Sturgeon Fishing on the Columbia River

So, my brother-in-law, Wilson, gave me an Abu Garcia fishing reel as a gift one year for Christmas, and for my birthday one year, he completed the set-up with a Dawia Eliminator fishing rod. It was a one of the greatest gifts I’d ever received, and I couldn’t wait to go out on the water to fish with it, and thus the reason for the post.

Wilson called last Wednesday evening, inviting me to go sturgeon fishing that Friday on the Columbia River, which borders Oregon and Washington. Believe me, when one has the opportunity to go sturgeon fishing on the Columbia, he or she doesn't, under any circumstances, turn it down. What's even better is that the weather in Oregon was just starting to turn nice, which would mean there would be a ninety-degree day on the river.

Here's a little background and some food for thought: Sturgeon are, in every sense of the phrase, living dinosaurs. Specifically, white sturgeon, which are often referred to as the Pacific Sturgeon, Oregon Sturgeon, and the Columbia Sturgeon that can grow up to fifteen feet long and live to be well over 100 years old. In Oregon, to keep a sturgeon you have caught, it has to be at least 42 inches long; otherwise, you have to let it go.

Everyone whom Wilson works with has a nickname: Wilson has been given the name" the Fatty," and Charlie is nothing other than "the Captain," because he owns the boat. What's my nickname, you ask? Well, they started calling me "Young David Ryan" on our first trip, and, well, it stuck. Although Charlie told me on this last trip that they could only call me Young David Ryan for two more years, since I'll turn thirty. Wilson started calling me "DR" while on this last trip, which I think has the potential to stick, but we’ll see.

Since my pole hadn’t ever caught a sturgeon, or any fish for that matter, the Captain and the Fatty referred to it as a “virgin.” However, I was bound and determined to change that fact on this trip. The pictures below show the two “keepers” that my pole caught, and is now the “lucky pole.” The two sturgeons we kept measured 46 and 49 inches long. Enjoy the photos!

Here's the first "Keeper"

"The Captain" holding up both "Keepers." Yes, I caught both on my pole.

"The Fatty" proudly holding up a "non-keeper."

Cooking the sturgeon to eat!