Catching river giants on Idaho’s Snake River

Grant Olsen, KSL.com

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — The largest gamefish successful Utah waters are typically tiger muskies, bluish pike, reservoir trout and striped bass — immoderate of which tin transcend 50 inches successful magnitude and extremity nan scales astatine astir 50 pounds. Many different states successful nan region boast akin food type that autumn wrong those aforesaid wide size ranges (give aliases return a fewer inches and pounds).

Idaho is successful a convention of its own.

North America’s largest freshwater food species, nan achromatic sturgeon, lives successful immoderate of nan Gem State’s rivers and they almost make a full-grown tiger musky look for illustration a sardine. Just really large do these sturgeon get? The existent catch-and-release record, group by Utah angler Greg Poulsen successful 2022, measured 10 feet, 4 inches. Since nan food wasn’t removed from nan water, it’s intolerable to cognize its nonstop weight. But humanities drawback records bespeak immoderate achromatic sturgeon person exceeded 1,500 pounds.

That’s correct … sturgeon tin measurement much than a expansive piano.

As a trout angler who seldom catches thing bigger than 3 pounds, I precocious decided it was clip to acquisition sturgeon sportfishing firsthand. The Snake River holds nan healthiest population, truthful I headed up to walk a mates days pinch my friend, Zach Bush, a diehard extreme who has landed much than a 1000 sturgeon and posts astir his exploits connected Instagram. He spends countless days connected nan stream and enjoys sharing his knowledge. And speaking of sharing, he was moreover benignant capable to fto maine usage 1 of his sturgeon rods (turns retired nan ultralight combo I usage successful nan Uintas wouldn’t rather walk muster).

Right retired of nan gate, my friend explained immoderate of nan typical rules of nan sport. For example, your hooks request to beryllium barbless and your sinker must person a sliding rig. These regulations were put successful spot by nan Idaho Department of Fish and Game to thief sturgeon rebound aft a sadistic play of clip from nan early 1900s to nan 1970s, erstwhile factors for illustration nan building of hydroelectric dams, contamination and over-harvesting caused sturgeon numbers to plummet.

The authorities agency besides introduced nan catch-and-release argumentation successful 1971, which still stands. And, it partners pinch Idaho Power connected conservation efforts that are making a awesome impact. While retired connected nan river, Bush and I really saw a vessel afloat of nan program’s biologists walking upriver for a project.

In bid to hook into a sturgeon, we utilized dense weights and ample baits. White sturgeon unrecorded successful heavy pools and usage their whiskers to find food. While their fare historically included salmon, steelhead and freshwater mussels, nan beingness of modern dams has forced sturgeon to accommodate to their much constricted environments and find caller nutrient sources.

For nan first fewer hours of our trip, we hooked thing but bluish pikeminnows. These food are autochthonal to nan stream and stock a emotion for galore of nan baits we were throwing retired for nan sturgeon. The largest pikeminnow we caught was astir apt 4 pounds, which would’ve been a thrill successful astir different settings. Instead, we considered it a nuisance, keeping america from nan eventual prize.

As nighttime fell complete nan river, we began to spot sturgeon jumping successful nan water. At 1 point, we watched successful awe arsenic an 8-footer swam correct past us.

Well past midnight, my rod bent complete for illustration a candy cane. After mounting nan hook, nan conflict was on. The sturgeon headed downstream successful nan beardown current, ripping statement disconnected my reel. We cautiously added much drag, because having a sturgeon “spool” you doesn’t conscionable mean you’ll suffer nan fish. It besides leaves nan food trailing hundreds of feet of line, which tin beryllium disastrous to its health.

We yet brought nan food adjacent to statement and Bush instructed maine to guideline it into a muddy area beneath us. Dragging a sturgeon complete rocks is an easy measurement to injure it, truthful we cautiously avoided immoderate unsmooth terrain.

Grant Olsen poses pinch his first-ever sturgeon from nan Snake River. | (Photo: Zach Bush)

My food measured astir 6 feet long, a modest-sized sturgeon for that agelong of nan Snake River. But it was a marvel to me. Powerful and prehistoric looking, it was honestly 1 of nan astir unthinkable creatures I’ve ever seen.

After a fewer speedy photos, we nudged nan sturgeon backmost into nan river. With a flick of its tail, it vanished into nan acheronian water.

There person been plentifulness of 9-foot sturgeons caught successful nan area wherever we fished. And 10-footers person been landed not excessively acold away. So, nan mobility is, wherever is nan more-than-10-foot elephantine that will break nan existent Idaho record? Perhaps it’s swimming successful C.J. Strike Reservoir. Or it mightiness beryllium lurking successful Hells Canyon.

With nan Idaho Fish and Game and Idaho Power moving conservation programs and anglers taking other attraction successful landing and releasing their fish, nan early is agleam for these sturgeon.

And it’s only a matter of clip earlier a caller grounds rises up from nan deep.