As Caviar Prices Skyrocket, Sturgeon Poachers Invade Pacific Northwest

Photo:Хрюша

There's no good reason for a live, 8-foot sturgeon to be tied by the tail and tethered to the shore of the Columbia River, in the Pacific Northwest.

But this is how poachers steal the giant fish: They keep the sturgeon alive and hidden underwater while they look for black-market buyers.

LINK (via:NCPR)

May 2013 SOTM Entry: Sturgeon

From the inbox:

We were out on a local river and when I thought I was snagged I realized I had a monster on. I've caught a lot of big catfish on the fly and this was not feeling like a catfish at all. Not knowing what I had hooked, the fish took me upstream. Despite my efforts of side pressure, the fish was unphased by anything I did. After 15 mins we caught a glimpse of the fish and that's when we saw it was a sturgeon, the shark-like tail was unmistakable. ! I managed to get it in a riffle section where I was able to get my hand on the base of the tail and wrestle the fish briefly. The fish calmed down and we were able to get a quick pic. Knowing that they are a fish that deserve respect, I made sure to keep the fish in the water and only lift it out for a couple seconds to snap a pic and get it back in the water. We picked off a few lamprey that were attached to help it out and let the beast back on its way. What an experience. 

I was drifting a crawfish pattern along the bottom hoping for catfish, bass or carp. I was not expecting a sturgeon to eat my fly. We laid the fish up against my fly rod while in the water and it measured from the butt to just past the second ferrule. Afterwards we measured it at 50-inches!

Cheers,

Nick "Flatlander" Laferriere

FISHBUM Outfitters

www.fishbumoutfitters.com

nick@fishbumoutfitters.com

Nov. SOTM Entry: River Run Sturgeon

With a 6 wt and 6 pound test, Matt took this guy while hunting steel.  A slab by species standards?  No.  But, exotic as hell.

Like a Sturgeon

A mysterious gathering of large white sturgeon within a small area inside San Francisco Bay has baffled scientists but pleased sport anglers who like to fish for the prehistoric-looking behemoths.

LINK (Via: Outdoors, action and adventure)

Double Dose of Sturgeon Slayers

If you catch a sturgeon in the United Kingdom, it belongs to the queen

It’s part of her royal prerogative — the sturgeon’s excellence makes it a “royal fish.”

(Via: Futility Closet)