Rainy River Sturgeon Video to Get the Blood Pumping!

[vman11]

Here is some video from April 2013. Apologies on the quality - this year it will be in HD!

Last year the Wheeler's Point ramp opened on April 26th. All boats were catching fish and we even witnessed multiple +60" fish caught in the vicinity.

Hope to repeat here in the next few days/weeks. If you get out, be sure to post a report.

[DTro]

Sweet vid!

Here's ours from last year. I can't wait to get up there again!

[vman11]

Nice work DTro. You hooked into some tanks.

Best part is you looked to be up-river, away from the crowds. Lots of fishy water out there!

[DTro]

Yeah, I really enjoy fishing upriver.  I’ve had some great times out in the bay too, but I just have that river thing in my blood.

 

It’s been pretty exciting to see this fishery grow.  IMO, there is a very noticeable difference in size from the first time I fished up there in 2006 up until now.  Back then basically everyone was after that elusive 60” and that first few years you seen and heard about a handful of them and then each year more and more, but now 60’s are fairly common and instead 65-70 is the goal.

 

I sure hope in 10 more years 70’s are common and we are shooting for 80

[gunner55]

Nice videos guys.I'll bet a guy needs break after landing 1 of those 100lb fish.Just curious guys,got a guess on how old one that big would be?

[fiskyknut]

For sure we hear of more 60's these past few years on account of the mass ammount of folks coming up every spring also !! Caught alot of 60 +'rs back in the mid/late ninties we did and you'd hear of a 70+ now and then as well. Guess I've never thought a 60 is elusive and 10 years back here on FM I said they don't even turn a head until their 60. There have been big ones in the system as long as I remember.. You'd see them jumping all over back in the 70's too.

Not saying there are'nt more now just saying they've been out there and catchable for a long time before the internet made the fishery so popular. We ate alot of smoked Sturgeonfish back then !!

[DTro]

On average a 70" sturgeon is about 50 years old.

Kind of funny story about that fish actually.  The guy that caught it was having some really bad back problems and that was the very first fish we caught.  First spot, first cast and about 20 min into the trip this thing hits the deck.   One of 2 things was going to happen, either his back was going to be shot the rest of the trip or it was going to make it feel better.  Thankfully it was the latter, because we caught several more giants during the trip.

 

Reeling in one of those is a workout and you definitely want to sit down and let out a sigh, but its just downright tiring when as soon as you cast out you hook up with another then another.   It’s a good kind of pain though. 

[DTro]

I don’t doubt that at all Fisky.  I was basing that only on my own opinion of my experiences up there.     Sturgeon fishing on the Rainy sure didn’t start when a few guys got together, promoted it, and named it the Sturgeon Excursion.         All I know is that for the first few years 60” is what I was looking for and now I kind of expect at least a few in the boat.

 

It’s a pretty neat story though as the month between walleye closer and opener sure has changed up there. I bet some people don’t appreciate all the attention, but that cat is sort of out the bag now.  Its not all bad though,  heck just on Sat, I was looking for a bed for the 25th weekend and had a very hard time finding one…..anywhere.  On a year like this when there essentially was no open water walleye fishing, maybe the Sturgeon can help out a bit.

 

It’s the highlight of the year for me and I sure do appreciate that I was introduced to it back then!

[fiskyknut]

Ya man the resort owners along the river are are loving it for sure. The peace and quiet that was once the off season is now different, them darn noisy jet boats running around disturbing the peace !!

Man my memory is going.. What year was it when Petrowski took out his back ? I think I met you that year at Schusters one evening ?

Sturgeonfish makes Muskie man do Crappie flops.. Ouch !!

[DTro]

Yeah I think that was my first or second year up there. Jonny P carried out and carted to the ER strapped to a table top or something like that.

[Random guy]

2006 I believe. Impacted a strand of nerves and lost control of my right leg. Spent the next six months in surgeries and the better part of the next two years rehabs to get muscle control and feeling of my right foot back.

The story goes I was supposed to be taking it easy until they figured out why my leg kept dropping out from under me. Well, after Dennis and I jumped the island in front of Wheelers with the River Pro a few times I wasn't feeling so good, then I went to lift a normal sized sturgeon for a video shot and that was it, I lost everything down the right side. I made it back to the cabin where I was dropped at the dock and left hoping some rest would bring it back. Later that evening Paul W. Found me half passed out, confused and dragging myself across the bathroom floor attempting to get water to drink, I couldn't get my legs to respond enough to get high enough to reach the faucets. He and his crew had stabilized me on a table top and removed the cabin doors to get me out. Made for a good story and even better rumors.

[harvey lee]

I remember that one well Jonny, a road trip to the hospital was in order if I remember correctly.

I think we took you in the back of my suburban.

Was a job getting you out of the cabin on that table top. It does not seen like that long ago but if I remember correctly, one of your nurse's was so nice also.