I've caught plenty of sturgeon on the Slaw, Umpqua, Coos Bay, Tillamook even the Rogue. They are common in all of our Coastal tide waters. Once a sturgeon fisherman makes a few trips to the Columbia it's hard to justify the investment here on the South Coast. I've heard many Sturgeon guides say that you can spend days down here trying to catch one or two, or a couple hours on I-5 to to catch a dozen. The bottom line is that the Columbia and even the Willamette sturgeon fishery is REALLY hard to beat!
They can be caught in any bay on the Oregon Coast. Keeping in mind that a keeper fishery no longer exist! ***The Southwest Zone is now CLOSED to retention of all sturgeon*** Per 2015 ODFW Regs.
Fishing the edges of large shallow flats, (avoid deep holes) early spring, late fall. Sand shrimp or ghost shrimp are usually best baits, switching and mixing them with the other common sturgeon baits is never a bad idea, when trying to pattern a sturgeon fishery, have plenty of bait. The hardest part about fishing them here is the "dam crabs" will take your bait before the sturgeon can get to it. For this reason fishing bays after a high water flush is highly recommended.
Hope this helps. Good Luck!
