Alot of work done this weekend - its been fun, but now its time to get out for more fishing!Sturgeon on the Willamette is really the only game going on in the area... unfortunately the colder weather and 3 million gallons of raw sewage in the river are what we were up against! Yuck.
It was great to get out, though! The weather was cold, but the wind was gone and the water flat.
The fishing was slow... but the boys all caught a fair share of shakers. All of the fish had very sharp spines. Back in the spring, the fish were all 'smooth'. Look at the sharp spines on this dude! Watch your ankles when he starts to thrash!
Alot of trash in the water, too. Everyone hooked plastic bags, some socks, and other cloth materials. Alot of nasty stuff floating by, too.It is really sad how polluted the Willamette can be. Makes the sturgeon grow big, though.
Mmmm... Sweet Meat...
We did catch a big keeper, too! The current was dead, and we were just slowly spinning on our anchor. Hardly noticed the small tapping on the rod... and then it was FISH ON!This dude was 45" long, nose to tail-fork. Fat, too!
The current finally started to run, but it didn't help the bite at all. A few more shakers, but nothing too exciting.Shakers are fun, though!
Here is the gimpy-tail on one of the bigger shakers we caught. It was really odd-looking. This was a big fish, too. Not much of a fight, but then, he was missing his motor!This fish would have been a legal keeper if he had a normal tail... maybe the fish are 'evolving' to stay alive longer?
Not likely in the Willamette!
We did some experimentation with the fish, too. See all the small, jelly-filled cavities in the nose of the fish? Just like sharks, Sturgeon noses are covered with these Ampullae of Lorenzini that allows them to detect slight electrical charges in the water. Sturgeon actually have more than sharks. Sharks are sensitive to magnets... are Sturgeon?Doesn't appear that they are. None of the fish seemed to react to any of the powerful magnets we put next to them.
Maybe if they had more iron in their diet, they might be attracted more? We'll keep trying...
Another great day of fun on the water. Even in the gloom of the Pacific NorthWest Winter it is a great place to play!
