There is no question that I love adventure. As I get older, the adrenalin rushes need to be fueled on a somewhat regular basis. Well I have to say that although I don't know what the good Lord has in store for me, if it even comes close to this recent adventure, I cannot imagine what it will be. I'm sure most of you have seen the commercials and ads for Gerbing's Core Heat on the Midwest Outdoors television show. As a waterfowl hunter and a guy who enjoys the winters I am a big fan of their product line. Recently I flew out to Oregon to meet with friend and sales representative, Colby Wright as we were going over some new promotions for Gerbing's as well as checking out new additions to their product line. I was also there to meet up Dan and Mark Ferguson. They would make up our team of four and we set out to pursue the biggest fish in fresh water, the white Sturgeon!
Pulling into the parking lot of Rooster Run State park, the rock formations that lined the Columbia River Gorge immediately grab and hold your attention. They are incredibly beautiful and the rest of the scenery along the gorge is enough to fill your heart and mind on any given day. It's absolutely beautiful. The four of us walked down to the dock and meet our captain for the day, Jon Ball. Jon has fished the Columbia for decades and knows it better than probably anyone. That would become apparent in a very short amount of time. We loaded up into Jon's large and comfortable 25' North River boat. We headed off up river and shortly anchored over a hole that Jon wanted to fish. A large anchor is released to the bottom and then Jon lets out enough line to position us close to the structure change in the bottom. The anchor is that connected to a large float to mark its position. More on why that has to be done later. The large 7/0 hooks are baited with fresh 2 pound shad than are cut to be easily picked up by the sturgeon and so that each bait leaves a scent trail. They entire set up is connected to a 80 pound braided line and a large lead ball to take it to the bottom where the sturgeon feed. Highly efficient Ugly Stick Tuna rods are used to cast the entire set up out and behind the boat.
We set up, sit down and wait. It does not take long before one of the rods is hit. The rod bends hard and line starts to go out. Jon tells me to pick up the rod and wait for the sturgeon to pull hard before I set up on him. ALWAYS listen to your captain/guide. They know better than you because of their experience so trust them with that! I did as I was instructed, set the hook and was immediately connected to power I had never felt before. The rest of our team reeled in the other 3 rods and secured a fighting belt around my waist. The fight was on. Now the captain goes to the front of the boat. And releases our boat from the anchor. The large float I mentioned earlier marks where our anchor chain is, so we can easily return and reposition once we are done fighting the fish. You can't stay anchored, because these monster fish swim upstream or wherever they want! You just fight, follow and hang on!
I am now ten minutes into the fight and our captain yells, "It's coming up!" What happened next I will never forget. This big monster of a fish comes leaping out of the water! At over 7 feet long I am stunned and almost forgot that I was fighting this fish! It's an incredible realization of what is attached at the end of my line. Our captain smiles and says, "That's a nice one but we will catch bigger today." I think to myself, I still have to get this creature in and he's talking about bigger fish! The fight last about 30 minutes and finally boat side, I get to touch the 7.5 foot long sturgeon that weighs close to 250 pounds by our estimation. The biggest fish of my life! Although strange looking, they are somewhat beautiful in that they are throw backs from another time. Sturgeon can live to be 100 years old. The Columbia River, thanks to management and release of the resource is an incredible fishery for among other species incredibly large sturgeon. Make the choice to do this at least once in your life, it's a remarkable experience. I will without question do it again.
By the day's end, we had all caught and released the biggest fish of our lives. Mark Ferguson and Colby both had Sturgeon around 9 feet long and approaching 350 pounds. Mark's dad, Dan Ferguson fought a big Sturgeon with his son as they combined for another monster fish and a memory that will last the rest of their lives. I had another sturgeon on that I fought for 40 minutes that was even bigger than my first one. It finally jumped, blocked out the sun, and then came off. (Just kidding, but it was BIG!) What an incredible day.
With an adventure like this, I really have to thank some folks. First of all I need to thank Jeff Gerbing for letting us put this experience together. Not only am I a fan of his product line which has kept me safe and warm in the field, I have a great friend in his sales representative Colby Wright, who I have fished and hunted with and look forward to our next endeavor. Check out the warmest clothing on the planet at www.gerbing.com. Thanks also to Mark and Dan Ferguson who it was a pleasure to spend a day in the boat with. Hope to goose hunt with you guys this year. And without question thanks goes to Captain Jon Ball whose knowledge, experience and sense of humor, made for a great day. For the fishing experience of your life, I highly recommend contacting Captain Jon at 1-877-347-4662 or simply go to www.jonsoutdoors.com.
This was an incredible experience that included memories to last a lifetime. We filmed some of our Pacific Northwest experience for hookandhunttv.com so check it out when you get a chance. It was a day I will never forget. The day I went toe-to toe with a dinosaur.
