Holiday Sleigh Ride (video)

Turkey day in a couple days and less than a month from Christmas. Where did 2015 go? Here is a little holiday sleigh ride video to get you in the festive spirit. Also don't forget anyone and everyone is welcome to join us for the Lower Columbia Kayak Angler sturgeon social on Dec. 6th at Swan Island Basin. Follow the link for more details http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=16574.0

Nice video. Here's my biggest from a few years back. It was tail hooked took over 45 minutes to get it up. Sliced my hand to ribbons in the braid when he sounded while I'd wrapped it around my hand to get it in. Lesson learned, I wear gloves now.

nice!  great stuff!

Islandhoppa, I'd be happy if I still had a hand after that!  I think maybe a small buoy system for a little better control near the kayak might work.

I recall getting cut up pretty bad from just processing them during my Quinault days due to their scales.

Great video.  Looked like quite the workout!

nice!  great stuff!

Islandhoppa, I'd be happy if I still had a hand after that!  I think maybe a small buoy system for a little better control near the kayak might work.

I recall getting cut up pretty bad from just processing them during my Quinault days due to their scales.

I prefer to sturgeon fish from my little Tetra 12 since it serves as my "small buoy". Now I wear gloves & avoid grabbing the braid as much as possible. I've spent a lot of time in the past few days thinking about how to safely catch and release sturgeon. I really love fishing for them, and by "safely" I mean both for myself and the fish. I think my technique is good for my own safety but I'm more concerned about the fish.

When a fish is that large I tend to take my time getting him to the boat so he's tired enough to flip over and hopefully will cooperate while I remove the hook. I think there's a fine line between tiring them out and overstressing them but I don't know how to gauge it. It's also tricky to get out a deep hook so I cut the leader rather than keep the fish at risk too long.

Any other advice?

I've never caught a sturgeon but I do know that I land fish generally speaking a lot faster than most. part of that is because I meat fish unlike many of these sturgeon. I've found that using heavier gear also provides for a shorter but more exciting fight.  good for me and good for the fish.

I wonder the damage that would be done to the fish if one simply used hooks that rusted out quickly and simply cut the leader short IF the hook couldn't be removed quickly.  I cut off any hook that is deeply imbedded like you.

I'll be looking for advice from folks like you guys that regularly handle fish of that size. I'm getting consistent enough that eve. a meat fisherman like me is releasing a bunch of fish lately.

I have found my boca grips make a pretty good hook remover.  grab the line with the boca grips, slide diwn to hook then hold the leader down and pull up on the bend of the hook with the grips.  I was thinking about adding a small Y or hook on the other end of my harpoon so I can get a better angle by pushing the leader further down so when I yank up with the grips the hook cones our better.

not sure if you guys use barb less but I had a buddy use them up here on fish we release and he caught twice as many. he lost more fish bur he was immediately back in the water after landing fish because he wasn't struggling to unhook the fish.  meant his bait was in the water more during a hot  bite.

some great stuff here. gotta try this sturgeon thing one day.

Barbless hooks are mandatory here and all sturgeon is catch and release for the foreseeable future in the Lower Columbia.

After watching the following video I'm going to try to retrieve them more quickly.

Only criticism I have is in one scene the instructor seems to be putting his fingers very close to the eyes which is a no-no.

http://www.hctf.ca/communications/blog/entry/sturgeon-handling-video-debut

There are a myriad of factors that dictate how quickly you can land a large sturgeon. Here are just a few:

- Gear (how heavy your rod, reel, and line are)
- Water temperature - Catching a sturgeon in 55-60 F water is completely different than in <50 F
- Depth - Fighting sturgeon in shallow depths (~30') is a hell of a lot harder than in deep water (>50')
- Angler fighting ability
- Plus there is natural variability in strength from fish to fish

I always do my best to land a fish quickly but there are some fish you simply have to play out and that might mean 20-30 minutes of tug of war or more. These fish do not fight like halibut in any sense at all. 

I think a lot of good conservation measures are already in place. Most of the spawning areas are now closed during appropriate seasons and during warm water temps they close the fishery all together. If you are going to target oversized fish 8' or more just make sure you a hefty rod and reel with a good drag system.

I use a pretty stout 7 1/2 foot Lamiglas Kayak Series rod and Shimano Tekota 500 LC reel with 65 lb braid. At 170 pounds and 70 years of age my strength is a limiting factor in horsing in a monster fish. I rely on patience but worry that excess time is stressing the fish.

Please expound on the variables of depth and temperature in fighting a big fish.

They fight harder when water temps are near 60 F than when they do when it is below 50 F. These are ectothermic organisms so their metabolism is directly correlated to the water temperature which is directly correlated to their fighting ability. A 5' fish caught in February won't fight like it would have in October.

Sturgeon use the bottom to their advantage by pushing against and digging into it. I've noticed the faster I can get a sturgeon off the bottom and fight it suspended the easier it is to land. In shallow water its harder to gain that advantage.

I appreciate the insights. Guess I need to get back out there and practice. Hoping to hit Swan Tuesday.

Aytch, when on Tue are you thinking about going? Maybe I could tag along and get a few pointers before the big event on the 6th? Not sure I'm ready to fish since I've only been out on my yak once, I figure I need more water time before actually chasing the fishies.

Phil, I'm hoping to put the finishing touches on some mods on the Tandem Island and may just take it for a trial run Tuesday so you can sit in back and we can fish together. I won't be using the amas or sail so it will be a simple setup. Do you need a rod? I'm thinking hitting the launch around 10:30-11. I can pick you up or meet you there. Tyler, GreatBass2, SNARF, Wobbler, hdpWipMonkey, anyone else interested?

I'm interested...

Phil, I'm hoping to put the finishing touches on some mods on the Tandem Island and may just take it for a trial run Tuesday so you can sit in back and we can fish together. I won't be using the amas or sail so it will be a simple setup. Do you need a rod? I'm thinking hitting the launch around 10:30-11. I can pick you up or meet you there. Tyler, GreatBass2, SNARF, Wobbler, hdpWipMonkey, anyone else interested?

Got to work. Have a good time!