# Rare Catch



## MuskieJim (Apr 11, 2007)

A friend of a friend forwarded an email to me containing this photo, which let me first say: 1. I do not like the way he is holding the fish, and 2. I do not know the angler. 

But, the photo is of a 42" sturgeon that was caught off of Geneva. It was caught on 10 pound fireline using a perch spreader. Just wanted to share with everyone. Also, does anyone know what kind of sturgeon it is?


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## PapawSmith (Feb 13, 2007)

I'm pretty sure it's a small Lake Sturgeon but now it is also probably an injured sturgeon. Your right about the manner in which he is holding it. They are extremely fragile and should only be landed in a cradle and held horizontal, well supported. The guy probably has no idea and is in no way to blame. If you have never seen or handled a fish like that the first instinctive thing you do is hold it up and take a photo.  
It is good to read and see recent evidence of the re-emergence of this species to Lake Erie and I hope it improves. I was up in Algonac Michigan a couple weeks ago smallie fishing and they have been catching several sturgeon up there in the channels. There is now a season there, where there is a slot limit for one keeper fish. Hopefully, sometime, that will happen here.


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## peple of the perch (Sep 13, 2004)

I would also have to go with lake sturgon. I bet that was a fun catch


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Sweet. Seems like with the rivers cleaning up, they might make a comeback
in the big lake. That would give us a whole new species to fish for in the future!


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## sploosh56 (Dec 31, 2008)

if i'm ever rich I'm going to fish the lake until I catch one those things are wicked looking


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## Reel Naughty (Apr 8, 2007)

They also are seeing alot more of them up on St. Clair, St. Clair River and the Detroit River. They have a season for them as well.

JD


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## topstroke (Aug 3, 2008)

when was this sturgeon caught


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

Did some research. Only Lake Sturgeon are in the Great Lakes. There are 5 differenct species native to North America.


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

Lake Ontario is holding it's own as well.


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## peple of the perch (Sep 13, 2004)

I read that there is no bones in sturgeon only cartilage. I also know it sells for close to $18 a pound in WA.


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## FSHNERIE (Mar 5, 2005)

On my list of fish to catch..Very cool


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## AngerManagment (Jul 10, 2009)

That was actually my dad who caught that. He or us had no idea they were that fragile. Never even knew they were in Lake Erie. I can tell you that when he released it, it swam off with a vengence. 

He caught it June 7th 2008 in 41 foot of water NE of marine, kinda right out from the condos. I can tell you it did whatever it wanted for 20 minutes. We had no idea what he had on the line. I was hoping it was a new state record walleye at the time. Honestly, he could barely move it off the bottom of the lake. The fish is just amazingly strong and actually moved the boat from side to side a bit as we were anchored, it was a dead calm day. 

He tried to hold it horizontal but he had a bad shoulder and the fish was just too strong when it flipped around. Plus, they have all those spikes all over them. 

cool fish though. I heard of one other being caught.


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

We caught a Sturgeon about 3 years ago while fishing for Salmon on the Niagara River. It was about 36".


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## eyesman_01 (Jan 4, 2007)

Got hold of something about 5 years ago by the turnaround bouy that stripped my spool of 20lb test, then snapped it. Couldn't turn it, let alone get a look to see what it was. Wondered back then if it might not have been a sturgeon. Will never know.


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## bcnulater (May 7, 2007)

The guide we have been going out with for 20 yrs on the lower Niagara caught a bunch of them. He e-mailed this photo of his biggest, a 180 lb. monster he caught somewhere near the mouth in Lake Ontario( I think he said that's where), the guys with him were biologists studying their come back. I have the e-mail with details at work and can post them later. As for how they're holding it, my understanding is the fish has delicate internals and if you hang them vertical for too long it can damage them. I didn't get the impression that gently holding them like this for a quick picture does any damage. I think he said he caught and released over 30 in a 2 day span.

Update: Got to work and found the e-mail. Man is my memory bad. It was actually 12 he caught and he was in Lake Erie up by Grand Island. The 2 guys with him are customers. He did say that biologists say the population of Lake Erie Sturgeon is booming. I was right about the weight though


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## Ramon (Aug 8, 2009)

I can vouch for AngerManagement's story. I hooked one as a kid in the early 70's in Quebec on the dammed Ottawa River. We were in less than 15 fow and I played it for 20 minutes. Had to pull lines, anchor, and tilt motor. He just kept running me around the boat. There was a local with us. Finally he took the rod from me, released some of the tension, and in a short time - up he came. He said you can only pull them up after they roll to their side. Their pectoral fins are huge and you can't budge them when they are upright. I guess from trying to stay on the bottom of running rivers.

Oh yeah, the other thing I remember was that the local gave him a knock in the head so he could unhook him cause he was doing a spin the bottom of the boat. He thru him in the cooler (no ice) and when we got back to camp the 7 pounder was still sucking air. Truly a survivor species. The cartilage idea might be true. They just cut him to horseshoe style steaks.


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

Look at the mouth on that thing. Odd looking.


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## slik (Oct 5, 2008)

I posted earlier in the year that I was in my Bass boat and a fish swam under my boat in about 15 feet of water that literally scared the hell out of me. It seemed to be half the length of my boat and was very sleek. The only thing that I could think of was a fresh water Great White.  Anyway is it possible that I would have seen one of those in that shallow water?


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## MUTHERLODE (May 20, 2004)

Hey Blue Max, neat fish. Nice to see Captain Erics face again. Me and friends go with him in Feburary for thae last 10 yrs and we have caught Steelhead, Walleyes and Muskie


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## BlueMax (Dec 3, 2006)

MUTHERLODE said:


> Hey Blue Max, neat fish. Nice to see Captain Erics face again. Me and friends go with him in Feburary for thae last 10 yrs and we have caught Steelhead, Walleyes and Muskie


Only fished with Eric one time. He did a good job for us.


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## cw261 (May 11, 2004)

I was just going to post about a "friend of a friend" that I knew that caught a bunch of sturgeon this spring - turns out he's the guy in the blue jacket in bcnulater's post.

I could be mistaken too, but I think they were caught just off the lighthouse in Lorain while bass fishing.


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## bcnulater (May 7, 2007)

cw261 said:


> I was just going to post about a "friend of a friend" that I knew that caught a bunch of sturgeon this spring - turns out he's the guy in the blue jacket in bcnulater's post.
> 
> I could be mistaken too, but I think they were caught just off the lighthouse in Lorain while bass fishing.


Small world CW,The fish in that pic were definately not caught by Lorain. The guide on the left is Capt. Joe Cinelli from Grand Island. They had been fishing for bass though and although I don't know exactly where I do know it was not too far from Grand Island. I can let out a little secret if anyone wants to try for them around here, he told me he used a sac filled with salmon eggs and worms mushed together. "One of their favorite food" he says


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## Fishin Musician (Jan 2, 2007)

I caught this one in the fall of 03. Perch fishing near the 'hump' in Fairport. Beautiful fish, thorns along the side. Reported it to the ODNR and they said that more and more have been caught. I thinnk i was #29 on the year. They breed in the Detroit River.


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