Topwater Rats Are Crushing It Right NowShop SAC Pig
Tackle.net Logo

Q&A AI

Where in the Portland, Oregon area can I catch sturgeon?

While I specialize in bass fishing, I can certainly share some insights into sturgeon fishing as well, especially given that sturgeon are often targeted by anglers looking for a different kind of challenge. In the Portland, Oregon area, the Columbia River is renowned for its sturgeon fishing opportunities. Here are a few spots you might want to check out:

  1. Bonneville Dam - Just east of Portland, the waters near the Bonneville Dam are known for their sturgeon activity. The deep channels and abundant food sources make it a prime spot.

  2. Portland Harbor - The stretch of the Columbia River that flows through Portland offers some good sturgeon fishing, especially around the harbor where the water depth and structure can attract these fish.

  3. Willamette River - The confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers can be a hotspot for sturgeon, particularly in the deeper holes and channels.

  4. Sauvie Island - North of Portland, the area around Sauvie Island in the Columbia River can be productive, especially from the banks or a boat.

When targeting sturgeon, remember that they are bottom feeders, so you'll want to use baits like smelt, squid, or sand shrimp, and fish near the bottom in deep channels or holes. Also, keep in mind the regulations and seasons for sturgeon fishing, as they can be quite strict due to conservation efforts.

If you're transitioning from bass to sturgeon fishing, you'll need to gear up with heavier tackle. Sturgeon can grow to be quite large, so a stout rod with a high-capacity reel and strong line is essential. Circle hooks are often recommended for sturgeon fishing to facilitate a clean hookset in the corner of the fish's mouth.

I hope this helps you on your quest for sturgeon in the Portland area. Tight lines and good luck out there! If you need more specific advice or have other questions about bass fishing or fishing in general, feel free to ask.

Related videos
Transcript
65:03
67:38
Video
Fishing Canada's 1 of 1 River: An Original Film by Jon B. that's awesome good good freaking bite good fruit and fish good well we've done it we've got our first fish of the day knocked off nice 18 inch Smallmouth quality bass we're now up forever about 20 miles we are basically in Fredericton this is where we saw some pretty nice sturgeon jump and this is also where we caught three other good ones and I'm thinking we have a good shot here the water's a little dirty it's moving it's cranking these fish don't really rely on their site too much so I'm not worried about this change in water Clarity we've got some really good worms I'm thinking we catch one sturgeon here and then pick up the musky rods pick up the striper Rod see if we can go for an absolute Hail Mary we still have a lot of day left thankfully here in New Brunswick we're on Atlantic time so the sun doesn't really set until like 10 30. so we have plenty of freaking daylight we've got plenty of worms and we've got plenty of freaking confidence that's that's the key with fishing as long as you have confidence you're going to catch oh gosh starting got him sturgeon baby oh she just came undone that was a good one marvelous hooks that'll do it I wonder if I broke off damn that was a good fish no it didn't break off shoot oh there he is he just jumped
Transcript
05:56
08:28
Video
In the Boat for Sturgeon Bay by OttDeFoe caught that one so there's a few fish here man the only way i can get a bite is super super shallow like four foot or less i gotta be able to see the bottom really good and i can get i can get bit like that just been blowing through these areas with the bladed jig moving fast but that's the only way i have gotten bites are really really shallow so i'm okay with that i don't know that it is the only thing going but it's all i've got going at this point in time it's late in the evening i'm gonna be out here too much longer but uh yeah that's what we've got so far we're gonna keep building a little more this evening got all day tomorrow see what else we can do day two practice uh up near sturgeon bay now sorry for the wind not much i can do about it but uh spent most of my morning put in down there green bay fished in the river down there fish were large mouth caught one two and a half pounder had one other small bite um wasted a lot of time down there there's fish down there somebody may do be wheels so loaded up about noon come back up here put it in a little sturgeon bay i've caught three pretty quick all nice scorable fish but something i just noticed caught all
Transcript
34:45
37:24
Video
Fishing Canada's 1 of 1 River: An Original Film by Jon B. there's a sturgeon I can barely see it I believe that's a sturgeon possibly yeah it looks like this this could be a good spot ten foot that might be a little too deep let's sneak out and some shower stuff real quick I was a surgeon gone got him got him got him got him this feels big I don't know what it is oh my God it's a sturgeon it's a sturgeon we got a sturgeon oh my God let me get to the front oh my God it's starting it's officially been after oh my God I gotta get the nut I gotta get the net oh my God no way no way is this it could this be it oh my gosh in the nut we did it we caught ourselves a short nose sturgeon put another cab we absolutely grinded for this fish oh my gosh I can't believe it I cannot freaking believe it you have no idea I'm a tub of worms and 30 minutes away from going absolutely insane right now these sturgeon have really thrown me for a loop we finally have one of the Nets this is the fish that I was most excited to show you guys on this trip because it's a fish you cannot catch anywhere else on the East Coast for whatever reason it's banned to chase after these fish in the US but once you cross the border here in New Brunswick it's
Transcript
00:00
03:20
Video
Smallmouth Bass Fishing Experience on Sturgeon Bay by LakeForkGuy yeah it's being able to make a living in the outdoors as a professional angler as a videographer traveling around I've gotten to see some really cool things I get to get to do some really cool stuff it's really fun and one of the things that I've I've always wanted to do and I know some of you have wanted me to do this and I finally got the opportunity to go up go up north go where the brown fish let the nice woman and I just got it you know when you get to Sturgeon Bay one of the first things you see is that the water is clear now being from Texas I'm used to a little dingy water color maybe a greenish tint to it stained I guess a lot of people would say but when you go up there and when we got to the boat ramp it was immediately just like well I can see the bottom 10 feet and you can see fish swimming around that that's the amazing thing when you go to Sturgeon Bay you don't just go up there and see rocks and algae you see the brown beasts cruising around and it really is an experience that you cannot have on any other lake in this country it only happens there were these giant smallmouth swim around in herds I went up there to film the show you know we were filming the the fisherman's
Transcript
28:01
31:04
Video
Fishing Canada's 1 of 1 River: An Original Film by Jon B. want to go for we fished there for a bit I wasn't wasn't seeing much wasn't getting bet um around the corner it'll be out of the wind yeah it's a good idea new spot up River Vet water's moving pretty Swift it's only like nine feet ish you're eight feet ish here Sun's going down but we still have plenty of daylight left Sun basically goes full way down here in New Brunswick it's at like 10 40ish 10 30ish because we're on Atlantic time zone which is an hour ahead of East Coast oh that felt like a sturgeon oh I do have them what is that a small mouth freaking Smallmouth this is the exact fish we were trying to catch earlier and you know yeah I mean got her where else can you catch a small Thunder surgeon rig I don't know pretty unique he's this he's the guys that are absolutely duping us a couple hours ago and now uh now they're just willing to eat I just want to eat a freaking Nitro on the bottom what I do with us get back down there bud the bite was convincing I was like that actually might be a sturgeon what a lot down what a lot down bye one more time oh my god dude it's just way heavier than those fights prior oh I'm gonna put some 40 on here I mean it is a heavy Rod I guess
Transcript
32:08
35:36
Video
Fishing Canada's 1 of 1 River: An Original Film by Jon B. is just nearly dipped behind the Horizon all four rods are in we're trolling got a nice slow pace now we wait well we're gonna check out one more spot before it gets too late not from thus far we did see some fish on the graph but it takes for trying though foreign We've ran Fredericton clean of all its night crawlers we're gonna try one more spot see if we can get some Sturgeon Bay for the morning it's been a grueling past two days but today's a new one start fresh see if we can pick up from where we left off and catch that elusive Dino worms Canadian kitkats we're ready if only the Sturgeon or as hungry as I am right now it's time to get some St John's Redemption no more messing around day number three we're starting off with sturgeon let's see what happens fingers crossed man can't be any worse than yesterday ourselves at about eight feet of water today or something a little bit deeper we've been fishing six foot past two days but I'm gonna try this eight foot a little more current over here and it's also bare bare bottom not as much grass I don't think the stars are really keying on the grass the percher in the grass I want to stay away from The Purge today nine feet might be a little too deep but seeing so there's one right there

More General Answers

Loading...
    Where in the Portland, Oregon area can I catch sturgeon? | Tackle.net