Elwood made me do it!!!

[merkman]

I went sturgeon fishing with Elwood last year and he showed me some catfish rig setups.

I have always hillbilly rigged (used whatever I had) for sturgeon before but now after fishing with Elwood I think I am going to have to move up in the world this year.

I went to the local fishing mart the other day to get hooked up.

I think I am going to go with the following style setup this year for sturgeon.

I bought Team Catfish Sinker Slidez 6

They have sinker bumperz which is a small piece of rubber that goes between this and the knot on the swivel.

I am going to use pyramid sinkers for weight (I used to use egg sinkers)

The sinker slidez show a round flat sinker - shaped somewhat like a coin

I will be fishing on the side of a sandbar in moderate current with very few snags. The other place I like to try has many large boulders from the size of a person to the size of pick up on a muddy bottom.

I have had very good luck finding sturgeon behind those boulders in the past.

The swivel I choose was a Berkley size 4 135 lb swivel (no snap)

Then I bought some Daiichi Tournament approved Non-Offset circle hooks size 10/0 and 12/0. Too Big? Good Brand?

I use 80 lb braided line but may be interested in replacement suggestions for that.

Can any of you "old pros" give me any tips on my set up?

Does it sound about right?

What would you change?

I tried the circle hooks last year for a bit but had some issues setting the hook and I wasn’t sure if I liked them. Any tips there?

I would ask in the sturgeon thread but I figgure you guys have a little more knowlege on the subject.

Thanks for your input.

Any help is appreciated!!

-Merk

[MinnesnowtaWild]

I'm nowhere NEAR an expert for Lake Sturgeon (never been fishing for them).

But, I think Sturgeon will need a smaller hook size than that. If I remember right people usually use a 3/0 or 5/0 circle hook. A 10/0 would be good for Catfish but I am not sure if it will work well for Sturgeon.

Also I think braid would be fine but it seems people like mono for the stretch factor in combination with the circle hooks.

And this is just a personal thing, but I never skimp on swivels and usually spend a little extra on some good ball-bearing swivels and if I were going for Lakers I would make sure to use those. I know this is not necessary and many will disagree but for big game fish like Flatheads I don't feel comfortable with cheap tackle.

Good luck! I really wish I could do the Sturgeon deal sometime. Maybe this fall.

[Gordie]

Merk with the circle hooks all you have to do is start realing and let the hook do the work.I'm far from being a pro at sturgeon fishing but I would say that your on the right track but some like Dtro (now hes a pro when it comes to strugeon ) thats the guy to get some input from.

Oh and I get that all the time... Elwood made me do it... Merk dont forget that old saying location,location,location or may it should be boat control...

[DTro]

HA..If you call, pulling up to a random spot, throwing anchor, and waiting for a fish to pick it up while enjoying a cool beverage, being a pro. Then so be it

Merk, I think you are going to have better luck with a smaller hook for Sturgeon. I would go with a 4/0 or 5/0. I really like Gamakatsu Octopus Circles. I don’t have a lot of confidence in a true “non offset” circle hook, I like a hook with a little bit of an offset.

If you want to “set the hook” go with a regular J hook or Kahle hook, and if you use circles, just lift back on the rod and keep steady pressure until the fish is hooked up. Hookup ratio with Sturgeon is very high due to their soft fatty type mouth, but still possible to yank it out with circles (especially with a no stretch line). I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Sturgeon swallow a hook, so any type of hook you feel confident with will do.

Despite their size, Sturgeon are notoriously light biters. Try to use as small as weight as possible to keep your bait on the bottom, and pay close attention to the rod tip and line. When in a boat, I like to hold onto my rod and if conditions get rough, will fish straight down for better sensitivity. I have even at times, wrapped the line around my finger, then I feel for a slight “tick tick” and slowly lift up on the rod.

Don’t be afraid to mix in a few cut up shiners or fatheads with those crawlers either

Good luck up there, I can't wait to get another one of these big girls!

[merkman]

Thanks for all your help so far!!

MN Wild, What kinda mono do you recomend?

And I hear ya with the swivels, I will not use snap swivels for sturgeon. Everything is tied up tight with the less hardware the better.

Merk dont forget that old saying location,location,location or may it should be boat control...

[Gordie]

Good luck merk and Dtro you are the man, those pics of those strugeon have pro written all over it besides those pics are 4 more than I have got of sturgeon

[Larry FlatCaster]

Good luck merk and Dtro you are the man, those pics of those strugeon have pro written all over it besides those pics are 4 more than I have got of sturgeon

You mean RIVER PRO........ Dtro just gets lucky

Why do you think I try to sign him on as my catfish partner.

[MinnesnowtaWild]

Thanks for all your help so far!!

MN Wild, What kinda mono do you recomend?

And I hear ya with the swivels, I will not use snap swivels for sturgeon. Everything is tied up tight with the less hardware the better.

Originally Posted By: elwood

Merk dont forget that old saying location,location,location or may it should be boat control...

It will be tougher without your merging skills this year that is for sure.

But I am expecting at least 42 and sunny so we should be OK.

We will all miss you up there though!!!

Originally Posted By: dtro

Don’t be afraid to mix in a few cut up shiners or fatheads with those crawlers either

I like to put at least one crawler on then a chuck of cisco then wrap the whole works in a few more crawlers.

I will try the smaller hooks too.

The ciscos seem to work good since they are so oilly.

I tried fresh and rotten chicken liver one year but I did not have any luck with that. Not sure if it was just a bad day fishing or if it was the bait, but I will stick to my bait ball now.

One thing is for sure, no matter what you catch up there it is always a good time!!

Honestly, I don't know enough about the topic to chime in. Hopefully someone else can direct you to the appropriate line. But it's obviously up to you what you're comfortable with.

[hanson]

We established this a LOOOOONNNGGGGG time ago...

"This ain't freakin' NASA!"

Crawler on the bottom, rod tip moves, lift the rod up, fish on!

I can think of 1 "guide" up that way who thinks he's more "pro" than any of us. LOL!

And I can think of another guide, who I will call a guide, who says don't waste your money hiring a guide.

Crawler on the bottom. Pretty simple.

[DTro]

We established this a LOOOOONNNGGGGG time ago...

"This ain't freakin' NASA!"

Crawler on the bottom, rod tip moves, lift the rod up, fish on!

I can think of 1 "guide" up that way who thinks he's more "pro" than any of us. LOL!

And I can think of another guide, who I will call a guide, who says don't waste your money hiring a guide.

Crawler on the bottom. Pretty simple.

Exactly

[Gordie]

I bet the count down for NASA is just as good as the count down to sturgeon excursion

[merkman]

We established this a LOOOOONNNGGGGG time ago...

"This ain't freakin' NASA!"

Crawler on the bottom, rod tip moves, lift the rod up, fish on!

I can think of 1 "guide" up that way who thinks he's more "pro" than any of us. LOL!

And I can think of another guide, who I will call a guide, who says don't waste your money hiring a guide.

Crawler on the bottom. Pretty simple.

That has always worked for me in the past.

Just wanted to try something different this year.

I might have to go back to my hillbilly rig (use whatever I have) it always worked in the past.

The only thing is if I re-rig I can blame elwood for me not catching any fish this year!!!

[Gordie]

set up next to shore like that guy with the bad battery last year.. he did hook into a few of them and no one was really that close to him. or break your rod then your reel and then you'll be sure to catch one

Good luck merk