Sturgeon Fishing

Recap for 2012

2011-12-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

This year was all in all a great year. Conditions were much different with the high water and cooler temps. The migration of the sturgeon was about 6 weeks off schedule making for a pretty tough fall bite. The Columbia being at flood stage pretty much killed the May sturgeon bite for keepers. Thank god for the salmon to suck up some of the slack. We did a fair amount of walleye fishing and had some great success. Had a blast salmon fishing spring and fall. Due to all the regulation changes on sturgeon fishing i am going to be guiding for Walleye,salmon,steelhead and sturgeon for 2012. Never thought that it would happen but i am very excited for the new adventures to begin. Predictions for the Willamette springers for 2012 are 83,000 and 314,000 for the Columbia. Summers are around 91,000. How can you not get excited about that. Here are a few pics to sum it all up. Thanks to all and see you on the water.

Charlie Foster

Columbia/Willamette sturgeon reports June 2011

2011-06-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry that i have not posted any thing in a while it was not due to lack of water time. As every one knows the water is extremely high and has every thing all backed up. The Willamette is starting to warm up and will continue to do so with the warming air temps. Current water temp in Oregon City was 50 degrees yesterday June 7. The Willamette remained unseasonably cool so there was not a big push of fish to leave the river system to start the migration. This made for an absolute blast for catch and release fishery. There were several days we were landing 30 to 50 fish and out of that 25 legals. The over size fishery is doing well with 4 to 11 fish being landed daily. The biggest that we have gotten was a 10 foot 2 inch. The shad have been difficult to catch due to the cold water but they are around. There are some over size being caught on the Columbia but you need a good chunk of lead to keep it down. Nick from Massachusetts fished with me last week and had a pretty good shocker. Nick hooked a nice over size and fought it for about 15 minutes and then something happened. the line went slack and then it went taught again. Nick kept pumping away and soon i saw leader. Looking down in the water the first thing i saw was the name Minn kota. Nick had landed a 30lb thrust trolling motor. "WOW" It is in the garage drying out. Here are some pics from the last few months and see you on the water.

Columbia/Willamette sturgeon reports Feb 2011

2011-03-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

As every one anticipated the opener on the Willamette there was a lot of pressure. Thursday February 17th started out great with limits by 8 A.M. Friday was still good with limits by 11 A.M and Saturday there was a big weather change that shut down the bite. You can look at this two ways. One there were only 384 fish recorded on the first three day week and fishing will carry through the end of March. The other way to look at it is spring fish are much harder to catch than fall fish which is reality. With all the storms and barometric pressure changes you can be gold one day and work your tail off the next day just to put a few fish in the boat. (THAT'S FISHING) There are quite a few over size in the mix now and are providing plenty of action. Be selective on what you keep to keep the river open that much longer. I finished up the Columbia fishery with some very good results. ODFW gave us an additional 800 fish this year and the season closed 2 days earlier than last year due to all the pressure. I would recommend raising the bottom slot from 38" up to 42" and this season would go in to June like it did 3 years ago with only a 700 fish quota. All in all it has been a great year so far and am looking forward to some over size fishing this spring. Here are some pis from the last several weeks and thanks to all who fished with me. Big keeper honors of the week go to 9 year old Joe from Crescent City Ca. Joe landed a nice 52" on squid on the Willamette. The fish was 1" bigger than Joe. Good job little man and good luck on the trapping. Joe's hobby is trapping whatever climbs in his live traps. So far he has gotten a possum a raccoon and his neighbors house cat (WHOOPS!) See you on the water.

Charlie Foster
503-820-1189

Columbia/Willamette sturgeon reports

2011-01-25T09:40:00.000-08:00

The new year started of great. The only down fall was the weather. 20 degrees and 35 mph wind. Fishing was good though. The season has got underway for keepers. The bite is not quite as good as last year but is still providing plenty of action. The Willamette is scheduled to re open some time mid Feb. The bite should be very good until the closure at the end of March. Here are a few pics from the Willamette and a few from last week. Thanks to all who fished last week.

Charlie Foster
503-820-1189

Willamette River sturgeon fishing November 2010

2010-11-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

As i anticipated the fall opener for keeper sturgeon (Nov 4th) was red hot. The migratory fish shot up river with all of the recent rains that we have had. There was still a bunch of hold over fish from last years fall movement due to the shut down at the end of March. There was a lot of pressure all throughout the river with very good success. Here are a few pics from last week. Thanks and see you on the water.

Charlie Foster
503-820-1189

Columbia Sturgeon Reports

2010-10-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

As anticipated the keeper opener on the Columbia was pretty good. There was a bunch of pressure and continues to be. If you were fortunate enough to get into some fish there were some big keepers caught. The migratory fish have still not shown them selves but they will be coming as the water temp has dropped down to 60. I fished the Willamette four days this week and we landed 30 keepers and 23 oversize. The weather has been great and looks like it will continue for the next ten days. Here are a few pics from the last few days. Thanks and see you on the water.

Columbia sturgeon report/September

2010-09-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

The September anticipation for over size sturgeon was well worth the wait. With all of the good water opening up September fist above Skamania Island there were several spots that continually produced big numbers of big fish. We ended up fishing 28 days in September landing 178 over size with the biggest being a big 11 footer. Several 10 footers and a lot of 7 to 9 footers. our best day was 15 over size. If you did not want to target the big boys or in some cases needed a break you can throw small baits and catch 50-60 small fish. There are quite a few keepers that are hold overs from this spring that will provide plenty of action for the October opener of retention. The water temps were cooler in September than normal and have been stable for the last month. The migratory fish have not started moving and will not move until the water temp starts dropping. Most are going hunting this weekend so it will not be as crowded as normal. We are going to be test fishing some new baits this fall and hope to discover the new secret bait. Take care and see you on the water.

Charlie

Columbia River sturgeon reports August 2010

2010-08-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

With very little pressure below Bonneville Dam for sturgeon i have had the river to my self. The keeper fishery shut down the last Saturday of July and go figure that's when we start getting a few. The over size fishery still continues to produce up to 6 fish days when the bite is good. The last few weeks we have been targeting the flats 25-35 feet of water with very good action. There are plenty of fish in all size ranges to keep you on your toes all day. A special thanks to Ed and Drew for taking time out of there vacation to see what sturgeon fishing is all about. We decided to through squid all day on the light rods and ended up landing close to 20 fish. Drew landed a nice keeper in the 50 inch range and then put the icing on the cake with an acrobatic 105 incher. Ed being the wiser Dad let the youngster do all the hard work and took care of all the small guys. It was a great summer day and there will be more of them to follow. Thanks and see you on the water

Charlie
503-820-1189

Columbia/Willamette Sturgeon reports June/July 2010

2010-07-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

As most of the effort has been concentrated on Summer salmon and steelhead both rivers have been wide open to battle with some beasts. As the Columbia water levels kept coming up there was a huge surge of fish that made it up in to the spawning grounds. There is a huge amount of keepers in the upper section below Bonneville Dam. If water levels drop to quick these fish are going to be on the move fast. Need less to say fishing for over size on the Columbia for over size has been great. I fished yesterday with Max and Carl with high expectations with the falling water levels. I was everything they anticipated and just a little more than they expected. We fished two rods and landed 6 fish between 6 1/2 and 8 feet. The Willamette was fishing very good through last week but as water temp hit the 70 degree mark the bite diminished by mid morning. I will be back on the water the rest of the week to deal with the heat but here are a few pics from the most recent hook ups. Thanks

Charlie
503-820-1189

Columbia/Willamette Sturgeon Reports May

2010-06-02T18:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from the last few weeks.

Charlie

Columbia/Willamette sturgeon reports

2010-06-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

Oversize fishing is in full swing with the arrival of the shad run! The Willamette is producing 4-6 oversize a day. Water temp last week dropped down to 53 degrees F creating a slower bite. As of today June 1st, the water temp went back up 57 degrees F. Keeper fishing has been spotty due to the decline of water temp, but with-in the next week fish should be on the move, and provide plenty of FAST action. With all the recent rain fall, the Willamette is going to be to high for a few days and force efforts onto the Columbia! Shad run is going STRONG on the Willamette and should continue through the month of June. The catch and release fishery in the Willamette and above Bonneville Dam has been OUTSTANDING to say the least! OK here are a few pictures from the last few weeks. Stay DRY and keep your lines TIGHT.
See ya on the WATER!
Thanks Charlie

Columbia/Willamette Sturgeon Report

2010-04-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry i have not posted any thing lately but i had a sudden illness lay me down for a while. The catch and release fishery in the Willamette is on fire for both over size and nice slot sized fish. If you are looking for non stop action this is the place to be. We have been waiting for the Columbia to come up and it started Tuesday. Still a little early but by mid next week there will be fish scattered all over. Thursday and Friday provided plenty of action with 70 fish caught but no keepers. This is the highest the water has been since last June so watch out for floaters. Here are some pics over the last month with some pretty happy folks. Thanks

Charlie

503 820 1189

Sturgeon fishing report Feb 9 2010

2010-02-09T05:59:00.000-08:00

The weather last week was to good to resist to be on the water. With water levels dropping and the fish on the move up stream anglers with a little bit of luck and knowledge of the river had some fantastic fishing. Thursday and Friday it was hard to do wrong. Saturday the morning bite was great but slowly went away. Monday was good fishing but we had to deal with some wind. (It was worth it). Total fish for the week was 26 keepers (16 were released) 5 over size (biggest 7 1/2 feet and 90 shakers. If you were lucky enough to get any of this years smelt you are gold.Here are a few pics and thanks to everyone who came out this week. See you on the water

Charlie

503 820 1189

Jan 29 2010 Sturgeon Reports

2010-02-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

The wind was howling this week but if you were fortunate enough to have some sides on your boat and a windshield it was well worth the trip. Over the three days we landed over 150 shakers and 28 keepers. With the quota being watched so close be selective on the fish you take home. Here are a few pics. Thanks

Charlie
503 820 1189

Columbia/Willamette Sturgeon Reports.

2010-01-25T13:42:00.000-08:00

January 25 2010

I lucked out and got a calm day on the water this week. Just as predicted the fishing was on fire once again. I had 6 people in the boat and in 3 hours we landed over 50 fish with 5 legals. There was very little pressure but every boat i drove buy was doing battle. I am getting ready to start advertising my custom built sturgeon rods soon so if you are in the market for some new rods be looking out for me. See ya on the water.

Charlie

503 820 1189

Columbia Sturgeon Report

2010-01-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

Have spent the last three weeks making both keeper and over size rods for the up coming season. Time to get back on the water. I went to an undisclosed location because of a certain tip that i got. I am glad that we made the move because i have not seen action like this for quite a while. Day one we landed 30 fish for 5 anglers, 7 legals and 23 shakers. I thought this was good but the next day fishing was insane. For 3 anglers we landed 81 shakers and 11 keepers in 5 hours of fishing. We managed to run out of bait (9 pounds of squid) which normally is not a welcome site but today it was well desired by my self. I started getting the famous Columbia river smelt last week. If you can find them you better buy them up, this will probably be the last year for them. Here are a few pics from January 16 and 17. Thanks and see you on the water.

Charlie

503 820 1189

Willamette keeper sturgeon

2009-12-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

We started out the retention week with the top up and the heaters on high. It was cold and windy but the fish were still biting. I had a great time seeing some new faces and making some new Friends. For the three days this week we ended up with 30 shakers and 8 legals. Stay warm and dry and i will see you on the water.

Charlie

503 820 1189

Willamette Keeper sturgeon

2009-12-02T07:07:00.000-08:00

December 2 09

The bite on the Willamette for the last couple weeks has been a Little on the rough side. As all the storms rolled through and the barometer was any thing but stable the fish followed suite. There were a lot of fish but 90% were suspended. We did manage to get a few.In the last two weeks we ended up with 12 legals 6 over size and 25 shakers. This week should be a little more forgiving with some stable weather coming in. Here are a few pics. Take care

Willamette River Sturgeon Report

2009-11-15T09:46:00.000-08:00

November 15 sturgeon fishing

Wednesday November 12 we were on the water for some catch and release action. We did manage to catch some nice fish even though the water level came up and the temp dropped down to 49 F. Thursday through Saturday were far from normal with the high water and increased flows. There were a lot of fisherman spread all through the river but did not see a lot of fish fighting as we were making our rounds. We ended up with 9 legals for the 4 days of fishing 40 shakers and 2 over size. The quality of fish that we got was very nice. Here are a few pics of George and the gang who i fished with for three days. Thank you

Fall Sturgeon Fishing

2009-11-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

November 5th Sturgeon fishing

I was on the water Thursday fishing with good Friend John Beath. We had excellent results. We managed to land 9 legals 6 shakers and landed 1 over size and lost another. The water was on the rise which we desperately need to get the fish moving. Back on the water Friday with more hot fishing. I was fishing with Amber Davis and the gang. In just under three hours we put 6 keepers in the boat with a hand full of shakers. The last three fish we caught were all legals at the same time with the biggest one taping out at 51 1/2". Saturday back on the water with terrible results. The weather that came in should have been added to the movie The Perfect Storm. It was special to say the least. Until next week take care

2009-11-02T06:10:00.000-08:00

November 2 2009

The fish were on the bite last week. We started the week of with some catch and release action on the Columbia. We fished all the normal spots below Bonneville Dam with very dismal results. We took a run about 8 miles down stream and got into a lot of fish. In about 2 hours we had landed 2 keepers 1 over size and 20 shakers. The next day we moved over to the Willamette in anticipation of taking some fish home. The day started off great. In 8 hours we had landed 8 keepers and 20 shakers. Friday was still hot. We landed 5 keepers 2 over size and 10 shakers. Saturday and Sunday the bite died by 8:00 A.M. We managed to land 2 legals 3 over size and 2 shakers. The water started rising on Saturday and was still coming up on Sunday. The water temp had dropped down to 52 degrees by the time we were done. Here are a few pics of some happy folks. Thanks

2009-10-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

October 23 09 Sturgeon limits

Finally we found some fish. Wednesday i ran the river from Oregon City down to the mouth with pretty good results at both ends. There are a bunch of fresh fish down by the mouth but very little current. I decided to give Bonneville one more try. 4 clients 35 shakers 0 keepers and 1 over size. Done for the year!. Thursday i fished the Willamette with great results. 9 clients 9 keepers 1 over size and 20 shakers. until next week take care.

2009-10-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

Monday October 19/09

Willamette River Sturgeon Fishing

Things were a bit slow this week as the weather that we were promised missed us by only 200 miles?. There are a few fish spread all through out the river system. We still need the rain to get them moving. Wednesday i will be running the whole river in search of fish to gear up for the up coming retention days.

Charlie Foster

http://www.nwsturgeonadventures.com/

2009-10-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

Saturday October 10 2009

I fished the Columbia by Bonneville Dam last Saturday. The bite was very slow with one over size and 5 shakers for 5 rods. This prompted me to head to the Willamette river on Sunday for some catch and release. The bite was quite a bit better but still not a lot of big fish. We did 25 shakers 1 keeper and 1 over size for three rods. Well i am getting a little tired of this so i headed for the Bonneville pool with high expectations. The water could not have been any calmer on this beautiful fall day. We managed 35 shakers and 4 legal sturgeon for 6 hours of fishing. The fish were hard to find but once we located the pattern the bite was on. I headed back to Bonneville Dam Thursday October 8. The bite was better but still no keepers. We ended up with 35 shakers and 2 over size. All fish this week were caught on squid. We are going to get some rain next week so lets cross our fingers and hope it dumps. Until next week keep on keeping on.

Charlie Foster

Northwest Sturgeon Adventures

http://www.nwsturgeonadventures.com/

503 820 1189

2009-10-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

October opener for keeper sturgeon/Bonneville Dam

As anticipated there was a lot of pressure on the Columbia for keepers on Thursday. I have been fishing the Columbia since July 4th and there were a fair amount of keepers that hung around through out the summer. The majority of keepers that are below Bonneville Dam are not the big surge of fish that migrate up river as the water temp starts dropping. Compared to last year the water temp is warmer delaying the big bite. Give it a few weeks and it should turn around. Although fishing was on the rough side we did manage to land 3 legals, 3 over size and 25 shakers for 5 rods. The bite was predominately squid and shrimp. I will be up dating my blog every Friday.

Charlie Foster
503-820-1189
http://www.nwsturgeonadventures.com

2009-08-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

Columbia River below Bonneville Dam
Over-sized sturgeon fishing trip
Video today's videos at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPdXhj6MVrM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z457SagKpU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW2O0rWEhLg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7UmvqCPyXk

Today we hooked up four over-sized BIG sturgeon that measured between 6 & 8-feet long and weighed 175 to 250-pounds! N.W. writer/photographer, John L. Beath also hooked up a really big sturgeon while fishing with his favorite small reel, an Accurate Boss 270 single speed precision reel loaded with #30 pound braid. Beath played the fish for quite a while and wanted to put the small reel to the test.

Beath tightened the drag all the way to the maximum setting and hung on tight as the big sturgeon continued to peel line from the small reel, even though the drag was set at about #30 pounds of drag. As Beath noted, "This reel can handle any fish in the N.W., but the angler and the line might not be able to handle as much as the Accurate reel!"

The small Accurate reel worked perfectly, but eventually the light line broke under the constant hard runs of the huge sturgeon. If only he would have backed the drag off just a few pounds of drag, we might have seen the fish.

In addition to catching four "over-sized" sturgeon today, Beath also landed and released two legal sized fish that fell on the "barely legal" length and "almost over" size. During August anglers must release all sturgeon. The term "legal size" refers to a sturgeon that falls within a length range set by the Oregon and Washington Fish and Wildlife departments.

In late fall and early winter I'll be guiding anglers for these legals and should have excellent results. Beath will be back on the boat in November to once again test his Boss 270 Accurate fishing reel, but he says next time he'll load it with #50 or #65 pound line.

Keep watching for new blog posts and if you want to book a sturgeon trip be sure to visit our website at: www.nwsturgeonadventures.com or e-mail me at: cfoster569@yahoo.com or call us at: (503) 820-1189