White sturgeon

Huge, prehistoric-looking fish with no scales, five rows of bony plates (scutes) along the body, a shark-like tail, a long snout and four barbels in front of a toothless mouth.

3–6 ft.

Over 12 ft and 1,000 lb — the largest freshwater fish in North America.

Shrimp, clams, worms, crabs, herring and other fish picked off the bottom.

Huge, slow-growing bottom feeder that cruises deep channels in big bays, estuaries and rivers.

Found from Central & Northern California and Oregon & Washington. San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun bays, the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, and the Columbia River and its estuary.

San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun bays, the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, and the Columbia River and its estuary.

15–60 ft channels.

On the bottom in channels 15–60 ft deep.

Winter and early spring in San Francisco Bay; spring and summer in the lower Columbia when open.

Any time; the bite follows the tide.

Big tides; the bite is best around the change.

After winter rains push bait and shrimp into the bay.

Ghost shrimp, grass shrimp, mud shrimp, eel, herring and anchovies.

Almost always caught on bait.

Heavy 7–8 ft rod with a big conventional reel.

6/0–8/0 barbless circle hooks (required in many areas).

50–80 lb braid.

60–80 lb mono.

Anchor on the edge of a channel and fish bait on the bottom with a sliding sinker. Watch the rod tip for the light pumping bite, then set hard.

Sturgeon can live over 100 years — keep big fish in the water for the photo and release them.

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.

Good eating when fresh.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

Firm, meaty white flesh — excellent smoked or grilled.

A big sturgeon can weigh hundreds of pounds — keep oversize fish in the water and release them quickly.

Very tightly controlled: a strict slot limit, report card, barbless hooks and closed areas; some fisheries are catch-and-release only. Check CDFW, ODFW or WDFW before fishing. Licenses, size and bag limits and seasons are set by each state — the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (wildlife.ca.gov), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (myodfw.com) and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (wdfw.wa.gov) — together with NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Fishery Management Council. Rules change often, and many areas are no-take marine reserves: check before you go.

Keep only what you'll eat, release the rest quickly, and follow size and bag limits.