2011 Sturgeon Excursion April 14-17

[Eric Wettschreck]

I'm quite the ladies man. Couple years ago for the anniversary I took her fishing on URL. This year we're going to try and wrangle up a few sturgies. I got game.

I still have to make reservations. We may be bringing one other dude with us. I still have to get his answer. With all the southern MN crew headin nort, we should meet up somewhere in the middle and convoy. This way, we can either drive past or watch cake attempt to change a trailer tire.

Good times. Lookin forward to it. Maybe this year I'll actually catch one.

[Matt C]

This way, we can either drive past or watch cake attempt to change a trailer tire.

+like

[Team Otter]

I will confirm my presence, hopefully, by mid to late March. This is definitely a trip I enjoy.

[CrappiesNCats]

I will confirm my presence, hopefully, by mid to late March. This is definitely a trip I enjoy.

holy cow. hope you and yours are doing well TO!

[Eric Wettschreck]

My reservations are all in. Team redneck SW Minnesota will be in the Fireside cabin at Wig Wam!!!

[Larry FlatCaster]

Good times. Looking forward to some wrestling again!!

Oh oh... That's always good for a laugh. Till Surface puts the finishing move on you..

[TravP]

I'm assuming most guys are using circle hooks in around a 3/0 size. Are the heavy duty needed or are the standard hooks fine?

[wall_eye_assasin]

TravP, I have been using 4/0 or 5/0 gammi circle hooks for catching these monsters. I might try a J hook this year just to see if they will work better, I have never lost a sturgeon due to the hook but sturgeon bite so light and I believe a J hook will work also. I am going to try both this year but for five years now we have only used gammi circle hooks. I do not know what heavy duty standard hooks you are refering to but nothing is better than gammi circle or J hooks IMHO..........Kirk

Oh by the way 3/0 is a little small in my opinion......

[TravP]

Thanks wall_eye_assasin!

[TravP]

Is this the best weekend to go to get on sturgeon, or would the weekend of the 7,8,9,10th be just as good, as we could fish walleyes to if we wanted? Any guesses if the ice will be off to 4 mile by then?

[wall_eye_assasin]

Every year the ice out and the fork break is a guess, I like the weekend after walleye opener so you do not have to deal with an additional 50 boats. The last five years we have fished the river when possible and the bay when needed so take it as is. It is a guessing game. Just remember, night crawlers and patience and you will get them............Kirk

[TravP]

I know about the zoo of people, I've been up there a few times in April, but we normally ice fish eyes out by Long Point. I wanted to try something different this year though.

Thanks! Any info is appreciated.

[harvey lee]

Is this the best weekend to go to get on sturgeon, or would the weekend of the 7,8,9,10th be just as good, as we could fish walleyes to if we wanted? Any guesses if the ice will be off to 4 mile by then?

Trav, it's a shot in the dark when the ice is out on the river and 4 mile bay. There have been years when the bay is frozen but the river and gap is open.

Typically the sturgeon fishing is pretty good and some years later can be better.

For me, the last 2 years have been a bit slower and my bigger fish came 3-4 years ago. Either way, it is always a great time. I would not miss it no matter what the date is.

[iffwalleyes]

Is this the best weekend to go to get on sturgeon, or would the weekend of the 7,8,9,10th be just as good, as we could fish walleyes to if we wanted? Any guesses if the ice will be off to 4 mile by then?

You'll be dancing with ice on the lake then. But that doesn't mean you can't go up river and find open water. I personally don't like circle hooks. They will work but what I prefer are just a 3/0 or 4/0 Gamakatsu Octopus Hooks. They are a little smaller shape but are still pretty heavy duty. Sturgeon have pretty small mouth for their size. 12" leader material, at least a 100# swivel. 65-80 lbs superline, and no rolls selection from 2 oz-5 oz depending on current. Two years about we need 8 oz to be on the bottom last year 3 was plenty depends on the flow of the river.

[FearNoFish]

Room is booked at wheelers point for a newbie to the rainy and sturgeon fishing. Hoping ice is off the river April 14-17. Also for those that have been up strugeon fishing have they caught other spieces of fish. Have a fish spices contest between boats in our group. Do walleyes and or suckers sometime a bycatch to the sturgeon or are those the only monsters in the river at that time?

[fiskyknut]

There should be plenty of open water upstream on the river anyhows. The bay and lower river could very well still be locked up solid though??

Lot's of different incidental's could show up.. Eyes and a variety of Suckers as you mention are kinda common bycatch. Pike, Smallies, Crappie, Sauger, and/or Burbot may show up. There are some plain WHOPPER Bullheads in the system and every now and then a Mooneye may eat the worm.

[pushbutton]

Ahhhhh did someone say crappies? Fisky, if they did happen to be in there, what type of structure/depth would they be holding in?

[DTro]

Rest assured that the hardcore eyeball anglers will have that river free of ice for us. Even if it takes some "manipulation". LOL

[fishuhalik]

So my group of guys coming up with me to stay at Wheelers is now 11. Should be a blast up there! Can't wait to see some of the monsters coming out of the river this year, seems every year they just get bigger and bigger! BTW dtro, my cousin has been studying sturgeon in the lotw system for 5 years now and is just publishing his findings, there's an answer in there for why they're so much bigger in this system than the croix. Can't tell ya on here since it hasn't been published yet but I'll tell ya if I see ya at the gtg. And he should be there with us if you have any questions you wanna ask him.

[DTro]

Anyone else getting the itch as bad as I am? Can't wait to get up there and hit some open water!

[Eric Wettschreck]

You had to go and put those videos up. How am I supposed to sleep between now and mid-April now!??!?!?!

[fishuhalik]

oh man oh man oh man, i'm beyond excited now. ditto what eric said. my wife gets more mad at me not coming to bed the nights before big trips than me actually going on them. thanks for adding to the sleepless nights!!

[fishuhalik]

btw, we're bringing up a couple flats of crawlers, but is there anywhere in the area we can get flats if we run out?

[Matt C]

You had to go and put those videos up. How am I supposed to sleep between now and mid-April now!??!?!?!

Exactly! Thanks a lot Dtro! :p

[Tyler Holm]

Got a group of 43 guys coming. Staying and Borderview Lodge (walking distance when gettin jiggy at the wiggy). Boiling over with excitement. I'll be there the 14-22.

Night fishing rocks, even if others say its slow. Yes, some nights are slow and the fish seem to turn on and off (or come in waves much like day fishin). My experience over the past 5 years of fairly aggressive sturgeon fishing I'd guess yields 10-20% better fishing at night. Maybe its the fact that the wind usually lets up aiding in bite detection. Maybe it's easier to see the rod tip light bounce... I don't know. But don't rule out trying it.

[jwmiller33]

Tyler, I couldn't agree more on the night fishing. I was staying at Borderview late this past fall 2 weekends in a row and we kept the boat in the water on the dock. I snuck out and got in a hour or two of sturgeon fishing at about 10-12pm each night and it was unbelievable the action I had. Literally as soon as I could get my bait down there, I caught another fish. This happened over and over and over again every night I was out there (2 weekends in a row) until I decided I needed to hit the sack because we were getting up bright and early to chase some eyes the next day. Talking with some locals and other people at the bar during lunch the next day, they thought I was crazy and were convinced that there was no way the fish could bite at night out there. Even had the sheriff get called from someone at Wheeler Point resort's bar as I was fishing right out in front of there (must have thought I was doing something bad out there other than fishing) and he came and walked out on the docks and asked me what I was doing. I said "fishing" and he was dumbfounded, said ok, and left. Just because the walleyes may not bite on LOTW at night surely doesn't mean the sturgeon don't bite either, or the walleyes for that matter too. I caught a 21 inch walleye at night on my sturgeon rig too. Shhhh. Don't let anybody else in on the secret.

[wastewaterguru]

fish don't bite after dark....they can't see the bait.

[Matt C]

26 days........

[Eric Wettschreck]

Yup, less than a month away. I just got my repaired props back, some new boat motor oil, and a new reel for Justine.

I'm getting giddy.

[cjac]

The south metro catfishing crew has a couple more guys tagging along, bringing a little north metro muskie fishing to the mix. Should be fun indeed!

Lot of work to be done between now and then to get the rig ready, but we'll be good to go.