Stick's exemplary guiding prowess put Jeff and I on the two fish in the photo. The Northern Pike is 33 inches (around 8.5 pounds) and the Walleye is 27 inches (around 7.8 pounds)..
We also caught a lot of Large Mouth Bass today.
I am thinking along the same lines as Scott -- where are you??
We are on the lake chain at Alexandria, MN
The WE will taste better !
The NP gets pickled. Much better than greasy old pickled herring.
nice catches there dwight.......looks like fun.
Yes sir! Good pickling fish!
The stick caught this 38 inch NP on a black buzz bait 6 feet from the boat on the last day of the trip.
Nice fish! I like the colors of the fins.
We also caught three limits of nice sized LMB for our freezers.
It was a very good trip!!
Vacation was a lot of fun. I only had one black buzzbait (the other 15 or so I own are white) Thought I would try the black one and it seemed to work well all week. Maybe it was because of the clear water. This fish whacked at it once on Monday, then again on Tuesday. We visited the spot a couple more times during the week with no giant strikes. Gave it one last chance before packing up on Friday. Must have been to much for her to take. Heart pounding when they strike that close to the boat. My biggest NP so far, but ice fishing at Bremer Pond is only a few short months away!
I was told the go-to color for muskies this year in N. Wi. has been black. Either topwater or below the surface.
esshup, Your last post has been sticking in my brain. I am going to Lake of the Woods. I tied up two heavy black spbts with 50lb Berkley saltwater leader material and a 50lb black barrel swivel to attatch to my flippin' stick. I'll let you know.
Good luck!! In N. Wi. (Price county, Pike Lake chain) the bite was on black topwater for most of the summer. During the hottest 3 weeks, they bit on subsurface better, then once it cooled off, back to the surface they came. In either case, black worked the best. I was told to target 5' to 8' of water depth. Water clarity was about 18" - 20" due to the tannins and 1/8" blobs of algae floating thru the water column.
Nice trip guys. Those big Esox near the boat are a handful !!!
Jeff sent me this photo from the Lake of the Woods. The stick caught this beauty this morning. 48 inches and 40 minutes to land it.
Now THAT would be an interesting addition to your pond!
Acipenser fulvescens
The lake sturgeon is Minnesota's biggest fish. It can weigh more than an adult human.
General description: The torpedo-shaped lake sturgeon lacks scales. It is covered instead with plates, called scutes. Its nose is flattened and slightly upturned, with four barbels underneath. Its mouth, which it can extend like a tube, is set back from the end of the snout. The top of its tail is longer than the bottom.
Size: Lake sturgeon generally range from 5 to 40 pounds and 20 to 55 inches long. But sturgeon may grow to more than 300 pounds and 8 feet long. The Minnesota record lake sturgeon, caught in the Kettle River, weighed 94 pounds, 4 ounces.
Color: Sturgeon are green-yellow to blue-gray to black. The young are reddish-brown. Like most fish, their color changes as they get older and larger.
Reproduction
Female lake sturgeon don't spawn until they're about 20 to 25 years old, and then only once every several years. Males and females come together to breed in April through June in moving water or lake shallows. The males gather around females, vibrating, leaping, and thrashing about as she releases her eggs--50,000 to a million or more. The eggs stick to bottom of the lake or stream and hatch in about a week.
Food
Sturgeon vacuum food off the bottom of the lake or river with their hoselike mouths. Their meals consist mainly of crayfish and other small animals like snails, clams, and small aquatic insects.
Predators
Predatory fish eat young sturgeon, but adults are too large for most predators. Humans eat sturgeon and also use their eggs for caviar.
Habitat and range
In Minnesota, sturgeon are found in large rivers and lakes, including the Red River of the North, Mississippi, and St. Croix.
Population and management
The sturgeon is listed as a species of special concern in Minnesota. Its population was very low through most of the 20th century due to overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution. However, in the 1970s, with pollution control and harvesting regulations, sturgeon populations began to rebound. Fishing for sturgeon is not allowed except on a few rivers bordering Canada and Wisconsin.
Fun facts
Sturgeon grow slowly, but they also live a long time. One was reported to have lived to be more than 150 years old.
primitive sucker. our CA delta is home to sturgeon, i believe the freshwater world record came from the outer delta at over 9 foot, and 468 pounds.
Isn't there a white sturgeon run in the Columbia River? IIRC, they get considerably larger than 500#.
Dave, I was going to ask about how old they can get, but the last line answered it.
Nice weather and great fishing. I took a picture of Lake of the Woods flat calm. Long period of stable weather before we arrived had the fish biting. The fish was caught on a ML rod, 6lb Fireline, and a 1/4 oz Whistler jig. Where was my flippin'n stick when I needed it?
"The lake sturgeon is Minnesota's biggest fish. It can weigh more than an adult human."
Well....I don't know if one can weigh more than JHAP....
Some humans weigh more than others.
"The lake sturgeon is Minnesota's biggest fish. It can weigh more than an adult human."
Well....I don't know if one can weigh more than JHAP....
depends on diet
Sturgeon vacuum food cupcakes and HoHo's off the bottom of the lake or river with their hoselike mouths.
STYX - Too much time on my hands
I love that picture! Cecil is just beaming!
How in the heck did I get dragged into to this?
Dwight has a nice thread about his fishing trip and the next thing you know BAM a wise crack about my roundness.
Jeez you guys are ruthless. Shame on you. Shame on you all. Your mothers are disappointed in your behavior. I can't believe the depths of your depravity. Ann Landers is wagging her finger at you from the grave due to the bad manners that you have exhibited here.
Why is it that I have a song careening around my cranium....
Like a sturgeon HEY,
swimming for the very first time.
Like a sturrrrrurrrurrrgeon.....
There now I hope that song sticks with you all day. Go ahead try to forget that melody.
Like a sturgeon HEY,
swimming for the very first time.
Like a sturrrrrurrrurrrgeon.....
There now I hope that song sticks with you all day. Go ahead try to forget that melody.
Dang it. And just shortly before I head to bed. And I didn't even say anything in this thread, but I'm still victimized! Curse you, JHAP! Curse you!