So.. what would have happened to me...if I landed it :)

[BrandonR]

I was trolling for salmon/steelhead on the Willamette near Buena Vista and somehow hooked into a sturgeon.. or a submarine.. I can't be certain :lol:. At first I thought I was snagged but when it ran upriver I knew it wasn't a log.

I don't have sturgeon tags.

If I'd had the chance to remove the hook I think it would have been better for the fish, but should I have legally cut the line and not tried to fight it at all once I realized what I was hooked into?

 

[Throbbit _Shane]

Do you have salmon/steelhead tag? Because Sturgeon is also on there.

But I dont know if retention is open right now anyways for Sturgeon. It's best to Catch and Release those fish anyways.

 

[BrandonR]

Do you have salmon/steelhead tag? Because Sturgeon is also on there.

But I dont know if retention is open right now anyways for Sturgeon. It's best to Catch and Release those fish anyways.

Yes, I have Salmon/Steelhead.. I thought Sturgeon was a different tag.

 

[engineerfisherman]

salmon/steelhead/sturgeon are all on the same tag in Oregon...I know in California they are separate, but not sure about other states

 

[BrandonR]

salmon/steelhead/sturgeon are all on the same tag in Oregon...I know in California they are separate, but not sure about other states

In all the years I've had tags I never noticed they were on there (we never fished for sturgeon). That said, my understanding is that I was in violation for the hook I was using (barbed treble). I'm in the process of figuring out how to fish the upper Willamette. I always fished on the Columbia with my dad but after inheriting his boat and gear this is a lot closer to home.

 

[fishyden]

You can also bag a halibut if they are in season on the ocean of course

 

[Noahk]

This happens all the time. You weren't targeting, thus you would be okay. Just don't remove the fish from the water if it's over 54 inches. It is also closed for retention, but if it was you would still have to let it go, due to the hook.

 

[BrandonR]

This happens all the time. You weren't targeting, thus you would be okay. Just don't remove the fish from the water if it's over 54 inches. It is also closed for retention, but if it was you would still have to let it go, due to the hook.

Thanks, I never got to see it, I fought it for 45 minutes or so until it straightened out a 50lb snap swivel and got off. I wanted my lure back more than the fish actually

 

[Hawk]

Maybe it were a mermaid...:lol::lol::lol: