When it comes to sturgeon fishing trips
No one does it better than Columbia River Fishing Guides. We offer year-round guided sturgeon trips and target both keeper sturgeon and trophy class sturgeon. These fish are some of the oldest living creatures on the planet dating back to prehistoric times. They can live to be over 100 years old, grow up to 20 feet in length and weight in excess of a 1000lbs. These are big old fish and without a doubt a thrill to catch.
The Columbia River is our home river and offers some of the best Sturgeon fishing in the entire Pacific Northwest. These fish can get huge and we know where to find them because we’ve been fishing for Columbia river sturgeon for years. Sturgeon fishing is fun for the whole family. Mostly because everyone in the group can take a shot at reeling one in. Basically, if you start to get tuckered out you just hand the pole off to the next person in your party and let them fight the beast for a while. After some amazing aerial acrobatics and a few rounds battling the dinosaur and we help you get the fish up next ot the boat. At that point it’s all about capturing the moment for a lifetime and getting as many pictures as possible. Without a doubt, when it comes to sturgeon fishing it’s big fish that are big fun to catch.
Spring Sturgeon Fishing Trips
As the spring thaw brings fresh runoff from the Cascade mountains the Columbia River renews the cycle of life and becomes a haven of activity. Sturgeon begin their journey to the spawning grounds of the Columbia Rivers vast array of bait fish such as shad and candle fish. Sturgeon love feast on these fish as they work their way up the Columbia to the many diverse estuaries the Columbia has to offer. The From Astoria to the mouth of the Cowlitz and Willamette in the lower sections sturgeon look to intercept smelt heading to the Cowlitz and Willamette rivers. Among our favorite to spots in the lower is the Willamette where some real monsters hang out. The mouth of the Sandy is another great holding spot as the smelt bring the Sturgeon in. The mouth of Washougal on the Washington side right close by is also a known spot to catch these behemoths.
Another great thing about the spring sturgeon season is that there are Spring chinook in the river at the same time. Chinook salmon follow the smelt and shad as they enter the river system. When the states allow it, we like to fish both species and go after chinook salmon and sturgeon which offers two times the limits and the fun. If you choose to join us on this fishing adventure we hope you have plenty of room in the freezer because you’ll be filling it up with a decent amount of sturgeon and spring chinook.
Keeper Sturgeon Fishing Trips
The Columbia River Gorge is probably one for the best sturgeon fishing destinations on the Columbia. This section of the river offers keeper sturgeon fishing as well as trophy class. Sturgeon is a pretty good eating fish, so many of our clients like to catch a few for us to cut up and send home with them. These fish are smaller than a mature sturgeon at 3-4 ft. in length and weight about 40-50 lbs. This is still a sizable amount of meat to bring home for the freezer and well worth the price of the trip. Sturgeon is a delicate white meat that has a mild flavor. The meat is firm unlike other bottom fish that tend to get mushy. The average cost for sturgeon is around $24 a pound. A seat on our boat is $200 for a day trip. One 40lbs. sturgeon is almost $1000 worth of meat. Basically you’ll be getting a huge bargain. Only in this case you get the privilege of actually catching the fish yourself rather than buying online or even worse, standing in line at the grocery store . Our keeper sturgeon fishing trips are among our clients favorite Columbia River Fishing Adventures and we aim to please.
Fall Sturgeon Guided Fishing
Fall Sturgeon fishing on the Columbia is one of the best times of the season to go after the big ones. With intermittent keeper sturgeon fishing opportunities only available a few times a year catch and release fishing for the big ones is in many cases the only game in town. The beauty of going after these big fish is the thrill of catching a real monster. There’s nothing quite like the sound of line peeling off the reel, the heart pounding acrobatics as a sturgeon leaps from the water. and the tug as in sturgeon will literally drag the boat around until it’s played out. Fall sturgeon is among our favorite fishing events and if you book a sturgeon fishing trip with us, we’re sure you’ll agree.
Trophy Class Sturgeon fishing
When it comes to chasing the monsters of the deep, we specialize in getting our clients on the big ones. Keep in mind, these fish are huge. When you hook into a 12 foot 400 plus pound fish, your in for a ride. Sturgeon are fierce fighters. They love to leap right out of the water when you’re fighting and tend to put on a real show. After we land one of the gigantors, some of our clients jump right in the water with the fish for a glamour shot with an ancient dinosaur. Some of our other clients prefer to take to do the photo shoot near the shoreline so we can get some prime time shots with the entire crew and the fish together.
Winter Sturgeon Fishing Trips
The winter months the sturgeon fishing is still good, it’s just a matter of our clients being able to withstand the cold winds that blow through the Columbia valley. During this time of year, we always recommend dressing in layers. If you just happen to get to hot because you’re fighting one of these monsters you can just peel off a few layers and be good to go. Winter sturgeon fishing fires up from the months of January and run through the middle of April. We like to fish for sturgeon in the upper sections up above the first and second dams on the Columbia river. These sections are referred to as the John Day Pool and McNary Pool and considered one of the best sturgeon fisheries in the state. There are opportunities for both keeper sturgeon and catch and release fish and best of all since it’s in the middle of winter, there’s not alot of competition for the fish. These sections also offer some great sturgeon fishing in late February through the middle of April as the spring thaw gets the water flowing and fish become more active as they awake from their winter slumber.
If you’d like to reserve a seat on our nice and comfy jet sled and escape the rat race to catch one of the most fascinating fish in the region, give us a call today at 206-450-7947 and reserve your seat on one of our sturgeon fishing boats. Book a guided sturgeon fishing trip today!