The agony of defeat

Great read man!

Bad ass! Too bad you didn't get a picture of the beast. There are some absolute monsters out there, that's for sure.

another great dino report from the PNW, thanks pdxfisher for the write up, cameron

 

  That fish is at her fav mud bar sucking down some shrimp boasting to all the other sturgeon's about how she got tired of playing with that thing up there on the surface, and how she was mildly impressed with it's attempts to bring her up.
   Dude I'd have messed my farmer Jons had I got that ride!
Was an exciting read!

Thanks guys. I really need to start bringing our gopro camera. Holding the rod with one hand and trying to snap pictures with the other is too hard when fighting a big fish like that.

Awesome story and photos.  Too bad you didn't get a look at her but what a rush.  Bravo!

Wow, what a great story.  You'll remember that one for a long time.  I wouldn't necessarily call it a "skunk": you worked the fish to the boat and got a good look at her.  I guess you could say a photo would've been the final icing on the cake, but skunk?  Nah man.  You worked a dinosaur to the kayak, something that I bet not many people could do.  So, props on working that beast to the boat!

I feel your pain. I know how it is to lose a big sturgeon like that. The first time I went sturgeon fishing I hooked up 2.5 hours! The thing jumped out the water and everything. Except in my case, I lost the fish due to angler error and not because I was getting spooled. Foolishly, I thought the fish was tired, so I tightened the drag and horsed him in too much like a newb. As the fish approached the bank it gets a second wind from nowhere takes off like a freight train. Line popped and the swearing ensued.

Well... it's better to have hooked up and fought the beast than to have not hooked up at all. Good job man!

That was NOT defeat - that was an experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!

great report. sounds like a fun and crazy day
sounds like that fish was huge!

great stuff man

Thanks guys. Overall I would have to put that day down as one of my favorite days of fishing. Sure getting the fish completely whipped and unhooked would have been the perfect ending, but I was happy to get to spend as much "quality time" as I did with that big girl

I had a very similar experience to yours.  A while ago I had a sturgeon wrap itself around a sunken tree.  The tree was so heavy that with a fully tightened drag on my Torium 14 I was unable to crank it off of the bottom without holding the spool from slipping. My hands and arms cramped up, but I got the tree and fish up to the surface after half an hour. 

Most people think I go overkill for sturgeon (and everything else). My lightest setup is 80lb braid (minimum) to steel leader with a Shimano torium 14 with a Trevala f. It is because of the heavy setup that I have yet to break off a sturgeon (oversized, wrapped around a tree or otherwise). 

Great report!

Well... it's better to have hooked up and fought the beast than to have not hooked up at all. Good job man!

Man isn't that the truth? I was shore fishing Elkhorn Slough the other night for Bat Rays or Leopard Sharks and around midnight my rod bent over hard and something snapped a 30# cable leader like nothing.

Perfectly calm, foggy, lonely night without another soul around. Suddenly the line starts spooling of my reel and as soon as I get the rod in my hand, SNAP! Then nothing....

Once I got the line reeled in and stared at my shredded leader, I looked around in the darkness around me and a slight chill went up my spine. What. Was. That??

I re-rigged quickly and got my line back in the water and a small part of me hoped I'd get another crack at whatever did that to my gear. Deep down I knew I would have to wait to fight that monster again.

I've been back two nights since.  Nothing. This is the sort of thing that will drive a fisherman to madness. This is what keeps us coming back.

To the OP: Thanks for the great story!! Felt like we were there with you.

Great story! You will never forget that one! Hope you land her one day!

Awesome report!