Roosevelt Sturgeon

[Switchback]

Gonna be fishing Banks for walleye on Saturday with the wife and camping either at Banks or by Grand Coulee, thinking of trying for sturgeon for a few hours Sunday morning before the drive home.

I really don't need any specific spots (I mean give em to me if you want to!), but was wondering if there are sturgeon closer to the Coulee dam? Like between Keller Ferry and the dam? Don't want to drive all the way up the lake, but I'd also hate to fish an area that doesn't have any sturgeon.
Been reading up a ton and have a decent idea of depth, what to look for, and bait. And have a good sonar with down imaging as well. Mostly just wondering if the very western part of the lake holds sturgeon. Many of the reports come from much further up the lake. I'd probably launch at Spring Canyon or Keller Ferry.

Also, what's the current like in the lake? Is it pretty fast?

[Jonathan_S]

I haven't heard of anybody fishing down that way for sturgeon.  Might be better trying for trout and walleye.  I believe June was a very good month in Swawilla Basin for walleye when I lived there.

Those slow troller, bottom bouncers 1 oz weight and a wormed walleye spinner.   I rarely went to Banks over Roosevelt when Walleye were the target...after maybe '05-'06 it seemed the advantage went to Roosevelt.

[plugger]

I believe the majority of the sturgeon fishing is done in the kettle falls area. There sure were a ton of boats fishing them last year up there. And everyone I talked to was catching.

[Switchback]

Thanks for the replies. Going to kettle falls turns a 4-hour drive home into 6+. And for just a Sunday morning of fishing, I'm not sure that's worth it – I should probably just do a dedicated weekend trip up there.

[MerriamMagician]

I'm assuming you didn't make it up there for sturgeon like you said. If so you didn't miss much! Just about all 200 boats who showed up for opening weekend were left very disappointed. The fishing was extremely slow and nothing like last year. The biologists were saying the fish are likely more spread out this year and last years fishery took way more fish than they estimated.

[Ridgeratt]

Fished Friday we never marked any fish or got any bites. Watch one boat hook a couple of undersized. Saturday Morning while launching the boat the park maintenance employee who was pulling the dock up the ramp said they had raised the water level 15 inches overnite. But the season is still early and I will be back pestering them. I did get a half hearted bite on Saturday hit and then didn't come back.   

[BULLBLASTER]

We caught and released 5 undersized Friday afternoon, all 42-48 inches. Nothing Saturday or Sunday. Warden that checked us said that they caught an undersized and and oversized that people kept and they confiscated them.

[MerriamMagician]

We caught and released 5 undersized Friday afternoon, all 42-48 inches. Nothing Saturday or Sunday. Warden that checked us said that they caught an undersized and and oversized that people kept and they confiscated them.

We just so happened to be anchored up next to a boat that had a fish confiscated. When the wdfw showed up they had already heard from other boats and a officer spotting from shore that someone landed a 63 incher. They proceeded to board the other boat and stretched the fish as hard as they could and measured the exact contour of the fish. It ended up being 63 5/8" according to them. It was taken and ticket was issued. Personally I thought it was a bit ridiculous and it pissed off the fisherman in every boat in the area. I understand rules are rules, but these officers used every possible way to try to manipulate a fish's size including the fact that it had already been bleed out which is known to cause a bit of postmortem stretch to sturgeon. Zero leniency was shown to the fisherman, who appeared to be a ethical sportsman and took a lot of time trying to get an accurate measurement on the fish.

[762Armo]

We caught and released 5 undersized Friday afternoon, all 42-48 inches. Nothing Saturday or Sunday. Warden that checked us said that they caught an undersized and and oversized that people kept and they confiscated them.

We just so happened to be anchored up next to a boat that had a fish confiscated. When the wdfw showed up they had already heard from other boats and a officer spotting from shore that someone landed a 63 incher. They proceeded to board the other boat and stretched the fish as hard as they could and measured the exact contour of the fish. It ended up being 63 5/8" according to them. It was taken and ticket was issued. Personally I thought it was a bit ridiculous and it pissed off the fisherman in every boat in the area. I understand rules are rules, but these officers used every possible way to try to manipulate a fish's size including the fact that it had already been bleed out which is known to cause a bit of postmortem stretch to sturgeon. Zero leniency was shown to the fisherman, who appeared to be a ethical sportsman and took a lot of time trying to get an accurate measurement on the fish.

That just sounds dirty. Over achieving officers there, wanting to impress someone?

[deerlick]

the water level was much lower last year for the first weeks of the season and still had good current in the upper lake which imo made the fishing a lot better. doesn't help we caught so many last year.

[Jake Dogfish]

Good on WDFW for enforcing the law!
Do we need to move the max down to 61”  so sportsmen have a 2” buffer on close fish?  That’s going to effect the ethical fishermen most.
The law is the law, the length is the length... Exactly.

[BULLBLASTER]

We caught and released 5 undersized Friday afternoon, all 42-48 inches. Nothing Saturday or Sunday. Warden that checked us said that they caught an undersized and and oversized that people kept and they confiscated them.

We just so happened to be anchored up next to a boat that had a fish confiscated. When the wdfw showed up they had already heard from other boats and a officer spotting from shore that someone landed a 63 incher. They proceeded to board the other boat and stretched the fish as hard as they could and measured the exact contour of the fish. It ended up being 63 5/8" according to them. It was taken and ticket was issued. Personally I thought it was a bit ridiculous and it pissed off the fisherman in every boat in the area. I understand rules are rules, but these officers used every possible way to try to manipulate a fish's size including the fact that it had already been bleed out which is known to cause a bit of postmortem stretch to sturgeon. Zero leniency was shown to the fisherman, who appeared to be a ethical sportsman and took a lot of time trying to get an accurate measurement on the fish.

We had heard the oversized was measured at 65+ If it really was that close it’s a tough place to be in for both the fisher and enforcement.  it was in the wardens boat when my buddy’s brother was checked. The guy that checked us seemed reasonable and I didn’t get the impression that he was out to get anyone on a technicality.

[Ridgeratt]

I guess that's why I have a go/no go stick in the boat instead of trying to measure with a tape.

Last year I never saw any WDFW and there were several cases of over harvest. I am glad they are out there.

[ctwiggs1]

Anyone getting keepers??

[Ridgeratt]

I saw one in a boat and heard of another one. But most folks had the Luster of  Sturgeon Fever knocked off of them last weekend.