Sturgeon during the day?

Hi,

Looking to head to the St. Croix in an attempt to catch a sturgeon. I noticed a lot of photos and talk of sturgeon fishing takes place at night. Problem is, I want to bring my kids as well, and I can’t have them out too late.

If we went out in the afternoon to try and catch some fish, would we be wasting our time or should we go for it?

Thanks!

I’ve caught them all times of the day. Most of the time it seems more reliable at night and there is generally less boat traffic and wind.

But, as they say then best time to go fishing is when you can.

Good luck!

My favorite saying is “night time is the right time” but when it comes to the bite and catching fish, it’s really a myth. The 3 main reasons people fish at night (especially on the Croix).

1. The boat traffic dies
2. The wind usually dies
3. More available parking

I can say without a doubt that there are bite window opportunities with peaks and valleys each day. That window can vary in duration and also time of day. Sometimes the peak is in the middle of the evening and last for hours when everyone is out there, and is mistakenly observed as a “hot bite” or it could happen from 3am for an hour when it’s a ghost town. There’s a “hot bite” window pretty much every day in the fall. If you can deal with the opposite of the 3 reasons I listed above than you can catch LOTS of big Sturgeon during the day.

3Rivers wrote:

My favorite saying is “night time is the right time” but when it comes to the bite and catching fish, it’s really a myth. The 3 main reasons people fish at night (especially on the Croix).

1. The boat traffic dies
2. The wind usually dies
3. More available parking

I can say without a doubt that there are bite window opportunities with peaks and valleys each day. That window can vary in duration and also time of day. Sometimes the peak is in the middle of the evening and last for hours when everyone is out there, and is mistakenly observed as a “hot bite” or it could happen from 3am for an hour when it’s a ghost town. There’s a “hot bite” window pretty much every day in the fall. If you can deal with the opposite of the 3 reasons I listed above than you can catch LOTS of big Sturgeon during the day.

Sounds like muskie fishing and the moon major/minor. Have you tracked any sort of connection between the sturg hot bite times and moon phases?

Not worried about tracking anything. It would be fun to try and predict a good bite and be right, but even if everything pointed to a terrible trip, I’d still go fishing. The information would be for entertainment purposes only and tracking all that sounds like too much work.

I’ve actually been thinking about going out in the middle of the day for channel cats because the night bite at one of my best shore spots just hasn’t produced this season. I’m sure they still bite just like the sturgeon will. The question is will it be better?

Anytime they feel like biting they will. Anytime they don’t… you ain’t going to change their minds.

I honestly don’t think there is an hour on the clock I haven’t caught one.

If I looked at my numbers, it would be highest catch rate when I’m most likely to be fishing them.
I have a day job. I tend to fish sturgeon in the fall. Dark comes early in the fall… lot of big hour fish.

I’d say later in the year the more a day bite persists, but that’s actually wrong…it’s just that the waters are less busy later in the year allowing you to fish where you want.

I fish flatheads during the day too but quick research would tell you that to be wrong time to fish. Tell that to two of the 3 flats 50 lbs or over I’ve caught.

So yeah, go when you can and use shad

mahtofire14 wrote:

I’ve actually been thinking about going out in the middle of the day for channel cats because the night bite at one of my best shore spots just hasn’t produced this season. I’m sure they still bite just like the sturgeon will. The question is will it be better?

I prefer daytime for channels, no question.

In your case when your fishing blind (ie not identifying fish species via sonar before wetting line) all you can do is move.

To not catch a fish with soaking bait in a 15 minute window, means MOVE.

3Rivers wrote:

Not worried about tracking anything. It would be fun to try and predict a good bite and be right, but even if everything pointed to a terrible trip, I’d still go fishing. The information would be for entertainment purposes only and tracking all that sounds like too much work.

Like Darren knows, you can fish enough to develop some decent patterns, that can be relied on… until they can’t! Take advantage when ya can. Tiresome work staying on top sturgeon!

Keep up the good work Darren, seen a lamprey attached to one of your clients in a video this week lol!!

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mahtofire14 wrote:</div>
I’ve actually been thinking about going out in the middle of the day for channel cats because the night bite at one of my best shore spots just hasn’t produced this season. I’m sure they still bite just like the sturgeon will. The question is will it be better?

I prefer daytime for channels, no question.

In your case when your fishing blind (ie not identifying fish species via sonar before wetting line) all you can do is move.

To not catch a fish with soaking bait in a 15 minute window, means MOVE.

I no doubt need to find some new shore spots. I catch fish at this particular one just not as many as I did the last couple years.

Thanks for your thoughts boys.

Going to try to sneak out between the kid’s hockey tryouts this Saturday and fish beneath the 36 bridge right in the middle of the day. We’ll see what happens!

The 4 biggest sturgeon I have caught have all been late morning to mid day. I have caught many both day and night. But I don’t think night has much to do with it.
Same with cats. Both channel and flats. I have caught both species all times of the day. My biggest flat head was at 11pm, not sure if it was just a perfect opportunity or it was just active at night

Well we got 2! First one hit at 7:50 and the next one at 8:20…and of course, my son caught the biggest (wouldn’t have it any other way).

Thanks again for everyone’s advice….we’ll definitely be doing this again!

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Great catches!

Here’s a perfect example of that bite window I was talking about in my earlier post. This past Friday we had a bite from 10pm to 12am in which we caught 12-15 nice fish with 2 over 60. Basically a 2 hour window.

Went back to the same spot on Saturday (no weather pattern difference) and sat there from 8-midnight and not a bite.

walleyevision wrote:

Well we got 2! First one hit at 7:50 and the next one at 8:20…and of course, my son caught the biggest (wouldn’t have it any other way).

Thanks again for everyone’s advice….we’ll definitely be doing this again!

Nice work Walleye Vision…might want to consider changing your handle. Sturgeon Vision

Thats awesome. I love seeing the size you caught. They are really cool looking when they are still young. Congrats on the fish.

Bearcat89 wrote:

Thats awesome. I love seeing the size you caught. They are really cool looking when they are still young. Congrats on the fish.

Thanks. Those spines are no joke on the lil guys!

I don’t wear gloves very often, but the smaller the sturgeon (Lake or Shove) the more I wish I had taken the time to get them out of the locker.

I know I’m going to get cut but “not this time”. I’ll never learn.