March 1st~ Who's heading out Sturgeon Fishing?

With the new catch and release season opening on March 1st this year, who’s going to take advantage?

Where will you be fishing?
St Croix through the ice?
Pool 4 open water?
LOTW/Rainy through the ice?

Where else is there to go?

I take it this is only MN waters? Sorry for my ignorance. I’ve inadvertently hooked a 38 inch and 50 inch below Castle Rock dam in early spring of last year.

That’s correct. Only on the MN portion of the Border Waters and all inland waters of MN.

I think i’ll be pulling some shad out of the freezer March 1. Going to where the hundo pounders can be found.

Choices. Choices.

Lots of new water out there. Upper st. Croix. Kettle River. St. Louis.

Exciting stuff.

I will have the boat ready to go if I can find open water. If not I will be trying to catch them through the ice.

Don’t forget about the snake river.

If the ice isn’t too thick, might want to check out a chain saw.

Most of the spearing guys drain out the bar oil.
It’s been a very long while since I’ve done this but the “ice cube” is then slid under the ice normally with a chisel.

Make sure the hole is marked when you leave. We don’t need anyone falling in!

The C+R season closure for the MN Canada border waters including the MN portions of Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River will definitely be different than April 14th. Currently catch and release is open on those waters from Oct 1, 2014 – April 23, 2015. So are legally open right now. Dates for the remainder of 2015 will be available soon when the 2015 MN Fishing Regulations are published.

I can try and answer specific questions if people have them, but I don’t have an early release copy of the regulations so specific dates aren’t something I have handy at this time.

No need to wait on the MN waters of Lake of the Woods and Rainy River. Currently catch and release is open on the MN Canada border waters from Oct 1, 2014 – April 23, 2015. So C+R is legally open right now. Dates for the remainder of 2015 will be available soon when the 2015 MN Fishing Regulations are published.

Also if fishing for Lake Sturgeon through the ice in current it often helps to angle the hole slightly down stream to facilitate getting the sturgeons head into the hole because the mouth is located father back on the body than a panfish or walleye. As always be careful when handling these large fish and get them back quickly to be caught again. Te Baudette area fisheries office has put together an excellent list of things to consider when sturgeon fishing http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/areas/fisheries/baudette/sturgeon_advice.pdf and many of them could apply to preparations for handling a sturgeon through the ice.

Have fun and stay safe.

Nick Schlesser Large Lake Specialist Lake Pepin/Pool 4 MN DNR

Thanks Nick!

After seeing some of the giants caught on the St Croix this year, I was thinking a blanket on the ice would be better then just laying them in the snow while measuring ect before release.

Any thoughts on this from your prospective?

Hi Nick,

So are rivers such as the Kettle, which were specifically closed to sturgeon fishing going to be open now? Just looking for the 100% clear answer on this one!

Doug

Good question Brian,

When we are handling sturgeon we often use a wet towel to protect them in the bottom of a boat. That might be useful on the ice as well, but be aware that a thin piece of fabric will likely freeze relatively quickly to the ice, and that a dry piece of fabric will remove the protective slime layer from a fish. A wet towel or rag over the fishes head/eyes often helps to calm it while removing hooks and preparing for a photo.

dfresh wrote:

Hi Nick,

So are rivers such as the Kettle, which were specifically closed to sturgeon fishing going to be open now? Just looking for the 100% clear answer on this one!

Doug

Yes Doug the Kettle will be open to catch and release angling for Lake Sturgeon as part of the statewide regulation. Remember to check for tagged fish and report any tagged catches via the DNR website.

Particularly when dealing with smaller rivers where individual fish are likely to be caught many times it is important to learn and practice good catch and release practices including quick photos and proper fish handling to minimize risk for these awesome fish.

Nick