Mississippi River Cats Sturgeon and Paddle Fish

What a beautiful weekend to end the official end of summer and to kick off the 2009 Fall Fishing Season!

Evening and night fishing was cool with a bit of moisture/fog but certainly better than rain and wind.

Our fishing started Thursday with a trip on Pool 4 with Ms Trumar and Trumar from Ido. The night was to give Ms Trumar something to keep her warm over the winter months while Jeff was ice fishing. Ms Trumar doesn’t do cold.

As far as the fishing went, it was a tough night. Two missed fish in 5 hours. Things were not going well. We moved to a spot that’s produced well in the past. We were going to catch something here…or go in skunked.

Just about midnight a spied a bit of a jibble on the #2 rod. Next thing I know Ms Trumar was grunting and holding on tight to the St. Croix Triumph as the 50 inch sturgeon lead her around the boat.

It was the sturgeon dance where the fish always leads!!

Not exactly the catfish we came for but it certainly warmed up the boat on the cool evening!

After a quick weight and a few photos, I was making sure the Lake Sturgeon was ready to swim away happily. Since there isn’t a Lake Sturgeon season on the Mississippi, we wanted to get her back in the water ASAP, but also held her at the side of the boat until she was ready to swim away under her own power.

Holding the fish properly, by supporting it’s mid section and keeping our hands out of it’s gills and gill covers will help ensure this 30 to 40 year old will spawn in the next 3 to 4 years.

While releasing the Lake Sturgeon another rod started bouncing. This fish poured on the coals right away and Ms Trumar was working hard from the get go!

Finally!! The catfish we came out for!! After almost 6 hours of fishing Mary had TWO personal best fish that earned her TWO Everts Personal Best pins.

The bait of the night was fresh cut sucker fillet. Pieces about the size of your thumb nail. Crawlers were working well too. At least 2 but most of the time three crawlers on a 4/0 barbless Gamakatzu circle hook.

Friday was the day of rest. The Favorite Wife came down with the two boys and we met up with the Favorite Daughter at the Bluff’s Bar and Grill just down the road in Hager City.

The pollack on the buffet sure goes down good with Shooter’s (must ask for) melted butter.

It was off to the river Saturday afternoon which just happens to be the time the FW loves to fish. Warm, slight breeze a blue bird day.

We had a number of fish to the boat. Small flathead, a few Shovelnose Sturgeon one that was tagged…and no trip to the river would be complete without a sheepshead or two.

I talked the FW into fishing Sunday night. The idea was to hook her into a big fish and big fish come easier at night. Well, you know? When a person feels confident…over confident, things just never seem to work out.

We came in at 11:30 with only a few smaller channels caught.

Quality time was on the agenda with the FW, but it sure would have been nice to listen to her squeal with a good size fish. But then again, I had my work cut out for me since her personal best flathead is 45 pounds from a few years back.

The activities were winding down at Everts on Monday night. Most folks left through out the day. The FW took Woody and Forrest home. The tuna boats pretty much disappeared.

Figured it would be a good time to try a new anchor spot or two.

First location was just behind a wing dam. I’ve been spying the 28 foot “hole” for a couple years but just never got over to fish it. I set out my two rods and then as I was sitting back to assess the location and boat position, I notice turtle heads…and a lot of them. About that time the rod with the sucker fillet bounced once. I’m thinking to myself…”unless I’m in a turtle contest, this might not be the place to fish”.

I moved to a location that I’ve fished before but this time I set up deeper than I normally would. My baits were in 65 to 70 feet of water minimum. I’m thinking they were right at the base of the deepest water around and where the bottom starts it’s climb up to approximately 26 feet of water.

It wasn’t long when I saw that tap tap tap on the cut sucker fillet rod. As I picked it up…I felt the weight or strength of what was on the other end. I remember thinking “what kind of monster of the deep do I have on the other end”.
I just had a few turns of the reel and I heard this tremendous splashing going on down stream. What ever it was came from the bottom to the surface in just seconds! Sturgeon? No, it splashed like a channel cat, it didn’t rocket out of the water like a sturgeon.

Since I was in an area without much structure, I had time to get my spotlight, net, pliers and camera ready. It sucks being alone!

When the Spoonbill did finally come up, I scratched my head wondering how I was going to get it in the boat. This guy was much larger than the last one we caught a few weeks back so I knew it was going to be a struggle getting him into the net.
Once I found the circle hook in it’s “cheek”, I pulled this guy closer to the boat for a few snapshots, then with the rod in one hand and pliers in the other pulled the barbless hook out. Switched to a scissors and clipped the tangled PowerPro from around his beak and off he went.

I was still puffing when I noticed the other rod was bent over. The thought was…where’s the FW when I need her?!! Not only should she be catching these fish, but I need someone to take the pictures!!

She was a heavy fish that turn out to be a less than 30 pound flathead. But fighting one in the current added another 10 pounds on her!

Now pooped, (not pooped like Ms Trumar was) it was time to call it a night. I was back to the resort by 10:30 wondering if I should tell the FW about the fish that would have been hers had she come along tonight.

It’s going to be a great 2009 Fall Fishing Season!