Salmon vs Sturgeon Fishing: Which Columbia River Trip Is Best?
Salmon or sturgeon on the Columbia? How the two trips differ in pace, season, skill and size, and which one fits you, your group or your first trip.
Columbia River White Sturgeon Fishing: What Anglers Need to Know
White sturgeon are the biggest freshwater fish in North America and one of the oldest fish alive. They can live past 100 years, and the species has reached close to 20 feet. The Columbia is one of the few rivers in the world where you can still fish for them from a boat.
Keeper and oversize
Anglers talk about two kinds of fish:
- Keepers are inside the legal size window. On our trips, a keeper is a fish you hold for the photo.
- Oversize fish are above the maximum. They stay in the water at the boat and go back, and many are around 10 feet.
Size windows and whether you can keep any fish are set by ODFW and WDFW and change by pool and by year. Check the current rules or call us.
Where they live
Sturgeon use the Columbia’s big pools: Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day. The deep holes and current breaks behind each dam hold fish, and we fish several stretches from The Dalles up to McNary.
When to go
On our calendar, keeper fishing runs January to March and oversize fishing from June to August, with sturgeon fished in the months between. See the seasons and runs.
How it is fished
Sturgeon feed on the bottom, so you fish natural bait on heavy tackle and wait. The bite can be a gentle tap and then a run, and the fight is long. Patience is part of the day, and a guide helps you read the first signs.
Handling fish with care
Sturgeon are slow to mature and the population is managed carefully. Oversize and out-of-slot fish are released, and good handling matters: keep fish in the water when they are not legal to keep and avoid long photos.
Book a sturgeon day
See sturgeon fishing trips, trip rates and reserve a date. Our boats are heated and fully enclosed, which helps a lot in a winter keeper season.
Questions anglers ask
What is the difference between a keeper and an oversize sturgeon?
A keeper falls in the legal size range and you hold it for the photo. An oversize fish is bigger than the legal maximum, so it stays in the water at the boat and goes back.
What bait works for sturgeon?
Natural baits fished on the bottom, on heavy tackle. Your guide supplies the rods, tackle and bait.
Is sturgeon fishing good for families?
Yes. The action is slow-building but the fish are huge, and everyone on the boat gets a turn.
Keep reading
More from the river
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Columbia River Fishing Seasons: What Bites in Every Month
A month-by-month guide to Columbia River fishing: when walleye, sturgeon, salmon, steelhead and shad bite, and how to pick the right trip for your date.
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Top Columbia River Fishing Spots for Big Fish
The Columbia River stretches that produce big walleye, salmon and sturgeon: The Dalles, Biggs, Rufus, John Day, McNary, Hanford Reach and the upper river.
