In search of sturgeon

Published 10:38 am Friday, May 18, 2018

LOWER COLUMBIA — Fishermen flanked the banks of the Columbia River as boats bobbed on both sides of the Astoria-Megler Bridge Monday morning, May 14.

A limited retention, recreational white sturgeon season had returned to the Lower Columbia region, drawing a devout following with hopes of catching — and possibly keeping — an elusive, hard-fighting, prehistoric fish.

Billy Hanes and Eddy Barragan were among the hopefuls who made the annual fishing pilgrimage to their favorite sturgeon fishing spot near McGowan.

“I’ve been coming here with my dad since I can remember,” said Hanes, 24, as he rigged a 12-foot rod with a 10-ounce pyramid sinker and pickled herring dressed in fish attractant. The Longview residents, who regularly fish for trout, couldn’t resist a chance to reel in a keeper sturgeon.

“It’s cool to catch something that’s been around for millions of years,” Barragan, 22, said. “And they taste good and they fight hard.”

The first official estimates by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife regarding catch totals won’t be available until after the Observer is printed May 22, however preliminary reports from the first two days of fishing appeared to be low, according to Laura Heironimus, a fishery manager at WDFW.

The slow fishing verdict was common among charter and bank fisherman.

“We had one nice throwback that didn’t quite make the mark and a couple shakers,” said Coho Charters owner Butch Smith after returning to port on May 14. “We have some pretty good water coming down and that will slow things down. We see fish out there, but they’re kind of suspended and not down on the bottom feeding.”

Those who did manage to catch a sturgeon in 44-to-50-inch retention range felt fortunate.

“You feel so lucky when you catch one,” said Catherine Ketel as she stood at the counter of Sportsmen’s Cannery at the Port of Ilwaco, where owner Kevin Ward was busy cleaning her catch in the back. It was one of three sturgeon brought in for processing during the first two days of fishing, a somewhat expectedly slower start compared bonanza at the beginning of last season, according to Ward.

“Last year when they opened the season it wasn’t until June, so there were more fish,” Ward said.

“The first day last year I did more than 20,” he continued. “The second day I did around 30 and it got better and better as the days went on. This year it will start at zero and work it’s way up to double digits — hopefully by next week.”

The approved Lower Columbia River recreational white sturgeon will continue Mondays, Wednesday and Saturdays through June 4 from the Wauna powerlines downstream to the river mouth at Buoy 10, including Youngs Bay and all adjacent Washington tributaries. On day days open to white sturgeon retention, angling for sturgeon is prohibited after 2 p.m. The legal size slot for retained fish is 44 to 50 inches fork length. The bag limit is one legal-sized sturgeon per day and the annual sturgeon limit is two per year. The retention of green sturgeon is prohibited.

Due to the decline of legal-sized fish and indicators starting in 2008, retention fisheries downstream of Bonneville Dam were closed from 2014 through 2016. However, based on the increasing trend for legal-size white sturgeon in the Lower Columbia River, both Washington and Oregon fisheries commissions approved limited retention seasons in 2017, and again this year.