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Sturgeon fishing, a Guide to fishing for sturgeon in the Pacific Northwest.
Written By:
Oregon Guide Dennis Hull
Want to reserve a date to fish with us?
The Columbia
river offers great sturgeon fishing opportunities year
around. There are always tons of smaller sturgeon in the river as they live in
the river until the grow large enough to migrate out to the salt water usually
at around 3 feet in length. Once the fish
Giant sturgeon
fishing - Columbia river Oversized sturgeon: The Columbia river
below Bonneville Dam is a major spawning
location for the giant oversized white sturgeon. These monsters can grow to 20 feet in
length and reach weights of up to 2000 lbs. The average however that sturgeon
fisherman angling for sturgeon are
able to catch and release is between 6 and 14 feet with weights of up to 1200
lbs. These big sturgeon spend most of there time in the open ocean and only return to
the Columbia river to spawn. This spawning run coincides with the shad
spawning run that
happens from April thru June on the Columbia river. The oversized sturgeon
come
in beginning in late March and remain in the lower Columbia river until late summer or
early fall when there spawning activities are completed then they move back out
to the open ocean. These fish absolutely love fresh caught whole shad for bait
and also have a fondness for lamprey eels, large squid and smelt as well. But
when the shad run is in full swing its fresh shad or nothing, when the
shad
start to diminish then the other baits will produce. Willamette river Sturgeon Fishing: Some of our best keeper fishing right in Saltwater sturgeon fishing: Most coastal rivers and
bays
of the pacific northwest have sturgeon in
them
Please visit our other pages for more information on the fantastic fishing opportunities we have here in the Pacific Northwest
Copyright © 2003 [www.nwfish.com]. All rights reserved. |
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have reached the age that they begin
migrating they are constantly on the move looking for sources of food. These
food sources are the key to targeting and fishing for a specific age class of sturgeon. 
downtown Portland. Very high success rate without the huge crowds or rough water found on the Columbia. The Willamette river
in Oregon also has sturgeon fishing
opportunities year around with the months from Oct. thru May being the best for keepers. Just like the Columbia river the lower Willamette river Sturgeon
fishing is the best when the smelt are thick in the Columbia river. The keeper sturgeon in the Willamette
River are not quite as keyed in
on smelt as the sturgeon in the Columbia river but if they can get them they will eat them. This tributary of the Columbia is a big river. Running from the south the water stays several degrees warmer than the Columbia which tends to draw all of the sturgeon into it during the colder winter and spring months.
Willamette river sturgeon's food sources are crayfish, eels, freshwater clams, salmon carcasses and
roe, and smelt. Sand shrimp or smelt is always a good bait here as is eel.
During the winter and early spring months the sturgeon move back and forth from the
Columbia river to the Willamette river. The Willamette river also has a return
of shad and big spawning oversized sturgeon. 
at some point during the year. Some of the
best sturgeon fishing in the
world for keeper sturgeon is found in Astoria
Oregon in the Columbia river estuary. Limits of sturgeon are very common
while fishing in Astoria or Ilwaco Washington. The sturgeon migrate to the mouth of the Columbia to feed heavily on the abundant food sources found there. The fishing in the Columbia estuary picks up around May and continues to be good throughout the summer months. Due to the popularity of this fishery it is a very short season usually from mid May to late June. The Sturgeon begin there migration back up
river in the fall months following the salmon runs and they stay upriver
throughout the winter months feeding on smelt, freshwater clams,
crawfish, crappie and so on until the late spring when they begin
there trip down the Columbia river back to the abundant estuary food
sources. Tillamook bay
also has an
excellent sturgeon fishery as well as Yaquina Bay, these are primarily
winter sturgeon fisheries because of the abundance of crabs when there
is little fresh water coming into the bays makes it tough to keep your
baits on the hooks.
