LAKE STURGEON ON THE NORTH SASKATCHEWAN
Editors Note: Over my 42 years in the industry I have fished almost every section of the North Saskatchewan River, from Edmonton all the way to Lake Winnipeg where it ends it’s incredible journey. This river is dynamic and a multi-species bonanza. It should be on everyone’s fishing bucket list!
During the summer of 2021, I booked a trip with Nick, the owner of Lunker’s Fishing Adventures to do battle with the lake sturgeon swimming within the murky depths of the North Saskatchewan River. Nick has been guiding for lake sturgeon and many other fish species on the river for over 10-years. He even purchased land along the river about 30 kilometres from the town of Two Hills, Alberta.
Two beautiful cabins await Nick’s customers on the river only a few meters from where the luxurious jet boat is beached. The jet boat is the stage for anglers to battle with the lake sturgeon and the current of the North Saskatchewan River and I couldn’t wait to get on the stage!
DAY ONE
We set out on the first day and within a 10-minute jet boat ride downriver, we were anchored and set our lines. The current was moving fast and the water was murky. We were using 50-pound Sunline braided line, on heavy action 8’6” rods. We tied on a 6 oz weight to hold our baits stationary on the bottom of the river. Three feet from our weights was a #2-0 circle hook baited with a smorgasbord of nightcrawlers.
To speed up the scent trail in the murky water, we applied Liquid Mayhem to the bait. We gave the bait a light lob-cast out of the back of the boat and let the weights fall to the bottom of the river. Once our weights found the bottom and were stationary, we waited patiently for the sturgeon to zero in on the scent trail and arrive at our presentation. And it didn’t take long.
THE ACTION WAS HOT AND HEAVY
Within 15-minutes the rod tip was slightly bouncing. As a walleye angler, it took everything in me not to grab the rod and set the hook. However, Nick instructed me to wait until the rod tip bowed over assuring the lake sturgeon had the bait and hook in its mouth. Seconds later, the rod bowed over under the weight of a sturgeon. I quickly removed the rod from the rod holder and set the hook with everything I had and the fight began.
Instantly, the sturgeon did everything in its power to make it to the fast current. I held tight and let my rod and reel do the work. Within a minute or two I had the sturgeon out of the fast current and pointed for the boat. It seemed as if time stood still and I’m not sure I took a breath until I was holding the first lake sturgeon of the day in my arms.
After the hook was removed and a quick picture, the first lake sturgeon of the day was safely released back into the river. However, there was no time to celebrate. The first sturgeon no sooner swam off into the murky depths and we looked over to see the second rod bowed over under the weight of another sturgeon.
There was no time to waste. I pulled the rod from the rod holder and set the hook. The second sturgeon ran down the river using the current to its advantage. This was a smaller lake sturgeon, and I was able to quickly turn his head and fight him back to the boat.
ALL THE SPOTS WERE GOOD!
This same sea-saw battle was consistent with multiple sturgeon throughout the day. We made five stops on the river and at each location, we caught and released two to six sturgeon. After a full day of fighting sturgeon and the current, It was time to head back to our cabin to barbeque some beef steaks, enjoy an adult beverage, and relive the events of the day by the campfire, before turning in for the night. We needed our rest, as we still had one more day of battling lake sturgeon on the North Saskatchewan River.
DAY TWO
On the morning of the second day, we headed upriver stopping at four of Nick’s sturgeon hot spots and like the first day, two to six sturgeon were caught and released at each location. It was two full days of lake sturgeon fishing and an experience I won’t soon forget.
It’s important to note, that lake sturgeon are completely different from their cousins the white sturgeon.
White sturgeon (Acipenser Transmontanus) and lake sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) are very much related and have many similar characteristics like a cartilage skeleton, a shark-like tailfin, and sensory organs called Barbels located near their mouth. However, white sturgeon and lake sturgeon are very different fish species.
They are often mistaken as the same species and grouped into one species during a conversation without realizing it.
CANADA HAS TWO DIFFERENT SPECIES OF STURGEON
There are 27 different sturgeon species swimming within the world’s water bodies, however, western Canada is home to only two species. The white sturgeon and the lake sturgeon.
There are hatcheries scattered around the world for white sturgeon but the last remaining truly wild white sturgeon calls the Fraser River in British Columbia and its tributaries home. White sturgeon are the largest and most recognized of all the sturgeon species and can grow in excess of 15 feet and reach over 1,000 pounds.
White sturgeon are most commonly distinguished by two rows of four to eight bony plates covered in a protective armour called Scutes. White sturgeon can vary in colour from gray to olive and brown with a creamy white belly. Their nose can also vary in shape. There are more subtle differences but if you’re sturgeon fishing within the province of British Columbia, you’re catching white sturgeon.
Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) can be found in many of the prairie province’s river systems and well into the province of Ontario.
ALBERTA HAS LAKE STURGEON
The bulk of Alberta’s Lake sturgeon are found in southern part of the province. They can be found swimming within the Bow River, Oldman River, and the South Saskatchewan River.
The North Saskatchewan River has a population of lake sturgeon as well. Lake sturgeon have very similar characteristics as white sturgeon. Armour plates and Scutes also cover the lake sturgeon’s body and colorations also vary from green, stained brown, to gray. A lake sturgeon’s body is more streamlined than white sturgeon and they are not known to get as big as white sturgeon. This is often where confusion can come in during a conversation.
LAKE STUREGON ARE SMALLER
If you’re talking about catching a five to six-foot white sturgeon that is a great white sturgeon and something to be proud of. However, if you’re talking about catching a five to six-foot lake sturgeon that is a huge lake sturgeon. Three to five-foot lake sturgeon are common in Alberta and a six-foot or larger lake sturgeon is huge for any province. If you’re fishing sturgeon in Alberta, you’re catching lake sturgeon.
SUMMARY
If you’re looking for an incredible river fishing adventure this summer, give Nick at Lunker’s Fishing Adventures a call and do battle with the lake sturgeon that call the stained water of the North Saskatchewan River home.