MI Sturgeon

I am actively working toward catching my first sturgeon.

We made our first trip for sturgeon fishing a couple of weeks ago to the St. Clair River area. Fishing from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. yielded a catfish, a dogfish and several rock bass, but no sturgeon. I was using night crawlers.

I have tried monofilament for leader material in the past, but it's a large diameter line that appears to weaken the knots.

I picked up some Dacron braid in 120# that was recommended to me. It should work a little better.

6/0 Gamakatsu,  120# Dacron braid, knotless knot

6/0 Trokar, Saltwater Kahle hook

Since I took these pictures and made those original leaders, I have decided to use 80# flourocarbon instead of the Dacron braid. If fishing from a boat, I think the braid would be acceptable. I'm fishing strictly from shore, so to help reduce tangles I decided to go with something stiffer to reduce chances of tangling during the cast.

Here are some other items I purchased for my sturgeon fishing pursuits (all available on Amazon):
  • Dicero Fishing Crimper Pliers (4 Crimping Sizes) with Hardened Jaws and Cutters - $16.99
  • Hi-Seas Mini Double Barrel Copper Crimp Sleeves, 1.0 mm Diameter, 100-Pieces - $8.88
  • Seaguar Blue Label 50-Yards Fluorocarbon Leader, 80-Pounds - $48.63
  • Bullet Weights Cannonball Sinker (6-Ounce), 13 Count - $25.49
  • Sinker Slides 1" Red 100 Pieces - $14.99

Stay tuned for future tales of an occasional freshwater sturgeon if everything goes as planned.

If you are a sturgeon fisherman and don't mind some company on the bank, let me know. One of my fishing goals is to land a sturgeon fishing from shore.

Picture courtesy of MichiganRadio.org

MichiganRadio.org has done several features on the comeback of sturgeon in Michigan's waters. 
Another Michigan Radio segment explains that a revitalized sturgeon population could be a viable way to help reduce invasive species.

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