One of the funnest fishes to catch and on many people’s bucket list is a Sturgeon. Fishing for Columbia River sturgeon is fairly simple, but you must have the right set up and also go to the right spot(s).

• Setting up for Sturgeon
  • Rod – power should be heavy and I prefer an action medium/fast. I use a Trevala because it is a lite rod that is very strong. But many anglers like an ugly stick,
  • Reel – should have a heavy drag and holds lots of line. If you hook a large sturgeon be ready for a big fight and you will need the drag and line to fight the fish.
  • Line – some anglers prefer mono (e.g. 60-80 lb), but I prefer using braid with a mono or flouro top-shot.
  • Set up –
    • off my braid (or mono) mainline I put a slider with a bead to protect the my swivel knot.
    • I use a triangle weight, but you can also use a round weight (depends on the bottom which you are fishing)
    • you can use a 7/0-9/0 hook with a 24″ leader for a sandy bottom. Longer if you are fishing on rocks or need your bait to float up away from the weight further.

Bait – you can use anchovy, herring, salmon eggs, squid, etc. No matter what bait I use I like soaking it or injecting it with Pro Cure Sturgeon Cocktail for best results.