Rod.RamsellATdnrDOTstateDOTmnDOTus
The info they will be looking for is:
Lenght/girth measurements
Weight
Date/time
Location
Bait used
Photo
Condition of the tag
Condition of the tag “wound” area. Discolored, bleeding etc
Anything else you can tell about the fish including lamprey marks ect.
Hopefully we all leave the tags in the LS for more tracking.
Photos fish, of the tag and the wound area help too!
Thanks Brian.
Will be sending info shortly.
Here’s my reply from the DNR. Very quick response time. Reminder, don’t pinch the tail for extra length like I did. I do that with everything. Oh well. Here ya go….
Howdy Dan…
Congratulations on your catch, and Thank you for reporting your capture
of a tagged Lake Sturgeon on the St. Croix River!
Here is the information you requested about the Lake Sturgeon (tag
number 87157) you recently caught. ** At that time the fish was 1357 mm long
(53.43″) and weighed 15.88 kg (35.0 lbs). The fish had a 511 mm girth
(20.12″) and we removed a large silver lamprey from the fishes head.
According to the information you mentioned on your catch, this fish had
relocated approximately 3.0 miles up stream from the original capture
site. Given that lake sturgeon are a long lived and slow growing species
(average 0.83 inches per year on the Lower St. Croix), obviously, this
fish did not grow 3.5 inches in length in 4 months. The difference is
probably in how the fish was measured. We measure total length with the
caudal fin (tail) in a natural position and do not “depress the dorsal
lobe of this fin to get more length (my doctor doesn’t measure my height
when I’m standing on my tip-toes either!). I’m guessing that is likely
what accounts for the length difference. The girth is very comparable
and consistent with what we found. The weight was very good for this
fish (the weight relative to average was 15% above average). Lake
sturgeon in the St. Croix do not fit with length-weight tables of fish
from other bodies of water. They tend to have a girth that tapers
rapidly to the tail and are not as robust as fish from other more
fertile systems. It is likely that your fish weighed approximately 35-37
pounds at the time of your capture.
Minnesota DNR Fisheries is currently tagging Lake Sturgeon on the St.
Croix River and to date we have marked over 700 fish. Our Hinckley
office has tagged over 350 fish in the Upper St. Croix (above the dam at
Taylor’s Fall) and the East Metro office has tagged over 350 fish in
the Lower St. Croix. The tagged Lake Sturgeon have ranged from 14.4 to
57.3 inches in length. By tagging these Lake Sturgeon we can monitor
their age and growth rates, their movements, population size, and the
number of times they have been caught and released. This will enable us
to better understand and manage this remarkable fish species in the St.
Croix River into the future.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at
any time and I do my best to give you accurate and factual answers.
Thank you again for contacting us about your capture of a tagged lake
sturgeon. It is through the help of cooperating anglers such as yourself
that we will learn more about these fish in the St. Croix River system
in a shorter period of time and be better able to manage this species
into the future.
Quote:
The weight was very good for this fish (the weight relative to average was 15% above average). Lake sturgeon in the St. Croix do not fit with length-weight tables of fish from other bodies of water. They tend to have a girth that tapers rapidly to the tail and are not as robust as fish from other more fertile systems.
Interesting…
Quote:
Quote:
The weight was very good for this fish (the weight relative to average was 15% above average). Lake sturgeon in the St. Croix do not fit with length-weight tables of fish from other bodies of water. They tend to have a girth that tapers rapidly to the tail and are not as robust as fish from other more fertile systems.
Interesting…
Ok hanson.. its obvious you have been pointing that out for a long time.. You better just stick to fishing the rainy.
I dont know if I would feel comfortable with making a St Croix chart. I don like keeping the fish in the boat long enough to weigh them..especially the big ones.
Some st croix sturgeon are very girthy, others are not. It seems that all the smaller fish are skinny, they usually fill out more as they get beyond the 40″ range. Mid 50″ fish can be skinny while others are fat.
Here’s the data on a fish I caught last Sun that measured 30×10:
Here is the information you requested about the Lake Sturgeon (tag
number 29980) you recently caught. This fish was originally tagged on
May 17, 2006. At that time the fish was 748 mm long (29.45″)
and weighed 1996 grams (4.4 lbs). The fish had a 259 mm girth (10.2″).
According to the information you mentioned on your catch, this fish had
relocated approximately 24.5 miles down stream from the original capture
site. The length and girth you reported is consistent with the growth
rates we see for lake sturgeon on the Lower St. Croix River.
Holy cow, that’s a solid migration.
I caught a tagged one on Sunday and reported it as well. She was small, only around 30 inches, but it turns out she migrated 45 miles from where she was tagged near Osceola, WI.
Whoops! I goofed. Mine migrated 24.5 miles. Dont know where I got 45!
Now that’s interesting Tim.
I was starting to think that the only reason for migration was the sexual urge. Since your fish was obviously not sexually mature…it’s moving for other reasons…unless you caught a crazy one. 
TTT for the bullhead fisherman that can’t find it. 
I’ll take anycatfish I can catch. 
Thanks, a couple of tag numbers will be emailed before Monday and I will report back. I wish I would have reviewed this before going out so I could have provided more info. We didn’t even measure them, so there won’t be any way to know how much they have grown. About the only thing we’ll know is how far they are from their tag or last spot caught. I wish I had taken the time to get a little more information for them. Live and learn I guess.
Here’s the info returned to me. I am kicking myself for not getting more data for them. Next time I’ll print out BK’s list of things they want to know as I have a terrible memory and I’d suggest the same to anyone else who might need a reminder of all they look for. There is also a nice summary of they tagging this year that they have done near the end.
————————————————
Howdy Michael…
Congratulations on your catches, and Thank you for reporting your capture of two tagged Lake Sturgeon on the St. Croix River!
I’ve been out of town since last Thursday and am just now getting to your e-mail. Here is the information we have on file about the Lake Sturgeon you recently caught. Fish number 29995 was originally tagged on May 22, 2006 approximately 3.5 miles down stream from where you reported recapturing it. At that time the fish was 677 mm long (26.65″) and weighed 1315 grams (2.9 lbs). The fish had a 232 mm girth (9.13″).
Fish number 79809 was originally tagged on September 26, 2003 approximately 2.7 miles up stream from where you reported recapturing it. At that time the fish was 670 mm long (26.38″) and weighed 1361 grams (3.0 lbs). This fish had a 240 mm girth (9.45″). Since you did not measure these fish, we are unable to determine how much they have grown in the time period since they were tagged, but it is unlikely that these individual fish have grown significantly. Growth rates for lake sturgeon on the Lower St. Croix River are slow and average about 0.8 inches per year. It is of great value to us to know that these fish are still out there and appear to be doing fine!
Minnesota DNR Fisheries is currently tagging Lake Sturgeon on the St.
Croix River and to date we have marked over 700 fish. Our Hinckley office has tagged over 350 fish in the Upper St. Croix (above the dam at Taylor’s Fall) and the East Metro office has tagged over 350 fish in the Lower St. Croix. The tagged Lake Sturgeon have ranged from 14.4 to
57.3 inches in length. By tagging these Lake Sturgeon we can monitor their age and growth rates, their movements, population size, and the number of times they have been caught and released. This will enable us to better understand and manage this remarkable fish species in the St.
Croix River into the future.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at any time and I’ll do my best to give you accurate and factual answers.
Thank you again for contacting us about your capture of a tagged lake sturgeon. It is through the help of cooperating anglers such as yourself that we will learn more about these fish in the St. Croix River system in a shorter period of time.
Respectfully,
Rod Ramsell, Fisheries Specialist
Minnesota DNR Fisheries
East Metro Area Fisheries Office
1200 Warner Road
St. Paul, MN 55106
651-772-7960
[email protected]
Quote:
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at any time and I’ll do my best to give you accurate and factual answers.
Thank you again for contacting us about your capture of a tagged lake sturgeon. It is through the help of cooperating anglers such as yourself that we will learn more about these fish in the St. Croix River system in a shorter period of time.
Respectfully,
Rod Ramsell, Fisheries Specialist
Minnesota DNR Fisheries
That’s the way he is in person too.
Move over Hillary…I’m voting for Rod for President! 
The tagging efforts made a couple weeks ago was successful. We have already landed 4 of the tagged fish in the last 2 outings.
Shamu, caught one as well on Sat. Bright yellow tag and shiny wire 
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