Gorillas In The Mist
October 8, 2021
Another foggy start to the day saw Angelo & his son David looking forward to catching some sturgeon. We were going to make the long run again in thick fog and hopefully it would work out. Thankfully I was following a plotter line on the GPS that would lead me right to where I wanted to be. In fact, as we neared the area the visibility was a lot better than yesterday, for now!
We wasted no time getting set up once we arrived and after only one move, we were rewarded with our first bite. Angelo was about to do battle with a fish that he had never caught before and it was going to be intense.
Right from the start I knew this was a good one, as I had set into some serious weight. Angelo had a hard time fighting the fish as it remained on the bottom for most of the time and made powerful runs often. It wasn’t the usual battle that I normally see but he eventually managed to bring the fish to the surface for me to net. Holding it for the pics was going to be a whole different story though as he had never held a fish this large.
Right after the release, we resumed fishing and I wanted to get David one of his own. As luck would have it, he was handed the rod not long after with a slightly smaller one. Not having fished much before, I needed to coach him plenty at the start. He kept a good bend in the rod as the line started to rise and I told him to give slack if the fish jumped. Right on cue it breached and it was actually bigger than I had thought. His battle lasted close to 15 minutes with multiple long runs and even another spectacular jump close to the boat later in the fight. David was focussed on landing this fish and fought it right till the end, when I slid the net under his biggest fish ever! He would have no trouble holding this beast once I showed him how it was done and several pics were had. It was quickly returned and we were back in the game!
The area we were anchored had plenty of fish around as we were seeing all kinds of marks on the sonar. In fact, it produced several other fish including a few more monsters before we moved again. The action had slowed and the fog had cleared enough that I was able to see several other boats in the area. A couple of them had even moved closer to where we were catching making it more difficult for me to scout the bottom for big fish. As I searched for the larger marks another boat slid into exactly where he had seen us catch the last couple of fish and I knew we weren’t going to get back there any time soon! I did manage to find some good fish close to where he was and stopped in the spot to fish. We were still far enough from him not to get in his way but I have never understood why people are like that. These fish are constantly on the move and there’s not just one spot to fish!
We had been set up for a little while with no bites and I was contemplating another move when I saw one of the rods move. I had anchored above a really big mark on the sonar and hoped that it was what I saw. When I reared back on the rod, it didn’t move. This fish was huge! David was passed the rod and the battle began. I actually think that this may have been the best fight I’ve ever seen by a sturgeon. It was so powerful that the runs were over 120 feet several times in the first 15 minutes. Each time he managed to bring it back, it would go out in a different direction again. At one point, he managed to have it about 15 feet from the boat and it decided to go airborne. It was a giant! The fish had actually launched itself out of the water at the 20 minute mark of the fight. Talk about strength! Right after the leap, it once again took the reel out to over 120 feet again. This fish just didn’t want to give up! Another ten minutes had passed before I could get a shot with the net. I had the fish in it, but it was so long that it barely fit in the bowl straight. I needed the sturgeon to collapse and it wasn’t happening! I had to abort the attempt and wait for another chance to net the beast. Eventually he brought it back and this time it was a success. David had battled this fish for 30 minutes. It was definitely the longest battle I had ever seen!
The pics were going to have to be taken with two people holding the fish as it was really long. Angelo gave his son a hand and was nice enough to hold the front end as it was the heaviest. Despite getting several good shots the photos didn’t do this fish justice as they were unable to keep it off of their bodies for the pictures. Regardless, it still looked big!
We decided to give the sturgeon fishing another try, after releasing the huge beast and unfortunately after over an hour of waiting without any other bites, we were done. I wasn’t going to waste any more time searching the area as there were now 5 other boats trying as well. Time to relocate!
We didn’t have much time remaining in the day so I decided to go for walleye. Our first spot only produced one small fish that was released quickly. With 30 minutes remaining, I opted for a move and tried another area nearby. On the first pass both David and Angelo brought keepers into the boat. I hoped they would catch a few more for their dinner but they were only able to get a smaller one and a perch as well. Both of them missed several bites so I thought I would give them a hand. I remained out a little longer than usual but managed to put two more fish in the tank for them to bring home.
Today was a great one for fishing and I’m sure they’ll never forget it. Both Angelo & his son David battled fish they had never seen, or at least as big. David may not have fished much before, but I think he may from now on! All I know is that the big fish have arrived and I will be back to take advantage of the great days ahead. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough!
