 Sturgeon fishing and finding moving fish
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Moving fish: Written by Dennis Hull ( Bite Me Guide Service ) Sturgeon are migratory fish and move around allot. They travel in groups usually groups of the same age class of fish. So a general rule of thumb is that if you are catching allot of smaller fish you probably will continue to catch small fish and if you move sometimes just a very small distance you can find yourself into some good fish. In the estuaries and upriver the smaller fish seem to stay in the deeper channels and holes and the bigger ones move back and forth from there feeding grounds to there resting or holding areas and figuring out these movements is key to bringing home fish on a consistent basis. Look for ledges, points, sand flats with small channels running through them these cracks in the sand act as sturgeon freeways and are a good spot to set up your ambush. anchoring over these cracks can be tricky because sometimes the slot is very narrow so make sure that you are in the spot and if not anchor again until you land in the channel or hole. Sturgeon move with the tides on the flood or incoming tide they will move up out of the deeper holes and start working the sand and mud flats feeding heavily on shrimp and clams so don't be afraid to fish in as little as 4 to 6 feet of water and just keep moving around until you get into them. When picking a spot to set up on one of these sturgeon highways always look for an area that has some current especially when fishing in shallow water. The current will take the scent of your bait great distances to hungry sturgeon and draw them in too you. On the ebb or outgoing tide look for the ledges and drop-offs coming off of the flats to deeper water and set up to intercept the fish coming back off of the flats and heading for there deeper resting areas. Upriver is slightly different in that the fish seem to all hold in the deeper waters from 30 to 100 feet. There are still occasions where you can find good fish in 10 feet of water when there are fresh water clam beds present. Again look for channels, ledges, flats, current seams and so on and if your not catching good fish in the deeper areas move some shallow water or mid depth water and keep moving until you find them and figure out there pattern for that day. Upriver my rule of thumb is to spend half of the day looking in likely keeper water and trying to catch a few quality fish and then move to the deeper holes and go with the averages, that is more fish to the boat=better odds of catching a couple of keeper size fish. Usually if your only getting a few hard bites you are in good fish if you are getting bit like crazy its probably some smaller fish, but don't give up hope because those bigger fish are on the move and all of the sudden the little ones are gone and the big ones are here. Always look for new unusual bottom features and don't be afraid to try different areas you just might be surprised. Copyright © 2003 [www.nwfish.com].
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