Sturgeon on the fly

[john montana]

Yep...



David sight fished and caught this fish on a size 8 carp hybrid worm fly. We spotted 4 of these guys (one huge one) feeding on a shallow gravel bar...we figure they were on a bed of clams. This guy ate...just a cray deal to catch on not only on a fly, but a tiny little carp fly. The fly was flat out in the fish's mouth. Crazy!

Oh...the carping was pretty good too:

 

[MikePierce170]

Nice fish guys! How big was that sturgeon? And how much of a fight did he give on the fly?

 

[john montana]

We didn't measure it Mike...were in a hurry to get him back into deep water. David really put the wood to the fish, we landed it in probably about 10 minutes...it was still pretty hot when we landed it, but we were not messing around since we never intended to keep it. Unbelievable that it ate a carp fly.

 

[MikePierce170]

Oh I know you guys weren't gonna keep him. But it would have been interesting to know. He looks like he could have been keeper size from the picture. What kind of fly (if any) would a sturgeon typically hit on anyway?

 

[john montana]

I would guess he was in the slot too Mike. Just didn't get the tape out...

I really wouldn't ever expect a sturgeon to eat a fly...they feed mainly by scent and taste. I think we just got really, really lucky and found 'em in shallow water and hammering a bed of clams. It ate this thing on a size 8 hook:



This flat out shouldn't have happened.

 

[MikePierce170]

Eh... fish are dumb. They bite hooks :lol:

 

[igquick]

Incredible sturgeon! And check out those scales on that first carp. Would that be considered a common?

I bought a size 14 san juan worm, is that too small?

 

[john montana]

That first carp is a common, but it is close to what we call a muddler...sort of a mix between a common and a mirror. Here is a nice mirror we caught yesterday:



size 14 is a little small...they'll eat it though. I would go with about a size 10. the BIG issue you are going to have with store bought flies in those size ranges are the hooks. You may straighten a few hooks! I'll try to tie some up for you when I can find time to get to the vice.

 

[Spydeyrch]

Nice Sturgeon there guys!! Amazing that it took that small fly!!! WOW!!! :clap:

Great carp pics too!!

Good luck out there

-Spydey

 

[igquick]

Thanks john! Here is a pic of the flies I bought. Which one should I cast out first? I don't know if I want to try out the size 14 san juan worm at first, but the rest of the flies are sizes around 6-8

I also don't want to try the san juan worm first because the water is really murky at where I'm fishing at, like a foot to foot and a half visibility, and the bottom is muddy.

I have also seen lots of dragon flies roaming around

 

[john montana]

I would fish the worm. 2 of those are dry flies (surface) and one is a steelhead fly. The second one in is some type of caddis nymph, which would be my second choice. The steelhead fly (3rd in) is more of a streamer than a nymph/still type of pattern. If you can, find water that is clearer...it really helps if you can see their head. you won't feel a take, you have to see it, or know when the fish eats and set the hook. They don't grab an artificial and move, they'll just suck it in, not like it, and spit it out. Clear water makes a huge difference.

 

[igquick]

Bravo, I can't believe you just named all the flies...

I also saw a san juan worm that was bright red same size, would that work,? I didn't get it because it didn't match the same color of the one you posted on you blog

 

[john montana]

I prefer wine/claret/burgandy colored san juans...the bright red ones don't seem to work as well, though they work.

 

[FlyBum]

That's pretty cool!! You don't hear of that everyday!

 

[eugene1]

Nice work on the sturg! (and carp as usual).

What kind of scent was on the sturg fly? j/k!

Best,

 

[Throbbit _Shane]

Nice catch!!! Bet it'll be hard to get another one of those on the fly!

And nice carp as usual. Always enjoy your reports !

 

[JeannaJigs]

Nuts. Just nuts.

 

[john montana]

Couple more pictures...

about now we realized the net might not be a good idea:



RIGHT in the mouth. insane:

 

[Van]

It was amazingly cool to watch.

 

[igquick]

Wth, you were there lol?