playwithit
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Fairfield, CA
Went Sturgeon fishing on Saturday. The day was perfect. Too much fun.
We arrived at the ramp by 6:00am and launched my buddy's 20' Bayliner cuddy cabin. We hit the first spot and the wind was hitting it pretty hard. We tried to fish for a while but detecting the soft hit of the sturgeon was just too tough with the boat rocking and rolling.
We moved into a protected area and casted out a mix of ghost and grass shrimp dipped in my home made marinade. I was using 5 oz. of lead as the tide was really coming in. I matched my Shimano 400te using 40lb braid with a 7' fast tip Seeker American Series rod designed for 15 to 25lb line.
Our lines were out for maybe 20 minutes when my light rig detected the familiar sturgeon pump. I picked up the rod and gave the fish about 2' of line. The rod got heavy and I set hard. This was my first time using braid line. The hook up was instantaneous. I set once more for good measure. The fight was on. He had three good runs in him including one that must have been 75 yards. The fight lasted 25 minutes or so and we were both very tired. My buddy snared it and it was brought aboard. Measured 56". Nice keeper.
I caught another Sturgeon that was small and two small Stripers. My buddy caught a 47" Sturgeon.
In reflection after the battle, I may retire the Calcutta down to Striper duty. The current made the fight almost to much although it was a very challenging fight, a small Shimano Trinadad reel might be a better fit for Bay Sturgeon. The setup was up to the task, I may be getting to old for the light tackle pressures and stress.
Here is a couple of pictures of the catch of the day.
We arrived at the ramp by 6:00am and launched my buddy's 20' Bayliner cuddy cabin. We hit the first spot and the wind was hitting it pretty hard. We tried to fish for a while but detecting the soft hit of the sturgeon was just too tough with the boat rocking and rolling.
We moved into a protected area and casted out a mix of ghost and grass shrimp dipped in my home made marinade. I was using 5 oz. of lead as the tide was really coming in. I matched my Shimano 400te using 40lb braid with a 7' fast tip Seeker American Series rod designed for 15 to 25lb line.
Our lines were out for maybe 20 minutes when my light rig detected the familiar sturgeon pump. I picked up the rod and gave the fish about 2' of line. The rod got heavy and I set hard. This was my first time using braid line. The hook up was instantaneous. I set once more for good measure. The fight was on. He had three good runs in him including one that must have been 75 yards. The fight lasted 25 minutes or so and we were both very tired. My buddy snared it and it was brought aboard. Measured 56". Nice keeper.
I caught another Sturgeon that was small and two small Stripers. My buddy caught a 47" Sturgeon.
In reflection after the battle, I may retire the Calcutta down to Striper duty. The current made the fight almost to much although it was a very challenging fight, a small Shimano Trinadad reel might be a better fit for Bay Sturgeon. The setup was up to the task, I may be getting to old for the light tackle pressures and stress.
Here is a couple of pictures of the catch of the day.
