Freshwater

Lake sturgeon

Esturión de lago

Acipenser fulvescens

Freshwater

At a glance

Typical size

20–60 lb.

Depth

10–60 ft.

Best time

Daytime.

Found in

8 areas

Spot it, size it up and learn its habits.

Identification: A prehistoric-looking fish with a long, shark-like body, rows of bony plates (scutes), a pointed snout with four barbels in front of a toothless mouth underneath, and a shark-like tail.
Typical size: 20–60 lb.
Maximum size: About 7 ft and over 200 lb; can live over 100 years.
Diet: Snails, clams, insect larvae, crayfish and small fish sucked from the bottom.
Behavior: Very slow growing; females may not spawn until they are 20–25 years old. Runs up rivers to spawn in spring.

Where, when and how deep to look.

Where to find it: Found from U.S. Great Lakes, Upper Midwest Lakes, Ontario Great Lakes, Northern Ontario, Quebec, Canadian Prairies, Hudson Bay & Labrador and Midwest & Ohio Valley Lakes. Big lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and Mississippi basins, including Lake Winnebago, Lake of the Woods, the Rainy River and the St. Lawrence.
Habitat: Big lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and Mississippi basins, including Lake Winnebago, Lake of the Woods, the Rainy River and the St. Lawrence.
Depth: 10–60 ft.
Fishing depth: On the bottom, 15–40 ft.
Best season: Short, regulated seasons; spring and fall on open rivers.
Best time: Daytime.
Best tides: No tide — in rivers, falling water after the rainy season is best.
Best weather / conditions: Stable weather.

What to tie on and what to throw.

The rod, reel, line and lures BigJoe would use.

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Step by step, from first cast to landing.

Go where it lives: Big lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and Mississippi basins, including Lake Winnebago, Lake of the Woods, the Rainy River and the St. Lawrence.
Rig up: Heavy rod with a strong reel. 60–80 lb mono.
Pick your bait: Nightcrawlers in a big gob, and cut fish where allowed. Lures: None.
Fish it: Anchor on the bottom in deep river holes and fish crawlers on a sliding sinker rig; be patient.
Time it: Daytime. No tide — in rivers, falling water after the rainy season is best.

Fishing techniques: Anchor on the bottom in deep river holes and fish crawlers on a sliding sinker rig; be patient.
BigJoe's tip: Support the big fish horizontally and keep it in the water as much as possible.
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.

Is it good to eat, and how to prepare it.

Safety, rules and taking care of the fishery.

Safety warnings: Sharp bony plates; heavy fish.
Regulations: Protected or tightly limited in most states and provinces: many waters are catch-and-release only, and harvest (where allowed at all) needs a tag. Never keep one without checking the rules. Licenses, limits and seasons are set by each province, territory or state, and many lakes and rivers have special size limits, slot limits or closed spawning seasons — check the current regulations for the water you fish.
Conservation: Overfishing and dams wiped out many populations in the 1800s and 1900s; restoration programs are slowly bringing them back.

Tap an area to open its fishing map.

Sources & photo credits