Sturgeon Fishing on the Saint John

Catching a Sturgeon has been on our fishing bucket lists for quite some time now, so we asked our experienced ProStaffers Ryan and Theo to show us the ropes!

We drove out to Fredericton, NB and were on the Saint John River around 11am. It was a pleasantly cool and overcast morning. We borrowed some heavy gear and rigged the large circle hooks up with plenty of nightcrawlers. Even though the water was only about 17ft deep, the lines had to be rigged up with heavy 4oz weights to keep the bait along the bottom.

Sturgeon fishing sure is a waiting game! The four of us took turns casting for bass while waiting for a Sturgeon bite. We tried a few spots over the course of an hour and then hit a good bite window!

The first Sturgeon was caught on my line and netted by Ryan, what a blast! It was my first time seeing one in person, and it was so neat to hold. Their skin is rougher to the touch than you would expect, but they pose for pictures nicely instead of kicking up a fight!

The second Sturgeon was caught by John and netted by Ryan. And the third was caught by the A-Team Theo and Ryan.

To top it all off, we had the pleasure of seeing both a Shortnose and Atlantic Sturgeon up close! The Atlantic Sturgeon is slightly more rare to find than its counterpart, so this was very exciting. It has a more pointed nose and tail, and its spiky back is much more prominent.

Overall, it was a day for the books! It was amazing to see one Sturgeon in person, never mind three! We are so thankful for Ryan and Theo taking us out and teaching us how to catch these dinosaurs. They were awesome guides, great company and we learned so much from them.

If you’ve never tried your hand at Sturgeon fishing, we recommend you give it a try!