sturgeon fishing, is this BS?

[uncoolperson]

Sounds like it's BS, but since I don't know much of anything on the topic (sturgeon), figured I'd ask here.

Was told that a friend was told that a friend of his uses live rats (doesn't sound right to me) as bait.... wait get's better, remember that kittens as bait video, yeah that even makes a showing here, apparently some people even use kittens as bait for sturgeon.

Now I wanted to call BS because my (very) limited understand are sturgeon are bottom feeders, live rats just don't make sense to me on that one. But maybe I'm wrong. So before I called this person a lier I figured I'd ask this forum if they've ever heard of rats as sturgeon bait.

[DOUBLELUNG]

I do know of a cat found in a sturgeon's stomach, but no indication that it was bait.

[Fishnclifff]

Sturgeon will eat only things that have blood in them. They don't eat garbage items.
It is possible.
Twisted, but plausible.

[fishcrazy]

I don't buy it. They would be dead before getting to the bottum of the river. I can't see them useing live bait (cats or rats) and getting gators to bite them on top.

I call BS
Kris

[Gringo31]

I know some guys that swear by pigeons for sturgeon bait.   

[bankwalker]

ive seen and have had a few sturgeon 7ft or bigger take shad right off the surface while trying to land them. so i guess they could some up and take a live cat or rat as its swimming.


 

[1morebuck]

Here kitty kitty. I have seen gar take ducks from the surface down in the south. I have also seen sturgeon suck down a dead shad from the surface just a week ago at Bonneville. But I have to call Bull on the rats/cats. The sturgeon locate food via scent and while putty tat has a unique scent, I think it is just a hoax.

[whacker1]

I believe that they would eat anything dead on the bottom if hungry enough, but to use as bait successfully is a little far fetched.  They will go after what they know first, which is fish (smelt, shad), sand shrimp, anchovies, and other common baits that are norm for the waters.  But they do like stink.  

[Dustin07]

seems like a lot of work when dead fish are readily available 

[Blsum]

Gotta say I'm calling b.s. Although if someone wants I have a few neighbor hood cats that roam into the back yard. I would be willing to trap a few for you. You just got to come over and get them. 

[Dustin07]

When I was a kid, I came across an old Brazos river rat named
 Sibley Lingo Bias. He was using some old steel poles with Pflueger "Knobby" reels and braided line with steel leaders. He had a stringer of yellow cat that must have weighed close to two hundred pounds. When I asked him the secret, he reeled in to show me the drowned corpse of a newborn kitten, mangled by the jaws of the behemoths he had been reeling in. "That's why they call it catfishing, son".

I've never tried that particular technique.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=271x430

Anglers from northern Europe are using live kittens for bait while fishing in the Po river for the gigantic sheat-fish, according to police.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/this-europe-anglers-in-northern-italy-find-new-bait-to-catch-river-pos-giant-catfish-live-kittens-585983.html

OR Coast Range01-26-2001, 10:54 AM
I've heard a rumor that some people use kittens as sturgeon bait. Never been able to confirm it though.

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SailCat01-31-2001, 06:11 AM
I believe the bait to which you refer would fall into the category of 'urban myth' and is usually connected with halibut fishing in Alaska.

No one, even in the interest of catching a fish, would be heartless enough to actually use a kitten for bait (the white ones work best).

jkjkjkj ... OK? Don't flame the 'Cat. http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

~Michael T

http://www.ifish.net/board/archive/index.php/t-13410.html

I'm not a cat lover (or liker), but I'd never use a kitten for bait. However, I read an ad asking for people to ask around about interest in free kittens. The ad ended with the statement, "be carefull who you give the kittens to, people will use them for muskie bait."
This must be a wife's tale, isn't it?

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/340629/1

[Ripper]

Twisted, very twisted thinking to say the least!