The rumors are confirmed... 9 foot Sturgeon in Battleground Lake

I went out to Battleground lake Saturday to troll around for some trout. On the way into the park I stopped and chatted with the Ranger for a bit. I made a joke about the rumor of an oversized sturgeon living in Battleground lake and he busts out this photo  taken last month.
The fish is estimated to be 9 feet long and was seen cruising the surface. The Ranger believes the fish was keeper size when caught by some anglers in the Columbia and released in Battleground lake. The photo below shows what appears to be either a steelhead jig or some pink yarn embedded in the fishes' right gill plate suggesting someday actually poked into this monster.
The Ranger said since there is no known rule against fishing or catching sturgeon in state parks, regular size and retention rules apply. Could you imagine the dock at Battleground lined with 12 foot bank rods? lol
For those who haven't been to Battleground, I've attached an aerial photo from the USGS showing how tiny it is when using the trees and roads as reference points.

Won't last long!  Giddyup!

That's pretty interesting.

I did my scuba certification there years ago, didn't see him there then and I'm pretty sure I covered the whole lake...........He must be a recent transplant.