Met up at Kory’s at 2:21 AM (I was 10 minutes early, because the agreed upon time was 2:31). Arrived at the Augar Falls parking lot at about 6:00 AM and climbed up and over the old washed-out bridge. Getting over he bridge, without falling and injuring oneself, is not a certainty. Hiked to Augar Falls and we were fishing at 6:40 AM. Kory got bite after bite, but couldn’t hook anything. It may have been squaw fish. He finally hooked one and then we pretty much took turns until he surged ahead. Final count was 4 for me and 8 for Kory. They ranged between about 36" and probably just over 50", so nothing huge this trip. Many of the sturgeon in this area have a few deformed or missing fins. A fishery biologist up there explained to me that they had used too small of a sample of fish for the hatchery, and as a result they had too much inbreeding. Was home by about 7:00 PM or so. Long day but always great to get out with Kory.
man i would love to go and get one of them dinosaur fish on my line, cool stuff.
I laughed when I read the part about the arrival time, etc. because Kory is always a stickler on never being late for fishing!
That is a long day but sounds rewarding. I’ve been making deals lately with those that I fish with (you included I think) where if I am allowed to sleep one way, I can drive the other way, etc.
I tried this on a recent trip to the Gorge (with Kory) and it worked out really nice.
Wished I could have been there!
Randy
Sometimes the longest day turn out to be some of the best days also.
Cool report and thanks for posting. I just got my sturgeon rod from Cabelas and put the reel and line on it. With any luck I will be able to sneak up there once this year.
What is the regulations on sturgeon? Can you keep any of them and if so, how do they taste?
What is the regulations on sturgeon? Can you keep any of them and if so, how do they taste?
It is all catch and release in Idaho, in other states there are slot limits and in some states (at least one) you can spear them through the ice . I have tried sturgeon before, they are not on the top of my favorite fish list to eat. They have a whiter meat, but it is fairly firm.
But even if you could keep them in Idaho, not really sure why you would with how few and far between they are. I hope they always keep it catch and release unless they over populate an area.
I’ve been making deals lately with those that I fish with (you included I think) where if I am allowed to sleep one way, I can drive the other way, etc.
I tried this on a recent trip to the Gorge (with Kory) and it worked out really nice.
Wished I could have been there!
Kory graciously told me that I could sleep on the way up and back. I took him up on his offer and took about an hour nap on the way home. Wished you could have been there also, but you would have been disappointed in the appearance and size of these sturgeon, compared to what we have caught in the past.
Long day or not that would be awsome. Have always wanted to catch one of those big uglies.
Good on ya man.
Where’s the pics?!
Here are a few pictures. We really didn’t take many pictures. Nothing big on this trip and I got videos instead on a few of the fish. I actually was trying to use the gopro to take a picture of some fish jumping but after looking at what I got, I was a fraction of a second to late. I also lost a fish trying to get a picture of it jumping as it spit the hook. I love that you can take 10 photos in one second on the gopro, but I didn’t have any success using it this time.
Sorry the pic sizes are so large.
Great time as always Kent.
Those are some cool looking fish.
Would you guyes have any advice for a first time sturgeon chaser?
I’ve already got my pole set up and have been practicing on casting that flag pole. I think that the tip of that thing is pushing the sound barrier as it goes over my head. LOL
Great trip. Here is a video I made fishing for sturgeon in my inflatable pontoon. Ron
Would you guyes have any advice for a first time sturgeon chaser?
I’ve already got my pole set up and have been practicing on casting that flag pole. I think that the tip of that thing is pushing the sound barrier as it goes over my head. LOL
Yes, get invited to go fishing with someone that fishes for them and learn the basics from them.
wait a minute - a MOD making a fishing post?! 
Will wonders never cease!
Idaho reg - you’re not even supposed to lift them out of the water, not even the head. They work hard to not be caught. Tough on a big fish in warm summer water.
Plus - I gather they’ve got some razor sharp spines all along the body. Buyer beware!
No photos this round? Sounds fun as heck. How long did it take to land them? As I hear it - it’s like working up a halibut from deep depths, and then some. Tarpon?!?!
I’m green with envy. If you ever have an open seat - not a fish I’ve ever targetted, but sure would love to try. Got Salmon on the brain still…
Thanks for the post.
Sounds like a lot of fun. They are on my bucket list. Never fished for them but catching a fish that has pretty much been unchanged since the time of dinasoars is something I want to do…50 inches would be huge in my book.[:p]
How long did it take to land them?
Probably about 10 minutes to land the largest ones. We have fought some for at least 45 minutes. They are suprisingly powerful fish.
How big was your biggest sturgeon? Do you always fish the same place for them?
Great report guys thanks for sharing it and the pics. For all you guys that want info about these big fish, all you need to do is use the search feature above and all your question will be answered, except exact locations[;)].
This is a species I have always wanted to try for. If you guys need a guy who will show up on time and split expenses send me a P.M. Would love to latch into a sturgeon one of these days.
How big was your biggest sturgeon? Do you always fish the same place for them?
The size of our largest sturgeon is already stated in the original post. The largest I have personally caught is 92 inches long and the longest caught from my boat was 96 inches (the trip above was shore fishing but I prefer fishing from my boat). I have an area I like to fish from my boat and there are a couple places that I have fished for them from shore. I need to find some different areas to fish from shore. The two areas I have fished are not easily accessed and I am still carrying scars on my leg from when I fell on a rock a year ago.