Quality Not Quantity

Chad, Charlie & Megan joined me this morning and we headed out for sturgeon to start the day. We were going to fish them for a few hours and end with bass & walleye, or so we thought! Sometimes plans have a way of changing!

The first couple of hours were pretty slow with the nibblers being the only things biting. I made several moves trying to locate some active fish but each one was eventually greeted by more nibblers. With limited time for the half day trip, I started to bring the rods in, thinking of another species move when that all changed. One of the rods took a big hit and I set into some serious weight! I handed it to Charlie and coached him on what to do. I also told him to relax as this was going to be a long battle!

With everything cleared from the back of the boat, Charlie began the fight. This fish was strong and within minutes went to the air with a spectacular leap for everyone to see. It was definitely the largest thing he had ever been hooked up to and quickly learned how to conserve his energy for the battle. Multiple long runs were had and each time he reeled the fish back to the boat, it took off again. This happened several times before he finally brought it close enough for me to net. The fight may have been over but the hard part was about to begin. Now he would have to hold it for the pic!

I realized quickly that Charlie wouldn’t be able to hold the fish alone so with the help of his father, they both lifted it up for a few pics. Back it went after, unharmed as usual!

I had planned on switching to bass & walleye but when I gave them the option, it was unanimous. We were going for quality over quantity! Back in the lines went and once again the wait began.

In the last hour or so, they managed to get one more small sturgeon and a hateful eel. Not what I had wanted but you never know what you’re going to get when the baits are down in the deep!

Timing it just right, I headed back to the docks to exchange clients and pick up my afternoon party. The morning trip was a bit slow but we managed to make it work. I was glad they at least got to land one giant in the short time we were out!

Chris, Mark & T jumped in the boat and we headed back to where I had left off. I was sure they would enjoy catching something large and only hoped the fish would cooperate as well.

I don’t think the lines were in the water for even three minutes before we had our first bite! Mark was handed the rod after I set into something small and he landed his first juvenile sturgeon. Although cute, it was not what I was searching for! The next couple of bites also came quick and two more small sturgeon were landed again. Following them was a keeper sized walleye that made into the livewell for them to take home.

We had been anchored for a while after the earlier flurry when I finally reared back on some weight. Chris was handed the rod and was about to do battle with a much better fish. I didn’t think it was a true giant but after the day care bites we had earlier, this would be welcomed!

Soon into the battle his fish went to the air and we saw that it was a god one. It peeled line from the reel multiple times and gave him a great fight before coming to net. Quick pics were taken and the fish was released.

I knew that we were in the right area for a big bite and we eventually got one. When I set into this fish, it didn’t move! T was given the rod after only landing little ones earlier and felt the difference immediately. It didn’t allow him to reel any line for the first minute or so and just took line out. Although it didn’t jump at all, the battle was epic! T had never felt anything like this before and had to be coached so as not to burn out. The runs were long and often and each time he thought he was gaining, the sturgeon took it all back and more. Fifteen minutes later and a whole lot of burn, I was finally able to net his beast! He was relieved to have ended the battle but the hard part was going to be the hold. He struggled to get the fish up and after a few quick belly pics, the others stepped in. They aided in the hold and several more shots of the group were taken before the release.

We reset the lines and in the last hour, managed to land a few more juveniles before I called the day. They had spent the entire afternoon on sturgeon and had a blast catching all kinds of fish. Although we could have gone for bass & walleye, they were quite happy to try for the big ones!

Today was all about quality and both groups saw just that! They had witnessed the power of these creatures and seen true River Monsters! Overall, today was a great success, with a few of the better ones being landed. I can’t wait for cooler weather and bigger bites!