Estuary Sturgeon Fishing

Sturgeon Fishing
Estuary Sturgeon fishing offers a typical day Columbia River Trophy Sturgeon Fishing and keeper Sturgeon fishing will provide multiple hook ups with limits of sturgeon for everyone. Sturgeon are give strong fights and lots of action.

Columbia River keeper Sturgeon run between 42" and 60" in length. This fish may be retained when caught. Keeper Sturgeon are easily distinguished because they shake the rod somewhat slowly and then they will run hard taking line off the reel at least for a few seconds.

Some larger oversize Sturgeon reach 12 feet in length.

Northwest Hawg Hunters Fishing Adventures is booking trips on the Upper & Lower Columbia River, including Buoy 10, Willamette River, Tillamook Bay, Nehalem Bay & Clackamas River for Salmon/Steelhead, Shad & Sturgeon.

We specialize in Oversize sturgeon, these fish range in size from 6 feet to ? and often break the surface of the water to make for an excellent photo. You’ll be fishing with Coast Guard licensed guide Bill Gaither in a 24’ Willie Raptor open sled. All the bait and gear is provided for the species of fish you are going after, with hot coffee and lunch provided.

What techniques Bill uses or what baits and rigs he uses, where he fishes, what depth of water he fishes in, what colors of lures he uses and several other things determine what he will use to catch fish the next day.

Bill calls his friends and competitors to see what has happened and what's going on at hot spots all around the area. Then he factors in everything else he can to determine what he'll use the next day and readies his boat and equipment accordingly. THE STEELHEAD, SALMON, STURGEON AND SHAD DON'T STAND A CHANCE!

Oregon Sturgeon Fishing Guide
Washington and Oregon are closing sturgeon retention in the Columbia River estuary beginning Sunday, 7-27-2008.

Fishing downstream of the power lines at Wauna (near Cathlamet) will be open on Saturday, then shift to catch-and-release for the balance of 2008.

Fishing for Sturgeon at the mouth of the Columbia near astoria was very good this month.

A flight on Saturday counted 670 private boats, the second highest daily count since 1983. The catch rate in July has been the highest of the year, at almost a fish per two rods.

The charter boat average in July was almost eight keeper sturgeon per 10 rods, said John North of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Sturgeon anglers downstream of Wauna power lines had 13,143 sturgeon available for harvest in 2008, the final year of a three-year management period.

It is estimated they have 364 remaining. Those fish, plus 515 sturgeon not projected to be caught upstream of Wauna, will come close to covering the 700 to 1,000 sturgeon needed for Saturday's angling.

Guy Norman of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said the high boat count on Saturday shows that some anglers from upstream of Wauna moved to the estuary to take advantage of the good bite.

He also said Washington officials are struggling with a catch in Oregon's lower Willamette River that has ballooned to a projected 6,800 sturgeon in 2008, far above the 1986-96 baseline of 1,225.

Bob Rees of the Oregon Guides and Anglers Association suggested sturgeon fishing in the estuary be closed both days, with the 364 fish leftover being used as a buffer on the guideline for upstream of Wauna power lines.

Upstream of Wauna — State officials also on Thursday agreed sturgeon retention between the Wauna power lines and Bonneville Dam will be open Thursdays through Sundays in August and September.

Sturgeon retention during the two months was scheduled for closure.

It is projected 2,915 sturgeon would be left on the 2008 guideline of 14,180 if August and September stayed closed.

With a projected catch of 2,400 during the two months, the balance on the guide for upstream of Wauna is projected now at 515 at year's end.

Sheila Cannon, operator of The Fishery ramp at Dodson, Ore., predicted high catches beginning Aug. 1 when fishing in the sturgeon summer spawning sanctuary upstream of Marker 85 in the Columbia Gorge reopens

Info above was gathered from the Columbian Newspaper and Washington Dept. Of Fish And Wildlife and Northwest Guides And Resorts.

N.W. Sturgeon Adventures



We offer 1/2 and full day sturgeon trips on the Scenic Columbia and Willamette rivers in Portland, Oregon or just minutes away. We run a fully covered and heated custom 2006 22ft Alumaweld for your comfort and safety. With over 25 years fishing for sturgeon, I can guarantee you a fun filled adventurous day. Sturgeon is the ONLY thing we fish for so if you want to fish for Salmon, Steelhead, Bass, Carp or Catfish you'll need to find another fishing guide service. If you want to fish for Sturgeon contact N.W. Sturgeon Adventures for the best STURGEON FISHING ONLY experience you'll find.
N.W. Sturgeon Adventures

 

Sturgeon fishery extended in Columbia River estuary

OLYMPIA - Anglers will get at least 15 more days to catch white sturgeon in the Columbia River estuary, beginning June 27.
Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon, in a joint state meeting Thursday, agreed to extend the fishery after assessing catch data for the year to date.
The states’ action rescinds a closure scheduled June 27 and allows anglers to catch and retain legal-size white sturgeon through July 11 between the mouth of the Columbia and the Wauna powerlines near Cathlamet.
Those additional fishing days are designed to give anglers an opportunity to catch an estimated 6,550 sturgeon still available for harvest in the recreational fishery, said Brad James, a fish biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The catch guideline for that season is 9,600 fish.
"Both angler participation and sturgeon catch has been below expectations for the season," James said. "That left room for some extra fishing days."
As during the regular season, the daily catch limit is one white sturgeon, with a fork-length measurement of 41 inches to 54 inches. All green sturgeon must be released. Fishery managers will review the catch data after July 11 to determine if additional fishing opportunity is available under the catch guideline.
 

The Columbia River has a stable and healthy population of Sturgeon and a typical day of fishing offers lots of catches.

Oversize Columbia River Sturgeon known as Trophy "Oversize" Sturgeon and are fish that will spool the reel and the fight can last up to an hour or more. Columbia River Trophy Sturgeon are strong and you may finding yourself passing the rod around a little so that everyone gets a chance to fight them. The over-size Sturgeon on the Columbia River range from 5 to 12 feet in length and weigh up to 450 pounds - Local area fishing guides catch these fish on the Columbia River near Bonneville dam.

To book your Sturgeon fishing trip call one of the guides listed on this website now as spots will fill up fast when the bite is on.

Sturgeon fishing regulations:

Bonneville Dam upstream to McNary Dam

Bonneville Pool (Bonneville Dam to The Dalles Dam)

Sturgeon retention in the Bonneville Pool opened January 1, 2008 and will remain open until the guideline of 700 fish is met.  Consult the local ODFW office for status of the Bonneville Pool fishery.

The Dalles Pool (The Dalles Dam to John Day Dam)

Sturgeon retention in The Dalles Pool closed March 15, 2008.  From May 1 through July 31, sturgeon angling is prohibited from the west end of the grain silo located near Rufus upstream to John Day Dam.

John Day Pool (John Day Dam to McNary Dam)

Sturgeon retention in John Day Pool closed March 26, 2008.  From May 1 through July 31, sturgeon angling is prohibited from the Highway 395 Bridge upstream to McNary Dam.

Visit the ODFW website for additional Sturgeon fishing laws and regulations that are more current.