Also known as
- Pacific Sturgeon US
- Oregon Sturgeon US
- Columbia Sturgeon US
- Sacramento Sturgeon US
- Snake River Sturgeon US
Identification
A massive prehistoric leviathan of Pacific Northwest and Sacramento rivers — long armoured cylindrical build delivers brute power and brutal bottom-hugging runs. Females out-size males and live 100+ years.
- Five longitudinal rows of large bony scutes giving the body its distinctive armoured ridges
- Grey to brownish upper body with pale white to yellowish belly
- Short broad snout with four sensory barbels positioned closer to the snout tip than the mouth
- Underside protrusible mouth directed downward with no teeth — adapted for vacuuming prey off the bottom
- Largely cartilaginous skeleton with no true bones — a primitive trait shared across sturgeon
Where it holds
- Rivers
- Estuaries
Behaviour
A massive bottom-dwelling predator working deep soft-bottomed holes and tidewater reaches of large river systems. Hunts non-visually with sensory barbels and electrosensory ampullae, vacuuming prey from sediment. Strongly nocturnal with peak feeding through dawn, dusk, and night; tide changes drive feeding in estuarine reaches. Adults above ~60cm are obligate fish-eaters that key heavily on salmon roe during spawning runs.
Diet: Salmon Roe, Shad, Herring, Smelt, Lamprey, Small Fish, Freshwater Shrimp
How it's caught
Line Fishing
Bottom Fishing
The entire fishery — anchor or hold position in a deep soft-bottomed hole or slot in 6-25m and present a fresh salmon roe sack, whole shad, herring, smelt, or lamprey on a sliding-sinker rig with a 100-200g pyramid lead and a 4/0-10/0 non-offset circle hook. 80-150lb braid, 50-80lb mono or fluoro leader. Sensitive heavy rod tip — these fish bite gently for their size. Watch the rod tip and let the fish fully take the bait before pressuring the circle.
Drift Fishing
A productive variation when fish are spread across long deep runs — drift the boat slowly with a salmon-roe sack or shad chunk on a sliding-sinker rig with just enough lead to keep the rig ticking the bottom. Cover ground until a fish hits, then anchor up and work the area. Same heavy 80-150lb braid and 4/0-10/0 circle setup.
