Surgin' sturgeon: Success story continues on the Rainy River

Lake sturgeon fishing began in earnest this week on the Minnesota side of the Rainy River, and those seeking the state's largest fish are bobbing above more huge sturgeon than anytime since the late 1800s.

A new sturgeon population assessment concludes the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods contain 92,000 lake sturgeon 40 inches or longer. Put head to tail, that is a string of fish more than 60 miles long.

"We've known big fish numbers are on the rise," said Tom Heinrich, a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fisheries specialist in Baudette, Minn. "The assessment results document that. Not long ago a 50-inch sturgeon was quite the catch. Today, no one blinks at a 50-incher."

The sturgeon assessment was conducted in 2014 by the Minnesota DNR, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Rainy River First Nations. Similar surveys were conducted in 2004 and 1989. Those assessments estimated the number of 40-inch or larger sturgeon at 59,000 and 17,000, respectively.

The new data chronicles the remarkable recovery of a species that nearly vanished from these waters due to unregulated commercial fishing during the 1890s, especially from 1892 to 1898. During those seven years, commercial netters harvested 9 million pounds of sturgeon from Lake of the Woods. That was a gigantic haul; it decimated what had been an unexploited fish population.

"Realistically, we may never see 9 million pounds again," said Heinrich, who noted the current population weighs about one-third of that amount. "But clearly the population is trending in the right direction. Fish are getting older. Fish are getting bigger. Occasionally, a 100-pounder gets caught. Ten years from now that will still be unusual but less so."

Julie Peterson of rural Effie, Minn., is among Minnesota anglers who have caught sturgeon at or near 100 pounds. She, husband Greg and son Blake are perhaps the best sturgeon anglers in the state. They have caught and released 1,260 sturgeons since they began fishing for them a dozen years ago. Meticulous record-keepers, their angling log tallies 337 sturgeon longer than 50 inches; 55 have exceeded 60 inches.

Like many sturgeon anglers, the Petersons are hooked on sturgeon fishing because it is relatively easy, it's fun, and equipment needs are modest. Said Greg Peterson: "The fish we catch in May average more than 4-feet long. That's as close to ocean fishing as you can get."

Greg Mortenson, owner of Outdoors Again sport shop in Baudette also uses the ocean analogy when he talks about sturgeon. "They jump. They splash. They fight hard. It's like saltwater fishing right here in the Midwest," he said.

Mortenson said springtime sturgeon fishing has been "a boon for my business and the entire local economy." He said the average angler buys two dozen night crawlers for each day of fishing. Many anglers also buy frozen shiner minnows and sprays to add additional scent to their hook.

Greg Hennum, president of Sportman's Lodge resort northwest of Baudette, shares a similar perspective. "In the old days, it was a ghost town up here after the walleye season closed in April," he said. "It's been completely different the past eight or nine years. We have had a huge increase in our spring occupancy rates. Our sturgeon tournament is a sellout every year." He said it is common to see 250 to 300 boats within a mile or two of his resort.

Heinrich, the DNR's Lake of the Woods fisheries biologist, sees a bright future for sturgeon. "What needed to happen happened," he said, acknowledging that the Rainy River's water quality has greatly improved over the past 60 years due to pollution regulation, prevention and awareness. This fundamental habitat improvement combined with science-based fisheries management has driven the ongoing sturgeon recovery.

For those who would like to try sturgeon fishing, Heinrich offered the following advice. Use a stout muskie rod. Spool the reel with 80- to 100-pound test line. Thread the line through a heavy slip sinker. Bait your circle hook with one or more night crawlers. Then let it fall to the bottom and wait. If you feel a bite, raise the rod and hold on because big sturgeon can take 10 to 15 minutes to land. He asks that anglers land their catch as quickly as possible to minimize stress on the fish. Anglers who catch fish marked with a DNR tag should report this information to the Baudette area fisheries office.

"We use the tags to estimate the population and much more," said Heinrich. "Tag returns are how we know that some sturgeon will swim as many as 70 miles up the Rainy River in a week during the spring spawning season."