Ben Davis said:
I finally got my hands on a sweet little Duroboat skiff, and have been training myself and my crew to anchor in various river conditions. I gave sturgeon fishing a first time go Saturday south of the Sellwood bridge in various places and came up empty handed, though I got one hooked for a quick run. I was using squid and 10 oz. balls and just wasn't sure where exactly to fish. I found all kinds of holes on my fish finder and tried to back over them in various depths of water. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. especially about how tactics change in rising or lowering water conditions. Could one bait not work one day but work the next? Sturgeon were flopping out of the water all over the place south of elk rock and the train trestle. Does that mean it's a good place to fish? Or were they just teasing me? Thinking of trying Cathedral park area next. Thanks guy and gals, Ben
Hey Ben, sounds like you have a good boat. I am glad to see that you put some effort into learning to anchor - definitely the most dangerous part of winter sturgeon fishing. The following is all based upon what I have learned. There are a lot of folks who have a lot more experience than I do, but I have been reasonably successful. My advice is to listen to and remember everyone's advice (especially conflicting opinions) and weigh them all while you are on the water. There have definitely been many aspects of sturgeon fishing where I have done a 180 from an original opinion and I am sure that there will be more
In terms of sturgeon behavior, let me share my opinions (just opinions, there are no facts). I personally think that the particular bait you use is the least important aspect of sturgeon fishing - as long as it is reasonable. In some conditions one bait may be easier for the sturgeon to smell than another, but overall if you are using squid, herring, anchovies, sandshrimp or any other standard bait you should be able to catch some fish if they are there. Personally, I prefer anchovies in the size that come 12 or 14 to a pack. These are a good size for everything from shakers to oversized and they are very oily. I often also add scent (Sturgeon Frenzy or Feast) just to make the bait easier for the sturgeon to find. I would say this usually increases my bite rate a bit. If you see sturgeon jumping then certainly you know they are around, but I have not found that jumping sturgeon are particularly easier or harder to catch. I have had hot and colder bite days around jumping fish.
The areas you chose to fish are generally good areas and I would definitely go back to them. This past Saturday river was extremely high and the current in those areas must have been ripping pretty hard. I don't think that this causes the sturgeon to leave but I do think that it makes them less likely to move to a bait (you have to be lucky and get the bait close to them). Thus, when I am fishing I usually sit in my kayak and count. When I get to 100 I lift and drop the bait a bit and walk it back a few feet. Often I get a bite right after this. If I get to a count of somewhere between 300 and 500 without a bite I will reel up and cast in a slightly different spot. I have had much better success being aggressive with moving my baits, but others may have the opposite experience. I am just not a patient person. Also, you want to make sure your bait is on the bottom. If you lift and drop your rod you should be able to feel the "thunk" of it hitting the bottom. If you can't then you need more weight. I would guess that 10oz might have been on the light side in the areas you were fishing.
The other thing I do when the current is ripping hard is to seek out areas where there is some shelter from the current, a bend where an eddy forms or where a point offers some protection. I have had a lot of good high water days in those types of locations. I usually try to anchor up near the edge of the faster water and mix casts into the faster water and into the slower water. My thinking is that when I cast into faster water the current will push my sinker and bait to the edge of the slower water for me! Once again all of this is very gray and I have had good days when I was fishing areas where I needed 16oz to hold bottom and that was barely enough.
Also, look around you. If you are completely alone then perhaps the spot you are fishing is not a traditional producer under the present conditions. See where other folks are fishing and try to figure out why they are in those spots. Don't hesitate to ask. If I see someone (not a guide) catching fish I will often swing over in my kayak to observe what I can and ask them what type of structure they are fishing. I have yet to meet someone who was not happy to discuss why they thought they were being successful. I have learned a lot by asking on the water. Also, if you do not get any bites with moving the baits around in 30-45 minutes pull up anchor and move. You do not need to move far, but sitting in a dead spot rarely ends up being a winning strategy. Early on I did this too often. I would sit on a spot where I had killed the week before under identical conditions for 1/2 a day before moving. The fish do move so you have to be willing to move as well. Some days they are in the bottom of holes, other days on the front lip, or the top of humps or hugging dropoffs. Usually when I move I try to find something a bit different from my present spot.
Finally, in terms of rigging. I prefer pyramids to cannonballs because I think they hold the bottom better for a given weight. I change my sinker weights a lot and try to use the lightest weight that will hold the bottom. Also, if I am fishing any decent amount of current I prefer to hold my rod with the reel in free spool and my thumb barely holding the line. Then even the lightest bite can pull some line off the reel. I think think helps me not miss sensitive biters plus it is pretty exciting feel them tugging the line from under my thumb.
If you have more questions please feel free to ask. Hopefully some other folks will chime in with their opinions. Like any fishing, once you have a good day or two it starts to make more sense. If you see my in my yellow kayak out on the river do not hesitate to swing by, say hi and chat for a bit.
John