VOL . 39 • ISS . 22
Straight Talk On Sturgeon
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Here is a typical sturgeon leader constructed of stout mono . Note the barbless hook and small egg sinker . Placing a small sinker on the leader ensures that that bait stays on the bottom .
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Adding Pro- Cure to your bait will increase the odds of a Delta sturgeon or striper chomping on YOUR bait !
The KFBK OUTDOOR SHOW
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1 Rated Outdoor Radio Show for 26 years ! with your host Bob Simms
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BOB SIMMS
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Here we see Captain Chris Smith bringing a keeper sturgeon to the boat . Many folks thought the ban on barbed hooks would result on more lost fish , but this hasn ’ t been the case . Keep a tight line and you shouldn ’ t have a problem .
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Here we see several different sturgeon holding right on the bottom . When you find marks like this set up 50 to 100 yards down current . This should put you right in the travel lane of the fish .
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HOW TO ...
FISH SNIFFER HOW – TO by Cal Kellogg
Oct 23 , 2020
Fall Sturgeon Advice : Part 2
A lot of guys believe that the best time to hook a sturgeon in during
the dead of winter . In reality this is actually one of the worst times to target sturgeon . The best fishing of the year takes place in the spring and fall . Typically the months of September and October offer outstanding sturgeon fishing for West Delta anglers . This being the case this is a perfect time to review all things sturgeon fishing . In the last issue ’ s How To column we covered the top sturgeon baits . In this issue we ’ ll talk tackle and tactics ! The habits and physical characteristics of sturgeon dictate the type of tackle needed to successfully target them . Sturgeon are light biters , but posses considerable physical strength . As a result sturgeon fishing calls for a rod with a sensitive tip for detecting bites followed up with substantial back bone for setting the hook and wearing the fish down . You want to match your rod with a high quality conventional reel that holds around 300 yards of 50 to 65 pound test braided line . Braided line offers several benefits . First , braids have virtually no stretch , making for exceptional sensitivity and positive hook sets . Braid also has a strength-to-diameter ratio far superior to monofilament . For example , 65-pound test braid has roughly the same diameter as 14- to 17-pound monofilament . When targeting sturgeon a sliding sinker rig is the accepted standard . Setting up the sliding sinker rig is simple . First take your main line and pass it through a plastic sliding sinker sleeve . Then tie on a heavy duty snap swivel . You ’ ll attach your sinker to slider sleeve via the attached snap and you ’ ll connect your leader directly to the snap swivel at the end of the main line . Sturgeon leaders are a point of much discussion and disagreement among sturgeon anglers . Some anglers swear by leaders constructed of plastic-coated cable , while others employ leaders made of stout monofilament . I ’ ve used wire and monofilament leaders with success , but overall I prefer mono . I ’ ve had few problems while using monofilament , and I find it simpler to work with than cable . If you decide to go with monofilament you ’ ll want to pick up a package of either P-Line CXX or Trilene Big Game line in 80- or 100-pound test . When it comes to hooks some anglers use barbless Kahle style hooks while others go with barbless octopus style hooks . I don ’ t think it makes too much difference . Kahle hooks work a little better with shrimp baits I think , but I ’ ve pinned plenty of shrimp on octopus hooks over the years . At times I ’ ve used hooks as small as 3 / 0 and as large as 10 / 0 . I think 7 / 0 and 8 / 0 size hooks are just about perfect . A couple years back the use of barbless hooks for sturgeon fishing became mandatory in California . I think this rule is pointless and early on I thought more sturgeon would be lost because of the rule . In reality I haven ’ t noted an increase in lost fish . Just remember to keep your line tight when fighting the fish and you ’ ll be fine . I make my leaders 20 to 22 inches long with a single hook snelled on the business end . For connecting the leader to the snap at the end of the mainline I tie a surgeons loop at the top end of the leader , but first
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I slide a ½ ounce egg sinker on the leader and allow it to slide down such that it is resting against the eye of the hook . The egg sinker insures that the bait will be resting firmly on the bottom and not flapping around in the current . In terms of sinkers pyramid style weights are preferred because they tend to stay put on the bottom . For the average Delta sturgeon hole 8 ounce sinkers are generally perfect , but I always have some heavier weights on the boat just incase I find myself in extra strong current or extra deep water . Okay , you ’ ve got as rod and reel in hand and the rig is tipped with a beautifully tied leader , let ’ s bait that hook . All shrimp baits go on the hook the same way . Insert the hook near the shrimp ’ s tail , run it all the way through the body and push it out through the head . Once the shrimp are on the hook , I make about a dozen wraps around them with Magic Thread , half-hitch it a couple times near the eye of the hook and break it off . Magic Thread makes it tougher for the shrimp to be striped off the hook . Lamprey eel comes frozen . After I buy an eel , I thaw it and remove it from its packaging . Using a sharp fillet knife , split it in half lengthwise and cut it into threeinch sections . Drop the pieces of lamprey it into a plastic Ziploc bag , pour a shot of Pro-Cure Sturgeon Frenzy in the bag and add a couple table spoons of rock salt to make the eel even tougher . To rig up with eel simply take a fillet out of the bag and pin it on the hook . That ’ s all there is to it . There will be lots of exposed hook , but the sturgeon don ’ t care . To rig up with salmon roe , select one of your precut roe balls , pass the hook through the center and slide the whole mass of roe up the shank of the hook until the hook eye is setting right in the middle . Next , grab the Magic Thread and wrap the roe a dozen or more times and finish it off by making a series of half-hitches above and below the bait . When the roe is rigged this way with a exposed hook is the first thing to go into the sturgeon ’ s mouth when it begins to bite . To rig shad , take two of them out of the cooler and cut their heads off at an angle right behind the gill plate . Pin them both on the hook near the tail , rotate the hook and pass it back through the middle of both shad . Finish them off with a few wraps of Magic Thread to insure they don ’ t slide down to the bend of the hook , and they are ready to go . Let ’ s fish ! When I ’ m hunting for sturgeon I want the best look at the bottom I can get so I don ’ t drive the boat in a straight line . Instead I zig zag so I can see as much of the terrain as possible on the sonar unit . When you mark a sturgeon on the sonar , there is no mistaking it . They show up as a magnum size arch . Many times you ’ ll mark sturgeon cruising it the middle depths . I ignore these fish . They are traveling and not feeding . What I look for is one or more sturgeon that are holding on or just off the bottom indicating that they are likely feeding . Feeding sturgeon move with the current instead of swimming into it like a striper or salmon would , so you ’ ll want to anchor downstream of the area where you mark fish in order to intercept them as they feed .
CONTINUED ON PG 11