Thanks for the information. I’ll give it another shot early this spring.

Boone

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Not so fast. This hasn’t happened, yet. Keep an eye on this forum. I’m sure Brian will be all over the announcement when it happens.

Looks like there will be a new shanty town outside the powerplant in the future, I might just start ice fishing again.

Could someone specify which waters are being considered, or are we talking a statewide catch and release season? BTW- BIG thanks to those individuals who continue the good fight.