Personal Best Sturgeon

[bottles]

Here's my PB Sturgeon. Hardest fight I've had yet. Arms and back were feeling it haha.

 

[RD.]

Wowser, a true monster, well done.

 

[jjohnwm]

Outstanding! Amazing river, amazing fish. I went there a few years back with a buddy, absolutely the trip of a lifetime; want to go back for more. But we had a guide and a jetboat; catching fish like that on a strictly DIY basis, from shore, puts guided fishing to shame. Nobody handing you a rod that has a monster fish already hooked...you get the fantastic satisfaction of knowing that you did it all yourself. Bravo!

Question: do you ever try using circle hooks for these fish? I've only gotten into them for big channel cats in the past couple years, and today I can't imagine fishing natural bait of any kind without them. They seem like they'd be ideal for this type of fishing?

 

[bottles]

Thanks. A few guys are using circle hooks, but with a circle hook you just reel in to the fish instead of setting the hook. I love setting the hook too much to go to circle hooks haha

 

[jjohnwm]

Thanks. A few guys are using circle hooks, but with a circle hook you just reel in to the fish instead of setting the hook. I love setting the hook too much to go to circle hooks haha

So true! It still takes a lot of willpower and concentration for me not to do the hook-set, and if a fish catches me off-guard I still reflexively do it and thus miss the fish. And I still haven't figured out the ideal way to deal with circle hooks when fishing them beneath a float for small fish...

But, yeah...when I do everything right, and get a well-hooked fish, I do tend to feel I missed out on one of the best parts of the experience, i.e. the hook set.

But I really appreciate the way that circle hooks, especially if barbless (as my province requires) usually catch right in the corner of the mouth and are very easily removed without damage for a live release.