Fish
Atlantic sturgeon
Esturión del Atlántico
Acipenser oxyrinchus
At a glance
Adults 5–8 ft.
10–150 ft.
Do not target.
11 areas
Know it
Spot it, size it up and learn its habits.
- Identification
Huge, prehistoric-looking fish with five rows of bony plates, a long pointed snout with four barbels, a toothless mouth underneath and a shark-like tail; bluish-black to olive above, pale below. The Gulf sturgeon of Florida and the northern Gulf is a subspecies.
- Typical size
Adults 5–8 ft.
- Maximum size
Historically over 14 ft and 800 lb.
- Diet
Worms, clams, shrimp and small fish sucked from the bottom.
- Behavior
Lives at sea and in estuaries and runs up big rivers to spawn; famous for leaping out of the water.
Find it
Where, when and how deep to look.
- Where to find it
Found from Virginia & Chesapeake Bay, North Carolina, Georgia & South Carolina, Delaware & New Jersey, New York, Long Island & Connecticut, Rhode Island & Massachusetts, New Hampshire & Maine, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & PEI, Quebec, Florida Gulf Coast and Northern Gulf (AL–TX). Coastal waters, estuaries and big rivers from the St. Lawrence and Saint John rivers in Canada to Florida (the Hudson, Delaware, James and Altamaha among them); the Gulf subspecies lives from Louisiana to Florida's Suwannee River.
- Habitat
Coastal waters, estuaries and big rivers from the St. Lawrence and Saint John rivers in Canada to Florida (the Hudson, Delaware, James and Altamaha among them); the Gulf subspecies lives from Louisiana to Florida's Suwannee River.
- Depth
10–150 ft.
- Fishing depth
Do not target in the U.S.
- Best season
Do not target.
- Best time
Do not target.
- Best tides
Do not target.
- Best weather / conditions
Do not target.
Bait & gear
What to tie on and what to throw.
- Best bait
Do not target.
- Best artificial lures
Do not target.
- Tackle setup
Do not target.
- Hook size
Do not target.
- Line
Do not target.
- Leader
Do not target.
BigJoe's setup for Atlantic sturgeon
The rod, reel, line and lures BigJoe would use.
Also at Bass Pro Shops: RodReelLineHooksSinkersBait threadRod holder
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Catch it
Step by step, from first cast to landing.
Step-by-step: how to catch it
- Go where it lives: Coastal waters, estuaries and big rivers from the St. Lawrence and Saint John rivers in Canada to Florida (the Hudson, Delaware, James and Altamaha among them); the Gulf subspecies lives from Louisiana to Florida's Suwannee River.
- Rig up: Do not target. Do not target.
- Pick your bait: Do not target. Lures: Do not target.
- Fish it: If you hook one by accident, keep it in the water, cut the line close if needed and let it go.
- Time it: Do not target. Do not target.
- Fishing techniques
If you hook one by accident, keep it in the water, cut the line close if needed and let it go.
- BigJoe's tip
Leaping sturgeon can injure boaters on the Suwannee and other rivers — slow down where they jump.
- Catch and release
Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.
Clean & cook
Is it good to eat, and how to prepare it.
- Edibility
Do not keep — protected.
- Cooking suggestions
Protected — do not keep.
Stay safe & legal
Safety, rules and taking care of the fishery.
- Safety warnings
Jumping sturgeon have hit and seriously hurt people in fast boats.
- Regulations
Listed as endangered or threatened in the U.S. — it is illegal to target, keep or harm Atlantic and Gulf sturgeon. Canada has limited, regulated fisheries in a few rivers. Protected in U.S. waters under federal law (NOAA Fisheries) and by every coastal state; in Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the provinces manage the few rivers with legal fisheries.
- Conservation
Overfished for caviar in the late 1800s; dams, dredging and ship strikes still slow its recovery.