Sturgeons and Sterlets

[Vagabond]

Have caught two species of sturgeon

 

(1) White sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus in the Fraser River in British Columbia.

 

These guys not only pull hard, they jump clear of the water - its like marlin fishing, seeing a fish of three or four hundred pounds leap - they often come out vertically, and go back like a big tree falling in. However, they only seem to do this once or twice, then they fight deep.

 

(2) Sterlet Acipenser ruthenus have had quite a few from various waters in the UK. Have had them to upper doubles, but it has just occurred to me that although they fight hard, and head for the nearest overgrown margin, I have never had one jump.

 

So two questions.

If you have caught sterlet, have they ever jumped during the fight ?

Have you caught any other species of sturgeon, and if so, what was the fight like?

 

I have read Alec Allen's account of his 388 pound Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser sturio from the Towy in July 1933. That fish did leap once, according to Alec's account.

 

BTW Alec Allen's fish was probably over 400 lb. It lost a lot of caviar before it was weighed - the caviar spilled onto the farm yard "where it was eaten by those of the farmer's pigs with a taste for the good life"

Edited January 31, 2011 by Vagabond

[AddictedToScopex]

Have caught two species of sturgeon

 

(1) White sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus in the Fraser River in British Columbia.

 

These guys not only pull hard, they jump clear of the water - its like marlin fishing, seeing a fish of three or four hundred pounds leap - they often come out vertically, and go back like a big tree falling in. However, they only seem to do this once or twice, then they fight deep.

 

(2) Sterlet Acipenser ruthenus have had quite a few from various waters in the UK. Have had them to upper doubles, but it has just occurred to me that although they fight hard, and head for the nearest overgrown margin, I have never had one jump.

 

So two questions.

If you have caught sterlet, have they ever jumped during the fight ?

Have you caught any other species of sturgeon, and if so, what was the fight like?

 

I have read Alec Allen's account of his 388 pound Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser sturio from the Towy in July 1933. That fish did leap once, according to Alec's account.

 

BTW Alec Allen's fish was probably over 400 lb. It lost a lot of caviar before it was weighed - the caviar spilled onto the farm yard "where it was eaten by those of the farmer's pigs with a taste for the good life"

I have caught only 3 sturgeon, a 5lb sterlet (pictured) and two albino sturgeon (I think they are could you confirm??) up to 9lbs ( 9lbs fish pictured below) but none of those jumped (sadly, that would have been a spectacle). They don't half hug the bottom of a lake when hooked though and were very strong for their size. I found them at first to be like hauling a log in but then when they realise they are hooked they go like rockets hugging tight to the bottom. A very enjoyable fight as they were infinetly different to a carp run. Such magnificent looking creatures too. Like something out of the age of dinosaurs and very strange shark like skin I found. A very interesting fish indeed,

 

9lbs albino

 

 

5lbs sterlet (and me lookin fat )

Edited February 1, 2011 by AddictedToScopex

[Vagabond]

Thanks for the reply, which tends to confirm what I have found.

 

Your "albino" sturgeon seems to have a broader snout than the sterlet. There are several species (all imported) that it might be. If you get another albino, try to get shots of it from the side, and the snout and barbules from below.

 

...and is that a "Puffin" dinghy I see in the background ?

[Vagabond]

You might find this of interest, and useful when you are looking for identification features for photographs.

http://www.pond-life.me.uk/sturgeon/sturgeonguide.php

 

Just one point about the site.

They refer to our Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser sturio as "Common Sturgeon"

The Americans have their own "Atlantic Sturgeon" Acipenser oxyrhynchus which inhabits the Atlantic coast of North America.

 

The fish caught by Alec Allen was Acipenser sturio, and of course we had named this species and endowed it with royal prerogatives etc before America was discovered

 

All sturgeon in English territorial waters was declared the legal property of the Crown by Edward II, king of England from 1307 to 1327.

Edited February 1, 2011 by Vagabond

[AddictedToScopex]

 

This is an image of the smaller albino sturgeon if it helps with the identification? It was the same appearance as the larger one with the slightly broader snout compared to the grey above. It had the usual underslung mouth and 4 long barbules. Below is a side on image of the larger fish. After looking at the two images I am being led to believe that these are in fact the same fish! Notice it has an eye missing on its right side. I caught them around 8 months apart so it is possible that it had put on some weight the second time around which is quite interesting. I had never noticed until i looked at these images properly.

 

 

It looks like I may have put some weight on in the mean time also lol

Edited February 2, 2011 by AddictedToScopex

[Vagabond]

After looking at the two images I am being led to believe that these are in fact the same fish! Notice it has an eye missing on its right side. I caught them around 8 months apart so it is possible that it had put on some weight the second time around which is quite interesting. I had never noticed until i looked at these images properly.

 

Thanks for taking the trouble to dig those out. I am sure you are right, and you have the same fish 8 months later - they are fast-growing

 

Now I can see the fish side on, and note the location of the barbules relative to the snout tip, I am equally sure it is an albino sterlet.

 

Other sturgeon species have different shape and numbers of the bony scutes along side and back, and different snout shapes. For example Acipenser gueldenstaedti the Russian sturgeon, has barbules much nearer the snout tip.

 

I keep hearing rumours that "such and such has a different sturgeon species in it"

but I have fished three such waters now, and every one caught was a sterlet.

 

Below are a couple of my pictures of sterlet, showing the bony scutes and the snout shape respectively

 

If anyone knows of a sturgeon species other than sterlet in the UK, I would be pleased to hear from you, by pm if preferred.

 

 

[AddictedToScopex]

Thanks for taking the trouble to dig those out. I am sure you are right, and you have the same fish 8 months later - they are fast-growing

 

Now I can see the fish side on, and note the location of the barbules relative to the snout tip, I am equally sure it is an albino sterlet.

 

Other sturgeon species have different shape and numbers of the bony scutes along side and back, and different snout shapes. For example Acipenser gueldenstaedti the Russian sturgeon, has barbules much nearer the snout tip.

 

I keep hearing rumours that "such and such has a different sturgeon species in it"

but I have fished three such waters now, and every one caught was a sterlet.

 

Below are a couple of my pictures of sterlet, showing the bony scutes and the snout shape respectively

 

If anyone knows of a sturgeon species other than sterlet in the UK, I would be pleased to hear from you, by pm if preferred.

 

Thankyou for the information. Very interesting to know. And some nice looking fish. If I return to the fishery where I caught them and manage to root out a different form of the species I will be sure to take a picture and let you now as I have been told there are two or three different varieties in there. I didnt spend enough sessions there to find out sadly.

Edited February 2, 2011 by AddictedToScopex