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So Did Anyone See Me Get Pulled Into The River By A Sturgeon This Weekend?


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Soooooo....that happened lol. Story is as follows:

A buddy and I were fishing sturgeon all weekend. I'd been skunked so far, and we were getting really soft/short bites, which was frustrating. Even better, he hooked into a 57", so I'm just not in the greatest of moods lol. So Sunday afternoon we're sitting in the boat, and my rod gets a hit. Now this was a HIT, it pulled the tip down twice and then just started taking line. So I set the hook, and after the rod loaded up it didn't budge. Then the fish ran, and I yelled for my buddy to get the other rod in the boat. He didn't respond, so I yelled again, still nothing. So I smacked him upside the head. Turned out he fell asleep holding his head up with his hands. So he grabbed the other rod (but not the rear anchor, which his own sturgeon (the last thing we caught) had gotten hooked on. I didn't notice because I was fighting the fish. The fight lasted for about fifteen minutes before she got tangled in the anchor. My buddy pulled it up and we managed to net the fish while still tangled in the anchor.

So we bring it in the boat and take pictures and measurements, and I bend over the side to release it. When I do, the fish thrashes in my arms, throws my balance off, and I plunge headfirst into the Rainy River. Craziest thing ever, one second I'm staring down at the fish and the river, the next thing I know I'm underwater! I get to the surface and my buddy grabbed my hood and hauled me back towards the boat. I had to pull myself (I had a full Ice Armor suit and boots on, and after that fight and falling in they were feeling pretty useless anyway lol. It was a bit of a struggle to pull myself up the boat ladder and into the boat, but when I got in I had so much adrenaline going that I didn't even notice the cold (or that could have been the shock I guess lol). Best part is there was a boat near us and I had been talking to the guys in that boat the whole time I was fighting and dealing with the fish, they were just staring at me with their jaws dropped lol. Needless to say we pulled up anchors after that so I could head in and get a warm change of clothes!

But go ahead and ask me if it was worth it.

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we saw everything right up to the falling in part. You must have fallen in on the Canadian side of the boat. We were in the Warrior right upstream of you. Seen the tanged part and the haul it in the boat part... that was it. Pretty slow for Sturgies... we managed on mid-40s fish for the 2 plus hours... went back and fished walleye.

Good Luck!

Ken

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oh yes it was worth it!!!!just glad you had a buddy with to help you get back in the boat. all that cloths on and the boots and the cold, well you never know. in the end you have a memory of a lifetime and a great story for the campfire for years to come. good luck.

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So back in '06 or '07 during one of the hottest bites up there, about 200 boats were all sitting in the bay each of them fighting 2 or 3 fish. It was CRAZY.

We we sitting there and it was fairly early in the morning and it was brisk. In fact I think ice bergs were floating around out there in the bay so the water temp had to be around 35.

We watched this guy catch a pretty big one, mid to high 50's. Same exact thing, he went to release it and just basically tipped over, right into the frigid water. The loud splash got everyone's attention and after he managed his way back into the boat, everyone started clapping. About 3 minutes later I happen to turn back around and there he is buck naked and shouts, "GOOD MORNING AMERICA!" and then turns around and shouts, "GOOD MORNING CANADA!".

Funny stuff. grin

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My two sons and I were in the other boat in fishing in front of you when you released the sturgeon. I had just hooked a 44" so I was reeling it in when I heard the splash. I am so glad you were close to shore. BTW it was fun watching you land that big one!

Right after you left, my son hooked into one that we never got to see. We were fishing with heavy line and rods, but after about 30 min of it running, somehow it popped the circle hook out of its mouth. I even pulled up the anchor to make sure my boy wasn't just trying to pull it up. They sure are fun to catch!

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