I finally believe that bait makes a difference

[bass]

I fished Swan Island on Sunday. A guy had arranged a big kayak sturgeon fishing get together and there were a ton of folks there as welll. I have to say that I finally understand why I said bait does not matter and that I was wrong about that. I mostly fish anchovies and occasionally fish herring. My friend Brian (minnowmagnet) always fishes. We never seen any difference in catch rate between these two baits (which led me to always say bait does not matter).

Well, when I went to buy bait on Saturday and I bought smelt (first time ever) instead of anchovies since there was about 2 or 3x the weight of smelt compared to the weight of the anchovies. First thing I noticed when I opened the bag on the water wass that there was not the strong fishy smell I get when I open herring or anchovies. However, I still was not worried since bait does not matter.

Well, after sitting there for a few hours with no bites while Brian was slaying them on herring made me start to doubt my resolve. I borrowed a bait from Brian and caught 3 shakers and lost a big fish when it hung me up. Just to make sure I went back to smelt for another hour with no bites.

I went back borrowed a few more baits from Brian and went down river a ways to run an experiment. I found a spot that was holding quite a few fish and anchored up. I dropped in a small piece of herring and within a few minutes hooked up and landed a fish that was probably upper end keeper, but maybe bottom end oversized. Next two casts two more small to middle sized keepers.

I took some time to change bait and retie because my leader was getting frayed. I dropped back in with another piece of herring and it was a shaker fest from that point on. Getting bit almost as soon as the bait hit bottom. So I figured I would proved myself right and drop down some smelt.

Crickets chirping. I re-cast two more times with the smelt without a hit. I then tried some very old picked squid. I had a couple of bites on that but nothing stuck. I switched back to a small piece of herring and immediately started catching fish.

So, I kept wadding back up and re-stretchy threading the little pieces of herring that I had until they were gone. I did try switching back to other baits a second time without another bite.

In that spot I caught 8 shakers and 3 keeper sized and could not get a bite on smelt.

So, I am convinced that bait does not matter as long as it is anchovies or herring I think that a big part of the issue on Sunday was that the water was pretty muddy. I am guessing that the sturgeon could not smell/find the smelt in the murk, but the smellier herring were like a beacon. I imagine that smelt is often a really good choice of bait, but on Sunday it just was not happening for me.

I may try and repeat the experiment when the water is clearer to see if I still see the difference. Overall, though I learned that if you are going to experiment with a new bait, make sure to also bring your tried and true bait!!

 

[troutmasta]

Nice report.

I learned bait matters combat bobber fishing for Nooks. 3 guys with 97% of the fish, 97 guys with 3% of the fish.

 

[bass]

Nice report.

I learned bait matters combat bobber fishing for Nooks. 3 guys with 97% of the fish, 97 guys with 3% of the fish.

I definitely jumped over to the wrong side on Sunday. I have to give a huge thanks to minnowmagnet (Brian) who put on a real sturgeon fishing clinic on Sunday. Thanks again to Brian for being such a nice guy. He shared his bait with other folks as well. I don't know how many big fish Brian caught, but his arms looked like they were dragging a few inches lower by the end of the day!

 

[mastercaster]

I have found it just depends on the day I have caught a several on smelt next to guys fishing herring or squid who got nothing . I have also stood next to guys killin em on sand shrimp and got nothing on my smelt . So I would agree with you bait makes a difference it comes down to what do they want that day though . My uncle fished night crawlers for years and always did well

 

[bass]

I found out later that someone else fishing the area was doing well on smelt. I think the smelt I had were just dried out and just not giving off any scent. Maybe it is not the precise bait that matters as much as having good bait.

 

[muskieguide]

I use smelt almost exclusively, but will always bring along some herring, anchovies, or squid just in case. I use half baits when using smelt and use an injector for giving horses medicine and inject sturgeon feast smelly jelly and will poke several holes in the bait while injecting. I have had countless 50 fish days up there using that method. Give that a shot and let me know what you guys think. I promise you'll have lot's of fun with the results.

 

[minnowmagnet]

The bait controversy which Bass and I have discussed repeatedly sure is an interesting topic and one that might never die. Luckily, I have still to this day never been seriously out-fished because I only use herring. I think they will just always bite it no matter what. I don't know if the Sturgeon Feast I marinate it in has anything to do with my success, but I am totally convinced that cutting the baits small helps my hook up ratio tremendously.
I should point out that I am talking sturgeon fishing locally, in or near Portland. I know nothing about sturgeon fishing on the coast, California, BC or elsewhere.

Here is my two cents, (which might not even be worth that): When the fish are abundant, switching types of bait repeatedly, intricately wrapping stretchy thread and injecting baits with scent is all time that would be better spent with a pre-marinated half of a red label herring half-hitched once or twice sitting on the bottom.

The great thing is that there are hundreds of great sturgeon fishermen in the Portland area and many people do things differently. The key is to stick with something that you are confident in and get it down to the bottom as quickly as possible. The fact that there are so baits that work will always spawn "The Great Sturgeon Bait Debate." I think that is fantastic.

Also, sometimes I think sturgeon fishing in the Willamette is too easy and that I have the fish totally figured out. It is always a little bit humbling but ultimately educational and interesting when I find myself wrong about this.

 

[bass]

I pretty much agree with MM except he spelled anchovy wrong. He spelled it h-e-r-r-i-n-g

Actually, I feel that anchovies and herring both seem to work great all the time. MM marinates his baits, I usually use mine straight out of the packet, but sometimes squirt them with scent as I use them. When MM has borrowed anchovies from me (when he has run out of herring) I do not think his catch rate has gone down. Similarly, when I have borrowed herring from MM I have found them to work equally well as the anchovies I had just run out of. I do think that I will switch to pre-marinating my baits though. I think I was about 1/2 my scent when I squirt it on the bait while on the river. Much more efficient to have them soaking in the scent in a bag.

I also agree about using smaller baits, but I still stretchy thread my bait even when the bite is good. I can often catch 3 to 5 fish on one piece of herring or anchovy if I stretchy thread it. I tie a piece of stretchy thread to my hook eye. Then I re-use that piece for many baits. Some days I have the same stretchy thread on at the end of the day that I started with. It may not matter, but since it works I keep doing it.

MM's last point is really correct. The most interesting days on the water are the toughest.


That sounds like a good bait Muskieguide. I may try it sometime, but to be honest I will probably usually just fish anchovies or herring. I have never been out when someone nearby was was using something different and outfishing one of those baits.

 

[Casting Call]

I have fished for dino's for over 50 years! I belive the herring thing,at one time(one of this old-mans war stories)it was a reg that stated "from the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge to one of the islands near Tiberon was a no fish zone during breeding season of herring. Millions and millions and millions of herring eggs were dropped in this zone. The sturgeon would know and come from the ocean and rivers to feast on herring eggs.10 to 15 footers were not uncommon to be caught outside the herring spawning grounds. C&R were inforced very strickly. Sturgeon are bottom feeders and scavengers, cut a keeper open and see what they feed on and fish according to contents. I have caught giants in 2-3ft of water on tiny rockcrabs. You got stories? Tony

 

[muskieguide]

I won't lie, you do got me thinkin bout being more serious about leaving the smelt at home and trying some of your ideas out

 

[bass]

I won't lie, you do got me thinkin bout being more serious about leaving the smelt at home and trying some of your ideas out

Yes, yes. Let the baitred flow through you. Come over to the dark side

 

[Casting Call]

I won't lie, you do got me thinkin bout being more serious about leaving the smelt at home and trying some of your ideas out

Ever look inside a sturgeons mouth and see what they use to crush/chew shellfish with? Two ceramic plates upper/lower. So try this for bait in the bay at Garibaldi bay in the sturgeon lots. Take a small rock crab,max 2" wide, slightly crack the top shell to milk out the snot/membrane, run the hook through the back half of the body(it will stay alive if done correctly)freespool the line and watch it move away then set the hook hard,at 11:00 O'clock position, again at 1:00 O'clock, hold your rod at 2:00 O'clock position and if it's a hook-up the fish will pull you rod down to a reeling position. If you come down to the reel position on your own you have given slack to the fish for a potential snap-off when the fish goes to run. To turn the dino, high stick and low stick while strumming the line. (youwill feel the head) good luck. Tony p.s. take a coffee can and collect small crabs out on the jetty.

 

[Ammodog]

I used to live on the Columbia below Longview Wa on the Oregon side (tunnel hole) Looks like they have really changed the regs over the past 12-15 years. I used to used smelt then inject them with tuna oil and thread them head down on the hook. Had great luck up and down the Columbia. I would love to get back to targeting them again but reading the rules that may be an issue.

I did have a friend catch a sturgeon to prove a point about bait.... He caught one on a hotdog injected with prep H. (has fish oil in it).

 

[EOBOY]

Bass I sure would like to come out there with you next time you do the sturgeon thing. I have a canoe and it may not work! You would know better than me. Also I have a toon so would that work. Really would like to catch Sturgeon.

EOBOY

 

[bass]

Bass I sure would like to come out there with you next time you do the sturgeon thing. I have a canoe and it may not work! You would know better than me. Also I have a toon so would that work. Really would like to catch Sturgeon.

EOBOY

The big thing about fishing out of small craft this time of year is that you have to dress for immersion. The water is in the upper 30s to mid 40s and hypothermia can happen in a very short time (before you can reach shore). I usually wear waders and a dry top and that works well. If you have proper clothing then I would be uncomfortable having you go out with me, otherwise I would not feel right about it. If you don't have the appropriate clothing I would be happy to go out with you once the water warms into the low 60s. They will still be biting then!

In terms of craft, I guess a canoe could work if it were stable enough (huge variation across canoes for sure). You have to ask yourself would I be able stay upright while fighting a 100+lb fish? What if the line snapped while you were leaning on it? What if I am fighting a big fish and a huge boat wake comes? What about releasing an oversized, could you lean over to unhook a big fish? I am guessing that a canoe (without outriggers) would be pretty sketchy.

I would guess that a pontoon is probably the better and safer choice, but the key word here is guess

 

[EOBOY]

I would guess that a pontoon is probably the better and safer choice, but the key word here is guess

Bass thanks for the info. I have been looking for outriggers for the canoe. But the toon might be better. I also hate being cold so yeah I can wait till the Weather warms. The canoe is a 17 ft. old towne tripper made for rivers. I also have a 30 amp motor for it. Where do you launch from? Maybe I'll go check it out first and see what I think.

Dana:yikes:

 

[bass]

Bass thanks for the info. I have been looking for outriggers for the canoe. But the toon might be better. I also hate being cold so yeah I can wait till the Weather warms. The canoe is a 17 ft. old towne tripper made for rivers. I also have a 30 amp motor for it. Where do you launch from? Maybe I'll go check it out first and see what I think.

Dana:yikes:

Swan Island harbor is definitely the mellowest and safest place to fish and launch. Just type "Swan Island Boat Ramp, North Basin Avenue, Portland, OR" into google maps and it will point you right at the boat ramp. It is usually very calm back n there, but we tend to fish more towards the mouth or out in the river. It is usually calm out at the mouth, but occasionally huge boats and tugs will go in and out and they can make pretty large wakes, often small waves. It is having that happen while fighting a fish that would concern me in the canoe. I assume the pontoon would be far more stable.

We can hook up once the water warms. Be safe!

 

[Jdangler xD]

Swan Island harbor is definitely the mellowest and safest place to fish and launch. Just type "Swan Island Boat Ramp, North Basin Avenue, Portland, OR" into google maps and it will point you right at the boat ramp. It is usually very calm back n there, but we tend to fish more towards the mouth or out in the river. It is usually calm out at the mouth, but occasionally huge boats and tugs will go in and out and they can make pretty large wakes, often small waves. It is having that happen while fighting a fish that would concern me in the canoe. I assume the pontoon would be far more stable.

We can hook up once the water warms. Be safe!

Sorry to reply to this in a quote cuz it's unrelated but my iPad is fussy, that aside I need to get on some sturgeon so bad lol. Too much homework tho. Also need a kayak ha or boat would be nice. Thinking of taking a trip to oregon city, question too. Do sturgeon show up on sonar units of types. I have heard they don't have a gullet and it cannot pick them up due to lack of the little air bubble or ballast system. Ty

 

[GraphiteZen]

Yes, yes. Let the baitred flow through you. Come over to the dark side

Baitred. Haha!