B
BaldTexan
0
I moved to Oregon this year from the south and set a goal for the year to catch a Chinook, a Coho, a Steelhead, and a sturgeon. I spent the summer exploring the state, rivers, and lakes. Did a lot of trout fishing this summer and then spent August up until now fishing for salmon. Chinook and Coho scratched off the list. Steelhead and sturgeon still to go.
With the weather forecast for Tillamook Bay looking uninviting this weekend I decided it was time to try catch a sturgeon. Read some forum info and did a little research and decided the easiest and clsest place would be the dock at West Linn. So I go fishing for sturgeon for the first time Saturday. Wasn’t in the water 5 minutes and hooked a behemoth! Wow! Cool! Fought it for 20 minutes then the fish decided it was tired of me pulling on him and it took off like it was on a mission and started smoking the drag and then popped off. Reeled in my rigging and it had straightened out a 7/0 hook! Geez. Hooked another. Same thing. Hooked another. This time my line popped. Dang. This is harder than I thought.
A guy just down the dock hooks a large fish. After about a 30 minute tug of war he gets it to the dock. 9 footer! WOW!
I was determined to get one all the way to the dock. I only have one hook left. Hook into another large sturgeon. Fight for about 10 minutes and it wraps my line around a snag. Dang! My last hook. I mess with it, shake it, give it slack, tug and shake. No luck. Break it off. Dig out one of the straightened out hook and plier it back into shape. Gonna hafta do. Cast out and about the time I get my line tight and think I’m gonna have a sit, fish on. This time it’s a shaker. Finally. Got one to the dock and get to keep my hook!
Caught a couple more in the “keeper slot” size and then hook another good size fish. Here we go again. Fight it for a few minutes and it wraps the line around a snag. Same drill. Shake it, tug it, give it slack. Nothing. Still hung up. It’s my last hook so I’m a little more patience. Work it tight, slack, tight slack. I could still feel the fish tugging every now and then. Work it some more and then finally and swims back upstream against the pressure and frees the snag! Sweet! The biggest one I managed to get to the dock. I’m guessing it was between 5’ to 6’ foot. Leader in one hand and couldn’t reach the tail with the other hand to get a pic of the whole fish.
What a blast. Fun and very exhausting. I will definitely do that again!...as soon as I rebuild the drag. Those beasts are hard on equipment! Cooked the drag on my Ambassadeur 7000! I'm REALLY loving all the fishing opportunities and varieties of great fish in the Northwest! Sturgeon scratched off the list.
With the weather forecast for Tillamook Bay looking uninviting this weekend I decided it was time to try catch a sturgeon. Read some forum info and did a little research and decided the easiest and clsest place would be the dock at West Linn. So I go fishing for sturgeon for the first time Saturday. Wasn’t in the water 5 minutes and hooked a behemoth! Wow! Cool! Fought it for 20 minutes then the fish decided it was tired of me pulling on him and it took off like it was on a mission and started smoking the drag and then popped off. Reeled in my rigging and it had straightened out a 7/0 hook! Geez. Hooked another. Same thing. Hooked another. This time my line popped. Dang. This is harder than I thought.
A guy just down the dock hooks a large fish. After about a 30 minute tug of war he gets it to the dock. 9 footer! WOW!
I was determined to get one all the way to the dock. I only have one hook left. Hook into another large sturgeon. Fight for about 10 minutes and it wraps my line around a snag. Dang! My last hook. I mess with it, shake it, give it slack, tug and shake. No luck. Break it off. Dig out one of the straightened out hook and plier it back into shape. Gonna hafta do. Cast out and about the time I get my line tight and think I’m gonna have a sit, fish on. This time it’s a shaker. Finally. Got one to the dock and get to keep my hook!
Caught a couple more in the “keeper slot” size and then hook another good size fish. Here we go again. Fight it for a few minutes and it wraps the line around a snag. Same drill. Shake it, tug it, give it slack. Nothing. Still hung up. It’s my last hook so I’m a little more patience. Work it tight, slack, tight slack. I could still feel the fish tugging every now and then. Work it some more and then finally and swims back upstream against the pressure and frees the snag! Sweet! The biggest one I managed to get to the dock. I’m guessing it was between 5’ to 6’ foot. Leader in one hand and couldn’t reach the tail with the other hand to get a pic of the whole fish.
What a blast. Fun and very exhausting. I will definitely do that again!...as soon as I rebuild the drag. Those beasts are hard on equipment! Cooked the drag on my Ambassadeur 7000! I'm REALLY loving all the fishing opportunities and varieties of great fish in the Northwest! Sturgeon scratched off the list.
