Sturgeon Noose

[Hibbing]

Curious if anyone has any experience with this tool. Apparently, it slips over the tail, tightens up and you can lift the fish right out of the water. Does it harm the fish? Are they even legal in MN?

I would think that it could damaage the tail. Any comments?

[Black_Bay]

The tails on sturgeon are so thin I suspect that this toll would do damage to the fish. Landing nets are so much easier to use for the angler and the fish.

[Flaco651]

I would recommend landing nets, or one hand by the tail and the other under the belly to lift them into the boat. If its a real beast you might need another guy for assistance.

[Hibbing]

I've caught many sturgeon over the years and have always used a net. Some guys I fish with are going to try the "Tailer" noose system and I'm just curious if it can harm the fish.

[Flaco651]

If the tailer noose is all they are being lifted by without a supporting hand under the sturgeons stomach, I bet it could be harmful. On the larger fish anyway.

[mainbutter]

From what I understand, it's the only way to handle fish that are too big for a net, like those white sturgeon out west. They don't make nets big enough for those guys.

[DTro]

I think the noose is a good idea, especially for the really big fish, and Hibbing I know that you know exactly what I’m talking about

I don’t think I would use the noose as an only means of a hoist though. I would use it to first secure the fish, then raise the tail out of the water and have another person grab the head/mid section and do a tag team.

Last year, I was getting pretty good at reaching down quick and snatching the tail section with my hand and then putting my other hand under the belly to boat it.

Takes up a lot less room than a net, especially the kind of net it takes for the big girls.

They aren't allowed to take those big fish out West out of the water, so the noose systems are a great way to secure the fish to allow them to turn them upside down which kind of paralyzes them so that they can remove the hook.

[Jim Uran]

Yeah I think just grabbing the tail is pretty effective, That's all I have ever done, I did it on it 55"+ sturgeon last year. When we were kids we used to raise [PoorWordUsage] with them up on the Littlefork river when they were making their spring run. I know it probably wasn't legal or anything but we'd try to wrestle them in.(never succesful of course) I think we were about 12 years old.

[Tim_Anderson]

I second what dtro said.

I always have my big Beckman musky net in the boat, and we use it some of the time. If it's a clients first big sturgeon, or if it's just a truly monsterous fish, then we net it. But if you're really getting into the sturgeon, netting every one gets to be kind of redundant, and, it's harder on the fish.

Like dtro, I usually grab the tail in my right hand, and support the middle/head of the fish in my left hand, and then hoist it into the boat for a quick photo and measurement. Their skin is somewhat raspy, kinda like sandpaper, so it really helps in keeping your grip. The tail noose would probably make it easier for two guys to do the job, as some of these sturgies are alot to handle for one guy!

I've seen them use the tail noose on TV on many of the shark tournaments. They use it to control the shark beside the boat, and also as a means of hoisting the fish. Seems to work pretty well, and is a big part of their overall success. The main difference being that they don't mess with the shark's head. They use the noose to hoist the shark when it's being harvested. The vast majority of sturgies are released...they must be.

I wouldn't want to see the noose used this way (as a sole means of hoisting it) on sturgies. Their tails are very thin...amazingly so for the size of some of these beasts. Most of their weight is in the front third, unless you get an egg-laden female...then you can find alot of weight in the middle. But you don't want to support all that weight on that little tail. Kinda like one of us being hung by our necks. It's a weak spot, and can do some nasty stuff to the spine. This ain't the wild west!

Besides, unlike the shark, the business end of a sturgie is completely harmless. Some guys have no problem getting WAY up close and personal with them (see avatar of Ralph Wiggum)! I get a big kick out of that every time I see it.

Have never seen a tail noose on the Rainy. Maybe this will be the year?