Snake River Sturgeon Fishing

Sturgeon fishing is great in the middle portion of the free flowing Snake River in Idaho. This area has a stable population of sturgeon. Idaho is a catch and release fishery for sturgeon fishing, which is good throughout much of the spring, summer and into the late fall months.

We are lucky enough to have great sturgeon fishing just minutes from our house along the Snake River in Idaho and we fish for them on almost a weekly basis throughout the summer. Many of the sturgeon we catch are small, young fish, but we catch a lot of fish in the large size, (5-7 feet) and a few people even catch fish that are nine feet plus and weigh well over 500 pounds!

Here are a few of our sturgeon fishing pictures from last year:

We love to take people sturgeon fishing who have never caught one before. When someone hooks into a sturgeon, all eyes watch the line until finally you see bubbles rise as the fish tires (and so does the fisherman). There is the flash of white and a great shadow appears in the green depths of the water. A few more pumps of the rod and perhaps a little help from those around you to get this fish to the point where someone moves into the water to roll the fish over in the shallow water, takes a few pictures and removes the hook. Then it’s time for a much needed rest and possibly even an adult beverage.

My favorite part about sturgeon fishing is turning it loose so that someday this same sturgeon will give another fisherman the thrill of a lifetime. It bothers me not at all that Idaho sturgeon fishing is catch and release. Part of the fun for me is watching them swim away to be caught again on another day.