Sweat poured down her forehead as the fish "blew", releasing air used for buoyancy. "They never last more than a half an hour after blowing," joked Sturgeon Frank. The fight lasted almost 45 minutes before the fish came to the surface for the final time. We took a few photos after unhooking the fish. After resting a couple of minutes, he slowly swam off into the depths of the river.

"I like fishing this time of year," Frank told us. "You never know what you're going to tie into." Late April and early May is a transitional period for sturgeon fishing on the Columbia. Some of the smaller, keeper size fish (42 to 60 inches), along with the shakers, winter over in the Gorge, and the migratory smaller fish have been around since March. The larger fish begin to appear to spawn as food supplies increase.

The four of us fishing caught 2 keepers. It was obvious that one had wintered over in the Gorge because it was longer and much lighter than the other and its head was proportionately larger. Overwintering fish will lose 20% of their body weight between December and March.

March is usually the hottest month for keepers with 20 fish days common for a boat carrying 4 to 6 anglers. The oversize bite takes off in mid May when the shad appear to spawn. Typically you spend an hour in the morning bait fishing for 2 to 3 pound shad, which are then used for sturgeon bait.

1-10 fish days are common, with 4 or 5 fish on an average day. Frank will catch 300-400 large fish over the summer, which can run to 12 feet and up to 600 lbs!

The Columbia River Gorge, in addition to world class fishing, also provides world class scenery. Many spectacular waterfalls spilling down the canyon walls can be seen from the river. The greenery of the freshly leaved foliage is almost enough to hurt your eyes. And if you are lucky, like we were, the sun is out and it's almost 80 degrees.

The fishing had slowed down; we didn't get a bite for nearly an hour. Frank hauled in the anchor and we moved to another spot off Skamania Island. After slowly cruising the area and marking fish on the scope for about five minutes, Frank anchored up and got the lines back in the water. We were the only boat in the area.

About five minutes later, my rod tip dipped sharply toward the water and then returned to normal. I slowly pulled the rod out of the holder. A few seconds later, the rod tip dipped 3 times quickly in succession. I set the hook. The rod stopped at about forty five degrees, immediately plunging back toward the river. It was more like hooking a moving truck than a fish. Part of this is due to the 80 lb. Dacron line which doesn't give, but most of it was due to the fish running for swift current.

The fight was intense for a few minutes, but it was soon apparent this fish wasn't a monster. We boated the 41.5" fish took a photo and released the shaker who quickly swam away. It was the fifth fish I'd boated, all undersize. Total for the day was 12 fish to the boat, 2 keepers, 1 oversize, 9 shakers, and a little sunburn.

On the ride back to the landing, Sturgeon Frank griped about the low numbers. All I could think about was the kind of day you would have to have at Tillamook Bay or the California Delta to boat 12 fish.

If you would like to spend an action packed day fishing for World Class Sturgeon, give Sturgeon Frank's Guide Service a call. 1-800-432-0631

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