My first time Sturgeon fishing, I accidentally tail hooked one about that length on bass gear & 50 lb braid. Got it halfway into a musky net (that’s all that would fit), and it broke through the bottom.

Awesome to see pics of a similar sized fish.

Yeah, Taylors Falls is obviously a stopping point for the fish below the dam. North of TF there’s no similar obvious location.

Thanks for the input. Spring is an interesting time, considering how all the fish in a system tend to congregate in the same location. I remember reading many years ago about how most all of the Muskies in the Chippewa Flowage gather in just a couple spawning locations. It’d be real interesting to watch that DNR fyke net operation.

I’m going to experiment with cut bait more this year. Biggest issue targeting cats / sturgeon with crawlers on the upper croix is that the suckers will pick your hook bare constantly. Especially if you are using a sturgeon sized circle hook. I’m sure that’s an issue everywhere, but on the upper croix they’re everywhere.

hl&sinker wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>croixski wrote:</div>
To everyone on their legal high horse, please explain to me who has a more adverse effect on the fishery.

A) The guy who starts in May on opener and takes home a couple limits per month.
B) The guy who starts in April, but lets them go all season.

Legal high horse? Are you trolling, baiting or fishing?
Which one has a more adverse effect?

Yes, I’m illustrating a point to the outraged debbie doogooders of the msg board that simply because something has been deemed illegal by lawmakers, doesn’t make it inherently detrimental to the ecosystem, and vice versa. Independent thought is a magical thing…

To everyone on their legal high horse, please explain to me who has a more adverse effect on the fishery.

A) The guy who starts in May on opener and takes home a couple limits per month.
B) The guy who starts in April, but lets them go all season.

The video is already gone, so I’m not commenting on the fish handling aspect, but as for catching fish out of season, big deal. Yeah, I’m gonna get flamed for this, whatever. It seems to be an obnoxious trait of “internet fisherman”, everybody on the internet is a junior Warden ready to handout citations for the slightest infraction. I don’t come across these types of fisherman much in real life. Usually fisherman just want to relax, and forget about the arbitrary rules of regular life. The fisherman I know, mind their business as long as somebody isn’t stepping over that obvious moral line of taking too many fish, polluting the waterway, etc.

Perfect example of how arbitrary laws are: last year it was illegal to fish sturgeon, except for 1 month. Now this year it’s ok! But the truth is, it was okay last year too, as long as you didn’t hurt the fish and let it go, then mother nature was just fine. Arbitrary.

Consider chilling out. Life and fishing are better when you do.

Probably because he was trying to enjoy his day on the water and didn’t feel like being “citizen arrested” for a mostly irrelevant rule. And how exactly is it “pretty clear just because it is not enforced does not mean it is ok”. If anything, that’s probably a tacit admission that it is generally ok. Your type of fisherman really blows me — mind your own business. I fish out there all the time. Half the time you cant even go fast cause the water is too low anyway. But if it is high enough, I’m surely not gonna putt-putt all the way down to the swing bridge, just because there is an unenforced sign saying I’m supposed to.

No offense personally, but it’s kinda sad that you go through the trouble to get to the river and lunch your boat, and then once on the water, you got to home because you can’t fish without a depth finder?…

Yep they’re out there, like I said: http://www.idofishing.com/forum/showflat.php/Number/1163521/fpart/1/a-sturgeon-story-you-gotta-read-6-footer#Post1174499

I got 1 that size partway into a musky net, but it broke thru the weak net bag. One thing you realize when you get one that size on, is there is NO stopping it. This was thru the ice?…that’s crazy that you didn’t get spooled. I had to chase mine in the boat.

I put my 1st sturgeon officially in the boat this weekend. 55″ (on bass gear again). This 1 did fit entirely in the net.

Catching that fish further cements my estimate of the 1 that broke through the net. Actually, I was being overly conservative. That fish was MINNIMUM 2 ft longer than the 55″ and approaching 3 times that fish in body mass. No doubt in my mind.

I was quite sure that fish was approaching 7ft. But when I got home and saw the sturgeon weight chart only went up to 80″, and that a fish over 60″ is most guys personal best, I got overly modest. Didn’t wanna be the guy who almost caught a “80+ incher by accident as his first sturgeon — but I did.

Wish I woulda known then how rare it was, I figured it was a once in a lifetime fish for me, but didn’t realize it would be for almost every Stugeon fisherman in the state! 1 miraculous heave of the net, and i’d prob have a photo for you guys…instead just a fish story…arrrg.