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VOL . 37 • ISS . 05
Sturgeon Hunt : Winter Suisun Bay Tactics
Ihave often likened sturgeon fishing to deer hunting . You scout your target , set up in a good spot , and wait for the right time to take the shot . This method was illustrated to me by two skilled captains this past December in Suisun Bay .
On December 13th , I had the opportunity to learn from two of the area ’ s best sturgeon captains in one trip . It was a special charter trip set up by Rj Sanchez of Oakland . The trip took place on the boat of Hook ’ d Up Sportfishing ’ s Captain Steve Mitchell . The other captain joining us was Golden State Sportfishing ’ s Joe Gamez . With that much talent on board , we were loaded for some top notch action indeed .
The sturgeon hunt began by scouting
JDavid Whoberry gets advice from Captain Joe Gamez during a battle with a Suisun Bay white sturgeon on December 13th .
Photo by JACK NAVES , Fish Sniffer Staff .
GRADY-WHITE
SALTWATER
the waters of Suisun Bay looking for fish on the sonar . Captain Steve does this by making small zigzag patterns in areas where he has had success in the past . Once he finds sturgeon , he goes back over them in the opposite direction to see if they are moving upstream or downstream . He wants to see feeders right on the bottom .
Next , Steve keeps circling the area until he finds a nice line of fish . At this point , he anchors downstream of the direction they are moving . Steve keeps the sonar unit on all day , making sure fish are consistently moving through .
Once we were set up , Captains Joe and Steve got the baits set up and the rods in the water . Steve remarked that the prior day featured a wide-open bite at the end of the outgoing tide . We were hoping for some action on the incoming tide , but despite lots of fish marks , we only had one
bite which we missed . On the slack tide , Steve motored to a new
WHAT ’ S HOT SALTWATER by Jack Naves
spot in 16 feet of water . There were lots of marks , and we were anxious to see if the fish had started feeding . We had scouted the fish and set up on them . Now it was time to ‘ take the shot ’.
Once the current got going , we missed a couple of bites . I stood like a gunslinger near the back rail , hands hanging at my sides , fingers extended . My two rods were securely positioned in rod holders , with the reels
immediately within reach . I was concentrating on the rod to my right when I saw movement coming from the rod to my left .
Tap … tap tap … On about the fourth or fifth bite I was reeling as fast as humanly possible to set the hook . “ He ’ s there !” I emphatically relayed . I had set the hook by reeling , not swinging …
Setting the hook on a sturgeon can be compared to taking the shot on a deer . You only have to go ‘ one for one ’ to make it count . There are different ways anglers use to set the hook on sturgeon . I recently have been using the ‘ reel set ’ method with great results .
The reel set theory goes like this . You are anchored and friction from the flowing water is putting a bow of slack in your line under the water line . When you get bit you have to retrieve enough line to remove the slack and bury the hook into the fish . In the winter time when water temperatures are cold , you might only get three or four taps before the sturgeon moves on .
With a traditional hook set , by the time you have fumbled the rod out of the holder and swung for the fences , how much time has elapsed ? How much line did you retrieve by swinging the rod tip ?
Some quick math : With an 8 foot rod you are moving about 12 feet of line when swinging from horizontal to 90 degrees . A standard 5:1 ratio bait casting reel picks up about 2 feet of line per crank . You are basically at the same place after six cranks . Are you quick on the draw , or a fast reeler ?
I start by making sure my drag is set super tight , reel facing up , knob at the top . When getting a sturgeon bite , as soon as I see the rod moving downward , I ’ m reeling as fast as possible without stopping . Once I see the rod load up and feel the drag slipping , I ease the rod out of the holder and keep pressure on the fish . This was the point I was at on Steve ’ s boat when the pressure suddenly went slack .
Without hesitation , I started reeling as fast
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29
Jack Naves hoists a hefty 52 inch sturgeon on board with Hook ’ d Up Sportfishing . The fish sucked in a ball of salmon roe in Suisun Bay on December 13th .
Photo by JACK NAVES , Fish Sniffer Staff .
as I could . I could hear Joe yelling , “ Reel , reel , reel !” After about ten seconds ( which felt like forever ), the line tightened , and I said , “ It ’ s still there !” A classic sturgeon tactic is to run right at the boat . Later , Joe told us to “ Reel until we see the sinker ” if we have a fish on the line . You never know if the fish came off or is running at you .
Luckily for me , the sturgeon was still hooked , and we soon had a nice 52 inch keeper on the deck . The fish had hit a nickel-sized netting sack filled with salmon roe . Some of the other hooks were baited with lamprey eel .
During the fast part of the tide , the bites tapered off , and we enjoyed a delicious hot lunch using Captain Steve ’ s onboard gas grill . Just as Steve had predicted , the bite really picked up at the end of the outgoing tide .
There were some missed bites , and then Rj lost a really big one . Next , we got an undersized sturgeon , followed immediately by a keeper striper and another undersized sturgeon . The Phoenix Abyss 808 and Black Diamond rods had performed flawlessly , as did the rest of the gear on the boat . We called the trip in the late afternoon with enough sturgeon meat to be shared by all .
If you are looking to hit the water , be sure to contact Hook ’ d Up Sportfishing at 707-655-6736 hookdupsportfishing . com , or Golden State Sportfishing at 209-855-1487 for your next trip .
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