Sturgeon baits - saltwater

Will be fishing for sturgeon for my first time next week.  I think the consensus is that live shrimp are the best bait for sturgeon, but live shrimp are not always available.  What about other alternatives like live herring, frozen shrimp, or frozen herring?  Has anyone tried the various GULP! Saltwater baits like crabs, shrimp, squid, and curly tails?  Other bottom feeders seem to love the GULP! baits.  

I've heard of people using Gulp but at $7 for four it's waaaaay over priced. You can always use frozen anchovy, pickled herring, pickled squid, sturgeon candy etc. etc. Lot's of bait catches sturgeon but sand shrimp is king. Make a shrimp gun and you'll always be able to pump the buggers out yourself.

Z

At first, I thought the price for Gulp! was retarded as well, then I did a little research.  Turns out they last a long time.  I did some number crunching and they came out cheaper than using actual worms since you can recharge them over and over in the bucket o' goop, and you don't need to buy scent either. 

"We stayed on that spot for an hour or more until the tide and the action slowed down. All in all we had caught 14 red fish, 7 a piece. Seems they like the mud minnows as well as the gulp. Only difference was I still had all but one of the baits I started with and my son went through a dozen and a half of mud minnows."

Another article:
http://bassbuzz.outdoorsfanmedia.com/br_news_article.asp?thecat=3&ID=198


"The bait of choice for local anglers is shrimp. The problem with shrimp is the ease with which it is removed from the hook. Often the little bait stealing fish, like Pin Perch, will nibble the shrimp off of the hook before a real game fish ever has the opportunity to get to it. With shrimp costing $4 to $5 per pound, this can get to be a costly proposition for the serious angler.

I quickly learned to apply a personal motto, "work smarter, not harder" to my fishing endeavors. At the advice of some of the local fishing experts I began using Gulp! shrimp and Gulp! Alive shrimp by Berkley. Gulp! claims to catch fish even better than live bait and the die hard fisherman of this area swear by them."

I am still on the fence with the gulp..  I switched to the gulp strip bait for tipping my jigs and although I have done well it just doesn't give me the same confidence a nice chunk of fresh "real" bait does. Gulp is a darn sight easier to transport and handle.

Sturgeon baits:  Squid, herring, smelt, anchovies, sardines, clams (cockles are my fav , plain old nightcrawlers all have done me well over the years fresh or salt (all can be frozen except the crawlers of course) hit them hard with some quality scent and you are in business.

How big of baits?  We talking 10" herrings - big bait.  Or smaller 2-3" baits or something in-between? 

How big of baits?  We talking 10" herrings - big bait.  Or smaller 2-3" baits or something in-between? 

depends... often the big bait big fish holds true.. sometimes not..  5-7 inch herring etc generally work for keepers

Fresh anchovies are pretty popular in Astoria.

I've had my best luck with sardines and anchovies, though sandshrimp usually produce as well.  Friends of mine swear by squid. IME, no matter what bait you use, you're not going to get it back 95% of the time.

I prefer using whole baitfish (except for shad, where I only use strips), run the hook through the back of the head, towards the front, then half-hitch my leader all the way down the length of the bait (which is why I tie long leaders!)

I've had my best luck with sardines and anchovies, though sandshrimp usually produce as well.  Friends of mine swear by squid. IME, no matter what bait you use, you're not going to get it back 95% of the time.

I prefer using whole baitfish (except for shad, where I only use strips), run the hook through the back of the head, towards the front, then half-hitch my leader all the way down the length of the bait (which is why I tie long leaders!)

So, we are talking dead, but fresh bait?   I've seen rigging like this for fish that swallow their food head first.  

Also, if using the NorCal double hook rig, does one bury both hooks in a single bait or use a couple of baits, or does it depend on bait size, e.g., two shrimp, single herring?

I always use frozen (can't use live bait in oregon).  Sometimes not even thawed out.  The sandshimp would be live or pickled.  I've tried pickled and roll-mopped herring, but have always had a hard time keeping it on the hook.  I keep two different leaders depending on what i'm using for bait, be it fish or shrimp.

dunno anything about the double hook rig. again, not something you can do in Oregon

I believe the double hook set up is a No-Go in Washington as well.

Single point barbless only in WA.

Z

Something I do with bug baits (shrimp, worms, and the Willamette River sturgeon killers*) is tie some TOUGH leaders. The main idea is to create a stout leader that you can tie your bait onto with stretchy string.  I'll use about 18" of dacron, feed it back and forth between the hook (i like 5/0 circles) and swivel 3 times.  Half hitching on each end and finally tying down the lenth of the dacron leader, so you end up with a thick, 4" dacron leader. I then wrap up the dacron with black stretchy string.  With sand shrimp, I run the hook through the vent, the rest of the body and then out the head area.  You'll stop running the leader through when the tail gets to the swivel.  All the dacron should be running through the body at this point, with the hook coming out of the head right at the end of the shaft.  I'll use white stretchy sting to tie the shrimp to the leader just like a bit of herring on a kwikfish.  This way, the bait has to be swallowed whole, nothing should be able to get it off the line by pecking at it. The reason for the black stretchy string?  So when I'm changing baits, I don't accidentally cut through it!  Any color would work, including white (it's all inside the bait anyways!), i just like something a different color so I don't cut it.  When it comes to sandshrimp, i think sturgeon prefer females with roe, though I've got them on males too.  Some like to tip the hook with nightcrawlers.  I've never used them, but they work...

Squid is run similarly to bait fish.  Run the hook from the eyes, out to near the beak.  Half hitch up the hood to the top of the squid, leaving the tentacles to run free.

Other than the dacron leader above, all the rest of my leaders are made using 50# braid (hi vis yellow at that!).  Sturgeon are in no way, shape, or form, leader shy. And when you have your bait half-hitched, they're easy to take off the line - grab the hook with a finger, grab the leader with your other hand, pull taught.  No, it may look like you're chumming, but your just changing baits!

I believe the double hook set up is a No-Go in Washington as well.

Single point barbless only in WA.

THANKS! 

And thanks for all the other info and suggestions.

 The Nothing...Do you mostly fish off the bank?  The short stiff leader thing is really common with the sturgeon fisherman plunking off the bank right below Bonneville damn in the heavy current.  In slower water (out of a boat) I have found a longer leader is more productive, gives them a chance to pick up the bait and mess with it a little without feeling the rest of your gear (lead, swivels etc)