Living in Minnesota provides me ample opportunities to chase these freshwater dinosaurs. The Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers offer both lake and shovelnose sturgeon.

Fishing for sturgeon is a combination of knowing their local waters and seasons as well as their main food source. Obtaining fresh and smelly bait is crucial for attracting these active predators, whether you find it or catch it yourself. Lastly, using bottom rigs can help keep your bait in the feeding zone and increase your chances of catching a sturgeon.

Follow me into this article, where we’ll do a deep dive into fishing for sturgeon. Read on to find out how to find, rig, hook, and land the elusive and incredible sturgeon.

How Do You Fish for Sturgeon?

Sturgeon fishing is a set-up, bait-your-hook, cast, and wait kind of activity.

While sturgeon are sometimes caught on flies or lures, this is very rare and not a practical method of fishing for these species.

How to Fish for Sturgeon from the Bank

If you’re fishing from the bank, grab a chair and a heavy-duty rod holder. While sturgeon strikes won’t suddenly yank a rod into the water, their sheer size makes losing a rod possible.

If you have your bait, you’ve rigged a slip sinker rig, and found an excellent sturgeon area, cast your rig across or slightly downstream in a river. Reel in the line so there’s no slack and set the rod in the rod holder.

Slackline while bait fishing results in missed strikes or swallowed hooks. Taught line tension ensures that we see every strike, bite, or nibble on the rod tip.

When fishing in lakes, simply cast as far out as possible and set up as before.

FUN FACT: Minnesota anglers on the St. Croix River will ice fish for sturgeon. They sleep overnight on the ice with rattle reels that go off when a freshwater dinosaur takes the bait.

How to Fish for Sturgeon from a Boat

When boat fishing for sturgeon, one technique prevails wherever you fish.

Using the same rigs, baits, and setups we’ve discussed before, use a topo map to find holes in the river and motor just upstream of the head of the hole. Ideally, you want to anchor the boat and cast your baits downstream, so they sit just around the lip of the hole.

This technique is very effective.

Some days the sturgeon will hug the middle of the pool or bowl. On other days they will sit just outside of it. If you don’t get a bite after awhile, re-cast until you find the sweet spot. Sometimes the difference can be mere feet.

A note about sturgeon fishing with bait: Since sturgeon “taste” the water with their barbels, allowing the baits to sit for long periods helps spread the scent in the area and allows the sturgeon to find it. There may be sturgeon that follow the scent trail from downstream.

How can you tell if a sturgeon is biting?

A sturgeon bite can resemble tapping, a steady pull, a deep throb, or a steady pumping cadence on the rod tip. Every sturgeon and every bite window is different. A sturgeon strike will also change depending on the current, the size of the sturgeon, and how heavy of tackle you are using.

A guide friend of mine always says, “If you’re not sure, remember, hooksets are free.” If you think you might be getting a strike, set the hook and reel in. Even if you swing and miss, you can always re-cast.

It’s also important to know that sturgeon baits are food items that many species like. If you constantly get small strikes but the fish don’t take the bait, chances are smaller species are just nibbling your bait.

How do you set the hook on a sturgeon?

Hooksets with J-Hooks

When using traditional J-hooks, set the hook on a sturgeon the same way you would any other species.

If you see the bite, gently grab the rod and hold it steady. At the next strike, you will jerk the rod sharply away from the fish in a quick snapping motion. If you move gently and sweep the rod, the fish might feel the hook and spit it out. A sharp motion is the best way to ensure a steady connection.

Hooksets with Circle Hooks

When using circle hooks, the hook set is very different. You don’t “set” the hook at all. Circle hooks are designed to sit in the corner of a fish’s mouth through line tension.

If you try setting a circle hook like a j-hook, you risk pulling the pin out of the fish’s mouth.

Instead, when you feel a strike, reel the line in with a steady retrieve, and the rod will load with the weight of the fish. As you fight the fish, the line tension will seat the hook deeper and deeper.

Circle hooks are preferable to J-hooks when fishing for sturgeon for three reasons:

1. Sturgeon mouths are angled down and are rounded compared to other fish. Circle hooks tend to sit in their mouths better.
2. Circle hooks reduce the chances of a sturgeon swallowing the bait.
3. Circle hooks are easier to remove, especially when fished without a barb. Since barbless hooks rely on line tension to keep the hook in the fish’s mouth, barbless circle hooks are the perfect combination of low injury, low risk, and high hooking percentage.

Do sturgeon fight hard?

Sturgeon can grow to over 1000 pounds. For folks using light tackle, fighting a trophy-sized sturgeon can take upwards of 45 minutes to an hour.

Even for seasoned sturgeon anglers with heavy tackle, the fight can last a half hour, with the tug-o-war battle leaving your arms shaking from adrenaline and fatigue.

That said, even smaller sturgeon around 18 inches or more fight hard and stick to fast currents. Sturgeon are known to jump out of the water, bulldog to the bottom, and zig-zag as they try to get off the hook. You never know what you might get!

As with all large fish, make sure your drag is set correctly and learn how to fight large fish before striking out for a trophy sturgeon.

A good rule of thumb for fighting big fish is, “When they want to run, let ‘em run. When they heel, go ahead and reel.” This mantra has saved me more than a few times when my excitement got the best of me and I was almost too aggressive fighting a big fish.

Sturgeon Fishing Seasons and Rules

Sturgeon fishing seasons are strictly enforced and vary depending on certain stretches of the same river, seasonal changes, and differences in state agencies. It’s essential to check and re-check local sturgeon regulations before fishing for sturgeon, especially if you plan to keep one.

Just like hunting, sturgeon seasons are sometimes managed by tags.

These regulations ensure sturgeon populations are managed effectively, and the species are maintained for future generations to enjoy.

If catch-and-release angling, keeping the sturgeon in the water is best to protect its slime coat. Avoid setting it on the ground, gravel, sand, or concrete. A fish’s slime coat acts as its immune system. The fish is susceptible to disease if that surface covering is wiped away.

Terminology and Common Rules

The rules for first-time sturgeon anglers can feel complicated. Here are 6 words and phrases every beginner sturgeon angler should know.

1. Catch and release: Catch and release angling refers to catching fish, handling them as minimally as possible, and releasing them back into the water.
2. Keep/Catch and Cook: Catch and cook or keep anglers most often keep a fish or multiple fish for food, to have it mounted, or to have it weighed as part of angling record collections.
3. Low-impact angling: Low-impact angling aims to leave as little behind as possible. This includes trash, injured fish, and signs of angler activity like forked stick rod holders.
4. Barbless hooks: Barbless hooks are specialty hooks made without a barb. Barbless hooks significantly reduce injury to the fish and make hook removal much faster.
   Note: Some people say that barbless hooks lose too many fish. The key to reeling in fish with a barbless hook is to maintain tension on the line. If you allow slack in the line, the hook may pull free. Maintaining tension always ensures a straight line between you, the fish, and the fish’s mouth.
5. Non-remove from water: Non-remove from water rules require an angler to keep the fish in the water for the entire time they interact with it. From landing, hook removing, picture taking, and releasing, sturgeon anglers fishing on waters with non-remove rules should never lift a sturgeon out of the water.
   Depending on the season, some sturgeon anglers will wade into the water to gently cradle the sturgeon before releasing it. This is the law in Idaho and other states, so be sure and check the regs where you’re fishing.
6. Handling sturgeon: Safe handling of sturgeon includes using non-abrasive rubber nets when landing them, always using a soft material or wet hands to hold them, and using proper hook removal technique to reduce injuries around their mouths.

Rig Requirements

The sliding sinker set-up for Idaho sturgeon fishing is one example of a rig requirement in place to reduce accidental injury to sturgeon populations.

The Idaho Fish and Game manual says that:

Research has found that baited hooks, fishing line, and swivels, broken off by anglers, may be ingested by sturgeon, and in rare instances cause death. Because of this, IDFG adopted rules designed to reduce the amount of tackle lost by anglers with the overarching goal of reducing unintentional sturgeon deaths.

As you can see, sturgeon fishing rules and regulations will change depending on where and when you are fishing. Always research beforehand and talk to your local fisheries management organizations if you have questions.

These actions will ensure viable sturgeon populations–and opportunities to fish for them–for years to come.

Where to Find Sturgeon

Sturgeon habitat is a mix of gravelly, rocky bottoms and those areas adjacent to muddy flats. This combination of resources offers the most food for hunting sturgeon.

On the gravelly, rocky bottoms, sturgeon can find crayfish, small minnows, aquatic insects like hellgrammites and dobsonfly larvae, and decaying materials that get caught between the cracks.

On the muddy flats, sturgeon roam looking for clams and other stationary food items.

That said, sturgeon are always on the move and constantly “taste” the water, sucking up food items they pass.

Sturgeon seek out the deepest holes and often sit around them. This is where low-pressure zones collect food.

Professional and amateur sturgeon anglers protect good sturgeon holes because they know that sturgeon will return to these places year after year.

Good sturgeon habitat also offers deep, cold regions of riverways. While ocean-run sturgeon run upriver to spawn, most of their time is spent in the ocean. Similarly, freshwater sturgeon populations need areas of cold, deeper waters to thrive and migrate to spawn.

United States Sturgeon Fishing Hot Spots

There are a surprising amount of sturgeon fishing spots in the US. In fact, catchable populations of sturgeon exist all across the US. But if you want the chance at a world-class sturgeon, these are your destinations.

The Great Lakes Region: Rainy River

The Rainy River on the border of Minnesota and Canada is a fantastic sturgeon fishery. The fish here are densely populated, and it’s not uncommon to catch multiple fish in a day.

The Pacific Northwest: Columbia River

The Columbia River is home to some true giant sturgeon. Some of these fish can live to be 150 years old and take an hour or more to reel in due to their strength and size.

The West Coast: Willamette River

The Willamette River is a popular sturgeon fishery known for large fish and impressive numbers. These fish spawn in the rivers and live in the ocean migrating back and forth as their seasons develop.

The West: Snake River

The Snake River in Idaho holds some impressive opportunities for the adventurous angler. The Hell’s Canyon section of the river is within a wilderness access area. This means the waters are unpressured, the sturgeon are giant, and the views surrounding an angler are impressive.

Famous sturgeon water: The Fraser River

The Fraser River is where our expert guide, Marc Laynes, spends much of his time guiding clients.

His guiding company’s site says, “If you are worried about hooking that thousand-pounder, rest easy – most of the “larger” fish average between 100 and 300 pounds! However, our largest sturgeon was just shy of 900 pounds and measured 11 foot 3 inches from tip to the fork of the tail!”

The Fraser River is a famous sturgeon fishery above Seattle, Washington in Canada.

How deep do you fish for sturgeon?

When fishing for sturgeon, you should always be fishing on the bottom, no matter how deep the water is. Sturgeon feed on the bottom of the water column. It’s always a good idea to research the specific waters you plan to fish and talk to local experts for guidance on the best depth to target sturgeon in that area.

What time of day is best to fish sturgeon?

Generally, sturgeon, like most fish species, are most active in the early morning and late evening with an inactive period in the middle of the day. This may change depending on local conditions, water temperature, sunlight, and water depth.

However, seasoned sturgeon anglers know that night fishing for sturgeon is the best angling time of day. Sturgeons cover more water at night and are willing to swim in shallower areas. This makes night fishing the best option for anglers fishing from shore.

Sturgeon Fishing Setup

When fishing for sturgeon, focus on heavy, strong lines with a sinker slide bottom fishing system or a slip sinker rig in states that allow it. This ensures that our bait is always in the feeding zone.

For terminal tackle, at minimum, you will need a combination of the following:

• Weights heavy enough to stay on the bottom
• Popular weights include no-roll, pyramid, and egg sinkers
• Octopus hooks or circle hooks in sizes 8 up to 3/0 to 5/0, depending on the size of sturgeon in your area
• Barrel Swivels
• Beads
• Fluorocarbon leaders (30 to 50 pounds is common, for smaller fish 10 ponds is enough)
• Sinker slides (if using pyramid sinkers or a sinker slide rig)
• Lightweight dropper line for the sinker slide rig

Sturgeon Fishing Gear

Anglers of all species have go-to items. Sturgeon anglers are no different. Generally, sturgeon are hard-fighting fish that can grow to behemoth sizes.

When sturgeon fishing, consider the average size in your area and plan accordingly.

It’s a good idea to use heavier lines and gear than you think you need for two reasons:

1. Even if the average sturgeon size is comparatively small for sturgeon waters, the larger sturgeon will feed in the same area. These fish are not territorial.
2. Sturgeon have no teeth, but the sharp spines on their backs, sides, and gill plates can cut through line. Having a thicker line ensures that it will hold up to any sharp or abrasive surfaces.

Rod, reel, and line setups for sturgeon fishing are similar to sets made for catfishing, muskie fishing, carp fishing, and surf fishing in the ocean. Catfish anglers are known to catch sturgeon as by-catch because they use smelly baits that sit on the bottom.

Sturgeon Fishing Rigs

The tried and true rigs of sturgeon anglers everywhere are bait rigs that will hold bait on the bottom. We must stay in the sturgeon’s feeding zone to entice a bite.

Here are a few of the most popular rigs for fishing for sturgeon.

Slip Sinker Rig

When people talk about a “sturgeon rig,” they refer to any variation of a slip sinker rig with a snelled hook.

Snelled hooks are hooks with a pre-tied leader attached to a swivel. The benefits of snelled hooks are ease of re-rigging and ease of selecting leaders, hooks, and bead colors depending on conditions.

You can make snelled hooks at home or purchase them online.

You can use sinkers directly on the line like a no roll or egg sinker, or use a sinker slide system paired with a pyramid sinker, slinky sinker, or any other of your favorite styles.

The sinker should be heavy enough not to move with the current.

The slip sinker rig does three things:

1. Keeps our bait on the bottom.
2. Provides the most feel and strike sensitivity since the weight is not attached to the line. Since these rigs allow the line to slide freely through the weight or slide, the sinker does not introduce drag and is very effective for light bites.
3. Makes sturgeon fishing accessible for anyone without needing specialty rigs.

Sinker Slide Rig with a Dropper

Idaho Fish and Game requires a sliding sinker rig with a breakaway system for the weight. The idea is if the weight becomes snagged, the lighter line between the weight and the main line will break, allowing the baited hook to be reeled back in.

Three-Way Breakaway Rig

The three-way breakaway rig is another option for sturgeon anglers. This rig uses a three-way swivel. One loop goes to the rod, one loop attaches to the leader and hook, and the third loop connects the weight with a short length of dropper line.

This rig has no slip component, but some anglers prefer having weights fixed to their line.

Sturgeon Fishing Baits

If you imagine a sturgeon as a giant, armor-plated catfish, then you’d be on your way to understanding sturgeon baits with one exception: sturgeon love fresh bait—the fresher the bait, the better.

In sturgeon fishing waters nationwide, a tried-and-true bait is a gob of worms on a circle hook. The larger the mess of worms on the end of your line, the better the chances of hooking into a monster sturgeon. The writhing mass of worms is smelly, has a lot of activity underwater, and is a large, nutritious offering.

We did a super deep dive and interviewed an expert guide in this article covering the Best Bait for Sturgeon. Hit the link for the best sturgeon baits and bait tips around.

The post How to Fish for Sturgeon: A Complete Guide to a Huge Catch appeared first on Outdoor Empire.

The St. Croix River in Minnesota is the home water where I’m learning to catch sturgeon. There’s a ton of information online. But I thought there had to be some expert tips and tricks that only the folks spending weeks on the water would know.

So for this article, I interviewed an expert sturgeon fishing guide, Marc Laynes, owner of Cascade Fishing Adventures INC. Marc has spent most of his life fishing for sturgeon, and he shared his thoughts with me on the best bait for sturgeon fishing. I also did a deep dive into sturgeon biology and behavior to decide on the best bait for sturgeon.

Is there a secret sturgeon bait? We’re going to dive into the best bait for sturgeon, why it’s the best, how to rig it, and then we’ll explore what sturgeon eat in the wild.

To get an idea of these best sturgeon baits, read on as we learn how to catch a living dinosaur: the sturgeon!

The Best Bait for Fishing Sturgeon

The best bait for sturgeon will depend on their habitat. Sea run sturgeon are used to eating sea run food like squids and sand fleas. Freshwater sturgeon eat shad, nightcrawlers, and cut suckers. Switching between the top baits in the area is your best bet to catch a sturgeon.

That said, during certain times of the year, the sturgeon may only want one food item, whether it’s a smelt spawn or a herring run.

Here are five of the best baits for sturgeon fishing in North America.

1. Nightcrawlers for sturgeon bait

Nightcrawlers as sturgeon bait are one of the best. They have a strong scent in the water, worms are present in nearly every water system, and they can be bought everywhere.

They have two drawbacks. First, you might have trouble keeping small fish off your bait since everything eats nightcrawlers. Second, nightcrawlers are fragile and it only takes one fish to strip your hook.

2. Shad, Herring, Smelt, and Anchovies for sturgeon bait

Shad, herring, smelt, and anchovies are extremely popular as sturgeon bait.

Use them whole, in crosscut chunks, strips, or halves, these baits are very versatile. The general size of these baitfish prevents small fish from stripping the hook. They are also oily and stinky, making them a go-to option as sturgeon bait.

When using baitfish as sturgeon bait, find out the primary forage in your water. If shad swim in the river, start with shad.

That said, there might be days where smelt works better or a week straight of great fishing with herring. Keep changing baits until you find out what works.

3. White sucker for sturgeon bait

White suckers can be great sturgeon bait but these fish are usually too big to use whole. Fillet the fish and cut the fillet into strips to spread the oily scent. White suckers are found all around the US and are eaten by most predatory fish species.

4. Shrimp for sturgeon bait

Some people swear by raw shrimp when fishing for sturgeon. Like worms, many fish species will eat shrimp but the strong scent and enticing meatiness is a popular bait for sturgeon.

5. Squid for sturgeon bait

Squid is a popular sturgeon fishing bait, especially for sea-run sturgeon who are more familiar with it in their food system.

Proponents of squid claim that it’s the most durable sturgeon fishing bait. They say you can catch multiple sturgeon using the same chunk of squid, and smaller fish won’t pull it off the hook.

A Sturgeon Guide’s Notes on the Best Bait

Pro sturgeon fishing guide Marc says, “I have fished for sturgeon since the early 1980s while in high school. I enjoy sturgeon fishing and thought others would as well. I decided to start a guiding business in 1990 for sturgeon, salmon, and steelhead. With my post-secondary education in Fish and Wildlife, I was not only able to guide anglers but also provide my service to sturgeon and other fish-related work for the government and other consultants in our area.”

“My favorite bait is whatever is currently in season, in the river, that the sturgeon would be feeding on. Coarse fish such as pikeminnows and pea-mouth chub are available during the entire sturgeon season and work well throughout the season.

However, during certain times of the year, we experience migrations of specific fish species in large numbers that attract the attention of the sturgeon.

When this happens, the sturgeon will key in on these fish. This places other baits further down the priority list – these other baits will work, but not as effectively. For example, the Lower Fraser River sees a large migration of smelts, called eulachons, from late March to early May.

When these eulachons move into the Fraser to spawn, they do so in large numbers. This mass of fish is the main focus of the sturgeon’s diet during that time and will be the bait to use.

Other baits such as lamprey eel (early summer migration up the Fraser), sockeye salmon (summer), and chum roe (fall) are excellent baits throughout the season, but particularly during the timing of their presence in the river.”

Related: How to Fish for Sturgeon: A Complete Guide to a Huge Catch

Sturgeon Rigging Tips for Live Bait

Whichever bait you choose, bait fishing rigs for sturgeon are very similar.

Sturgeons have protrusible mouths meaning their lips extend to suck up food from the bottom of the water. In fact, it functions very much like the extension on a vacuum cleaner handle.

Since sturgeon are bottom feeders, we must ensure that baits stay near the bottom. Also, our hooks need to increase our chance of a solid connection with the fish.

Are you using herring for sturgeon bait? Do you have a secret sturgeon bait? Regardless, the best fishing rig when using live bait for sturgeon is a slip-sinker bottom rig.

You will need a combination of the following:

• Weights heavy enough to stay on the bottom
  • Popular weights include no-roll, pyramid, and egg sinkers
• Octopus hooks in sizes 3/0 to 5/0
• Barrel Swivels
• Beads
• Fluorocarbon leaders
• Sinker slides (if using pyramid sinkers)

Sturgeon bites are subtle. A bite is usually seen by a slight bend in the rod tip, a throbbing cadence different from the river, or the line moving across or against the direction of the current.

Since bites are light, the slip-sinker bottom rig telegraphs a gentle strike to the rod tip faster than a fixed-weight rig. This leads to more detected strikes and more fish in the boat.

Using octopus hooks instead of traditional J-hooks ensures that a hook sits firmly in the fish’s mouth. Sturgeons are known to jump out of the water and thrash. An octopus hook is designed to stay attached even in these aggressive attempts to escape.

A Sturgeon Guide’s Notes on Rigging Live Bait

Marc says, “When fishing with lamprey, eulachons, or coarse fish, I will tie the bait onto a J-hook using cotton or elasticated thread in a manner that the hook is fastened to the bait at the “downstream” end of the bait.

This keeps the bait straight so it will not spin against the current and twist the leader and keeps the hook well-positioned. (Not laying flat against the bait, but protruding away from the bait.)

When I am fishing salmon roe, I mostly fish the bait in a bait bag using nylons or fine mesh to avoid coarse fish eating the bait off the hook. I simply poke the hook through the roe bag.

When using fish strips, I will cut long narrow strips and simply hook the strip at the end of the fish strip onto a circle hook.

Virtually all sturgeon rigs utilize a sliding weight style rig above a quality swivel, with a leader of your choice (mono or braid/dacron) attached to the hook of your choice.”

What are sturgeon attracted to?

Similar to a catfish, sturgeon have barbels on the underside of their snout that they use to “taste” the water. These barbels detect certain chemicals in the water released by items they can eat.

This is why sturgeon anglers say that your bait has to be smelly.

However, sturgeon anglers also talk about the importance of having fresh bait. While a catfish loves to eat rotting, decomposing food items that are bloody and thick, sturgeon prefer live foods like crustaceans, worms, and fish.

What do sturgeon like to eat?

Sturgeon prefer to eat living crustaceans (like crayfish), mollusks (clams), and many kinds of bait fish.

The baits in this article are best when they are fresh. They are fatty and oily, meaning more scent dispersal in the water.

Overall, a sturgeon feeds by roaming just above the river bottom and drags its barbells over the surface. When they sense food, their mouths protrude and suck it up.

Sturgeons don’t have teeth. Instead, their powerful stomach muscles crush up any food that gets consumed.

Artificial Baits and Lures vs. Stink Baits and Live Baits

When deciding between lures or live bait for sturgeon, the clear winner is live bait. This is because it matches a sturgeon’s feeding habits, including where they feed, how they feed, and what they feed on.

A Sturgeon Guide’s Notes on Artificial vs. Live Baits

Marc says, “While sturgeon are known to take lures on occasion, the vast majority of sturgeon are caught using natural bait.

Sturgeons have an extremely keen sense of smell; therefore, natural bait attracts a fish far sooner than lures.

Sturgeons are generally found holding near or at the river bottom. Therefore, a static, natural bait laying on the bottom will provide the most effective presentation to hook a sturgeon.”

Where to Get Sturgeon Fishing Bait

Now that we know what bait to use when fishing for sturgeon, it’s time to get some!

There are several ways to source sturgeon bait.

The simple option: Local bait vendors

Many local bait stores carry most of the sturgeon bait in this article. If you can’t find these options alive, see if you can find the dates that the baits were frozen. Never use preserved baits as these scents are unnatural and mask or destroy the natural fats and oil that we want.

If they don’t sell this item, some vendors can special order baits. Ask them about special ordering sturgeon baits for your local sturgeon community. Chances are, they didn’t know there was a market for it and the shop may end up becoming your go-to for sturgeon bait.

The best option: Harvest sturgeon bait yourself

The best way to source fresh, live, healthy, and local sturgeon baits that will take your next trip to another level is to harvest it yourself. Check your local regulations when attempting to harvest your bait as some states have strict rules around this.

There are four primary ways:

1. Cast Netting

Cast netting involves throwing a large net over a school of baitfish and trapping them. You drag the cast net over to a bait bucket and shake it out.

2. Dip netting

Dip netting involves using a long-handled mesh net to scoop schools of baitfish out of the water. This is an excellent method for tightly schooling fish like shad and smelt.

3. Trapping

Trapping baitfish or other live bait involves using specialty fish traps that you can bait with dog food or bread. Some of these traps can be left overnight.

4. Hook and line

Finally, many baitfish, including shad and smelt can be caught using a traditional hook and line. Using small hooks, small pieces of worm, and a light rod, bait harvesting can feel like a micro-fishing trip before the main event!

Conclusion

The best bait for sturgeon is going to depend on many factors. The main things to consider are to match the bait to the local forage, make sure the bait is fresh, and keep it very close to or on the bottom of the lake or river.

Following these general rules will make sure your next sturgeon fishing adventure is full of lights-out action that ends in holding living dinosaurs in your hands!

Check our guide on Where to Catch Sturgeon.

The post Best Bait for Sturgeon: A Pro Fishing Guide Weighs In appeared first on Outdoor Empire.

My time as a guide and educator taught me how to take the most popular types of fishing and make them easy to understand. I do this by looking at the big picture, then zooming in on the most popular techniques in each category.

We’re going to look at the types, styles, or methods of fishing as opposed to where people most commonly fish (e.g., freshwater vs. saltwater) or what they fish for (target species).

The most popular types of fishing are lure, bait, and fly fishing. Common fishing methods often vary by region or season, and bowfishing is growing in popularity. Though commercial fishing accounts for most of the fish harvest in the US, there are more people who fish recreationally.

For that reason, we can say that the most popular types of fishing, in terms of how many people practice it, are done recreationally. Let’s dive in and look at some common fishing methods worldwide.

How Many Different Types of Fishing are There?

While we have identified (and will explain) six popular types of fishing along with well over a dozen common fishing methods, these are just those which are particularly popular in developed countries like the US. The actual number of fishing methods cannot be quantified.

Fishing is an activity practiced all over the world. In some places, it’s a sport, but in others, it’s a subsistence activity that people use to feed themselves. The different styles of fishing are nearly endless.

Each species will live in a different area and have a different diet, so we must change our techniques and tools to fit the situation. Rods, nets, pots, spears, and traps are only a few tools used to catch fish, let alone the methods employed to use them.

Most Popular Types of Fishing

The most popular types of fishing are broadly categorized into lure, fly, bait, regional/seasonal, bow, and commercial. However, each of these types has multiple techniques that fishermen and anglers use depending on the kind of water they are fishing and what they are fishing for.

These are the most popular types of fishing and the most effective fishing methods within each category:

1. Lure Fishing – Baitcaster, Float, Clear Plastic Bobber, Snap Jigging, and Topwater
2. Bait Fishing – Bottom, Bobber, and Keiryu
3. Fly Fishing – Traditional fly fishing, Tenkara, Spey Casting, and Euro Nymphing
4. Regional and Seasonal Specialties – Trolling, Centerpin, Ice, and Ayu
5. Bowfishing
6. Commercial Fishing

This list also includes rising and exotic methods of fishing that many people have never heard about.

Lure Fishing Styles

Lure fishing is a form of angling (fishing with a rod and reel) that involves using an artificial bait with a hook (a.k.a. lure) at the end of your line to catch fish. A lure is intended to mimic a fish’s prey and attract it through scent, motion, or sound as it is reeled in or propelled through the water.

Baitcaster Fishing

Baitcasting reels are free-running spools that spin to let out the line. To cast one of these, a person has to “thumb the spool.” Thumbing the spool is a simple way to slow down the spool spin rate.

People who use baitcasting reels like to use them for their accuracy when casting lures under docks or alongside weed edges.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no clear benefit between a baitcasting reel vs. a spinning reel. These reel styles can be used interchangeably for lure and bait fishing, and people’s use of them comes down to personal preference.

Float Fishing

Float fishing involves casting a floating bobber and a lure like a marabou jig or a grub. This keeps the bait higher in the water column.

The bobber can be slowly reeled, left to bob with the waves, or jerked to move the lure.

Clear Plastic Bubble Fly Fishing

Clear plastic bubble fly fishing is a style of spin fishing that lets an angler use weightless fly fishing flies. The bobber is usually made of a clear plastic that is heavily weighted. Some types can be filled with water. The bubble is nearly invisible in the water.

The fly is attached to the bubble using a leader—the fly trails behind it as an angler casts and reels.

This rig is popular for situations where a fly rod is unavailable or you’d like to cast long distances. It’s also popular among folks who want to be able to switch between flies and bait. An angler only needs to change the hook to change the lure or fly.

Snap Jigging Fishing

Snap jigging is a lure fishing technique using a blade bait or jigging rap from a boat. As the boat slowly motors, is pushed by the wind, or flows with the river’s current, you snap the rod tip up and slowly let it drop.

Keeping the lure just off the bottom makes loud vibrations in the water and entices a fish to strike the erratic bait.

Topwater Fishing

Topwater fishing is a technique that utilizes high-floating baits like poppers and frogs to skip or bubble along the surface of the water. Aggressive surface-eating fish like largemouth, smallmouth, and striped bass will attack a surface bait. This style of fishing is visual and very exciting. You never know when a fish will strike!

Bait Fishing Styles

Bait fishing is similar to lure fishing in that it uses a rod, reel, and line with a hook or “rig” at the end designed for targeting a specific kind of fish or environment. Unlike lures that rely primarily on motion and noise to attract fish, bait fishing relies more heavily on scent.

Bait fishing generally involves infrequent casting and reeling. Instead, you let your bait sit stationary or drift with the water’s current and attract fish to come and find it.

Bottom Fishing

Bottom fishing is one of the most popular types of fishing with bait and uses different bottom fishing rigs. This technique lets the worm, minnow, leech, cut bait, or crayfish sit on the bottom of the river, lake, or sea.

Since fish feed primarily on or around the bottom, bottom fishing is a high-producing technique.

Common bottom fishing rigs include:

• Slip sinker
• Fixed sinker
• Pier rig
• Float rig
• Jighead
• Split shot rig

Bobber Fishing

Bobber fishing is a style of fishing using a float to keep your bait suspended in the water column. These floats are broadly split into two groups: fixed and slip bobbers. Fixed bobbers attach to the line at a certain area and cannot move up or down until you change the orientation.

However, slip bobbers freely slide up or down the line and only stop at a “bobber stop,” which is a piece of thread tied onto the fishing line. The bobber stop is easy to adjust and can be put anywhere on the fishing line.

While a fixed bobber has a max depth of about 6 feet or less, slip bobbers can reach depths of 30 feet or more.

Keiryu Fishing

Keiryu refers to a specific kind of cane fishing pole called a keiryu rod, and this technique is gaining popularity. The exciting and unique fishing experience of catching big fish with a cane rod is second to none.

The keiryu rod is a long rod with a thicker backbone meant to fight larger fish. The bait is attached to the hook on the end of a fixed line and dropped into fish-holding areas.

This technique offers a “drag-free” drift meaning the baits can float with the exact speed of the current. This creates a natural look that won’t scare the fish away.

Without a drag-free drift, fish can tell that something is up and may ignore a bait.

Fly Fishing Styles

Fly fishing is also a form of angling, but it uses different equipment and attracts fish differently than lure or bait fishing. It involves a lot more casting of various types, and it generally takes longer to become proficient at it.

The most distinguishing characteristic of fly fishing is the fly at the end of the line, which attempts to mimic insects (or sometimes small animals) that fish prey upon.

Traditional Fly Fishing

Fly fishing’s origins are unclear because many cultures worldwide have historical records of fishing techniques closely resembling the fly fishing we know today. Early fly lines were made out of horse hair, and flies were often tied as a nondescript bundle of feathers and fur.

However, fly fishing in the US and Europe has a clear history all its own.

These days, fly fishing lines are made of special tapered materials so the flies are easier to cast. Since flies are nearly weightless, the fly line is used to cast the lure using specialty casting techniques such as the roll cast and the overhead cast.

Some different styles of fly fishing include:

• Dry fly fishing
• Streamer fishing
• Terrestrial fishing
• Indicator nymphing
• Swing fishing
• Popper fishing

Euro Nymphing

Euro nymphing is a tight-line fly fishing method using specialty lines and a long fly fishing rod. The flies are heavily weighted. An angler holds the rod directly above the water where it is drifting. To adjust depth, the angler only needs to raise or lower the rod tip.

This style of fishing results in a drag-free drift and is gaining in popularity. Instead of watching a strike indicator (a fly fishing bobber), the angler feels the strike with their hand. This technique is highly effective.

Tenkara Fly Fishing

Tenkara fly fishing is a technique originally created to fish mountain streams in Japan. The thick foliage and quickly moving streams would have made fly fishing with conventional gear nearly impossible.

Early anglers devised a special rod made of long bamboo and a single strand of fine hairline they could use to dabble the fly in high-producing holes and pockets. Specialty flies that kept the fly in the water while keeping tension on the line made this technique perfect for these anglers’ home waters.

Many businesses now offer tenkara rods and kits for anglers worldwide.

Spey Casting Fly Fishing

Spey casting was created to cast heavy salmon flies in waters that didn’t have enough casting room for a traditional fly cast.

The Spey rod is a long, two-handed fishing rod that uses a specialty spey cast to launch the fly. The weighted line uses a water load to bend the rod using the surface tension of the water. As it snaps forward, the line is released from a pre-formed coil in the hands.

The flies are then swung through the water and fish are caught, fought, and landed using special techniques unique to Spey casting.

Specialty Fishing Styles

People have developed numerous ways to attract and harvest fish within their specific region or in harsh environments.

You can’t very well fly fish on a frozen lake or river. Enter ice fishing. That’s just one example. Here are a few common fishing methods developed for specific purposes.

Trolling

Trolling is a technique used for fishing from a boat. Lures and live bait are slowly pulled behind a boat as it travels. This means that the hooks are constantly in motion and is a good technique when looking for fish. It lets you cover water and offer the fish different techniques.

When trolling with bait, spinner rigs on bottom bouncers are very common. The bottom bouncer is a heavyweight with a thick wire that sits vertically in the water. The wire warns an angler when they hit bottom and prevents the rig from becoming stuck.

The spinner rig then trails behind the bottom bouncer with a minnow, worm, or leech while a small spinner swirls around the line.

When trolling with lures, common choices include spoons, spinners, and crankbaits that flutter or wobble as the lure is trolled. The fluttering action causes loud vibrations in the water that mimic live fish.

Centerpin Float Fishing

Centerpin fishing is used primarily for salmon fishing on large rivers. It allows precise control over an angler’s drift using long rods and special reels.

The “centerpin fishing reels” are called so because they have no drag system and instead spin freely around a center pin.

This technique usually involves floating specialty bobber rigs with baits like eggs sacs, fake eggs, and even worms and minnows.

Ice Fishing

When the lakes and rivers freeze over, access to the water is sealed off. However, later in the winter months, when the ice reaches at least 4 inches of clear thickness, there is enough ice so a person can safely walk on it.

Ice fishing is done by drilling a hole through the ice using a giant drill called an auger. Baits and lures are dropped straight down the hole.

Like fishing in the summer, there are specialty rods, reels, baits, and lures made just for this activity. Rods are rarely longer than three feet long, and the reels are often made so you hold part of the reel instead of the grip.

Ayu Fishing

Ayu fishing is unique to Japan and is used when targeting a specific species called ayu. The ayu is very territorial and large ayu will head butt smaller ayu if they get too close to their territory. Ayu anglers catch a small ayu, attach a circular ring to the nose, and then a single free-floating hook is attached near the head.

The smaller Ayu is then swung from a long rod into prime ayu territory as bait. When the larger ayu sitting behind a large rock or in a large eddy sees the smaller ayu in its territory, it will body slam the smaller ayu and get caught by the dangling hook.

This technique is very unique to mountainous regions in Japan and is only used when fishing for ayu.

Other Fishing Topics and Their Styles

Then we have fishing methods that evolved from other activities, like hunting.

Bowfishing

Bowfishing involves using a specialty reel setup on a bow and arrow. A special arrow is attached to the string of a bow-mounted reel and allows a person to reel in a fish after it’s been struck by the arrow.

While not considered fishing by most anglers, bow fishing is gaining in popularity among the bowhunting community as a way to practice their bowhunting skills in the off-season.

Darkroom Spearfishing

Spearfishing is a technique that coincides with the ice fishing season.

First, spear anglers will cut a large hole in the ice using a special ice saw. Then, an ice fishing hut is erected over the hole to block the sunlight from above. This increases the water visibility for the spear hunters in the hut.

A decoy or live sucker is dropped into the hole, and the spear hunter waits for a predatory fish like a northern pike, muskie, or walleye to investigate the struggling food source.

When a fish is close enough, the spear hunter throws a heavily weighted spear resembling a pitchfork. They pin the fish to the bottom of the lake and attempt to lift it out. Curved barbs on the end of the spear prevent the fish from sliding off.

Spearfishing

Spearfishing is an underwater snorkeling technique where participants use a pole spear or spear gun to shoot and capture their quarry. This technique is most common near the ocean.

A spear hunter will do long breath holds as they swim in the water looking for prey. They will shoot the fish, lobster, or other species when they see one and swim back to the surface.

Their speargun is often attached to a float on the water’s surface. Some spearguns have an attached reel that can be used to reel in the fish after it’s been shot. This way, the fish can tire itself out, and the spear fisherman can swim back to the prey on the next breath hold.

Commercial Trawling Fishing

Trawling is a method used only by large boats. It involves setting out long nets that are towed behind a boat. When the net is filled with fish, a trawling boat pulls the net to the surface and drops the load in storage and sorting areas on the boat’s deck.

Trawling is very effective. However, it’s so effective that overfishing can decimate a fishery’s health. Special regulations, research, and studies are in place to prevent this.

Conclusion

The most popular types of fishing are broadly categorized into lure, fly, bait, regional, bow, and commercial.

Regardless of the technique and the type of fish, we should always follow ethical fishing practices. Wetting our hands before touching the fish we plan to release is an excellent way to protect their slime coat.

Doing our research and asking folks for help is a simple way to take our skills to the next level. There are so many different fishing styles, it’s fun to try them all!

Types of Fishing FAQs

What is the most common type of fishing?

The most common type of fishing is bait fishing. Bait fishing is the method that most people use when they first start. Bait fishing is also extremely effective around the world for everything from minnows to sharks.

What is the best type of fishing?

The best type of fishing is based on the water and the fish we are targeting. I determine the best type of fishing for each situation by accounting for factors like time of year, type of fish, weather, gear, and many other things.

The best type of fishing is the one that works at the right time and place on your local waters.

Where is fishing the most popular?

There is no single place where fishing is the most popular. Why? Every region that has access to water has a community of anglers.

That said, fishing is very popular along coastal towns and islands. Many inland states with lots of water, like Minnesota, or unique fishing environments like Colorado are home to thriving fishing communities.

The post The Most Popular Types of Fishing (Common Styles & Methods) appeared first on Outdoor Empire.

Certain hobbies build real-world skills, encourage physical fitness, and offer the sense of being part of a bigger movement. When an activity impacts our health, our communities become resilient alongside our own journeys. Outdoor recreation is a great area to search for our ideal hobby. Let’s take a look at a few options.

Hiking and Camping

Hiking and camping build self-reliance and confidence by challenging ourselves to learn multiple skills. Learning to plan ahead, start a fire, pitch a tent, and choose a camping site are all micro-challenges that add up.

These small challenges keep us engaged and confident in our skills as we progress.

For those who don’t know where to start, getting your feet wet with a car camping experience while hiking around your site is a great way to begin. Then, when you feel like you’re ready for the next step, tent camping and finally backpacking or trekking are hobbies that connect us to nature while challenging our independence.

Woodworking

A craftsperson who practices woodworking, leather crafts, or canvas is involved in their work. The struggles of daily life seem to slip away. The flow state, a psychological state of mind, is experienced when someone is focused on something. This state inspires feelings of happiness and contentment.

While a beginner woodworker might feel challenging at first, that sensation will soon give way to satisfaction and pride. Both of these contribute to high self-esteem.

Drawing or Painting

Many famous artists have been quoted saying something like, “The real value in having made something is not in the product but in the process.” Activities like drawing and painting can be a personal journey. This means self-esteem is found from within instead of outside ourselves.

Experiencing this kind of independence can be fulfilling without needing a specific result. Just the satisfaction that comes from completing a canvas or new page is enough to feel accomplished.

Gardening

Inside a single green pepper are the seeds to sow hundreds more. The work that gardeners put into their hobby is returned in spades. Gardening is truly a life-enriching hobby.

From the time spent outside, the meals you’ll make, and the food you’ll share with your neighbors, gardening provides much more than fruits and veggies. Just getting started with gardening can seem scary, but starting small with simple veggies or could turn into a lifelong love for soil and seeds.

Fishing

Fishing is so relaxing and rejuvenating that organizations like Project Healing Waters use fly fishing as a form of therapy. The sound of water and fresh air allow the mind to take a break from the stressors of everyday life.

While you don’t need to jump right in with a club, overlooking the benefits of fishing with a group means you could miss out on a welcoming and supportive community.

Many areas have free fishing programs that are the perfect place to start. Searching close to home for fishing classes, facebook groups, or even a patient friend will make your first fishing experiences memorable.

Beginners make the mistake of jumping in without knowing good techniques and learn to dislike fishing. Avoiding this by finding a seasoned and patient mentor helps prevent disappointing first trips and negative experiences.

Hunting

The rise in local food movements has caused a surge in hunting interest. For those who didn’t start hunting as a kid, the learning curve can seem overwhelming.

Luckily, learning to hunt as an adult and also providing new opportunities for kids to learn alongside you are plentiful. Contacting local fishing and hunting agencies or reaching out to local clubs will help you find a mentor. Also, youth hunting seasons are offered by most states and are widely-available. There are options even if a parent or guardian has never been hunting before. The fishing and hunting community is always welcoming to new members

Cooking

Food is medicine, and cooking is the path towards learning how to take care of our physical health. From sourcing ingredients, preparing different dishes, and choosing flavors based on what we want, cooking is one of the best methods towards fostering our independence.

The endless styles of food and ways to get the ingredients make this hobby available to everyone. One of the best ways to learn is to ask a chef friend if you can join them in creating a dish. After a few experiences, the process will become familiar enough to follow most recipes.

If you don’t have a mentor, starting with frying an egg will help build a good foundation.

Solo Travel

Solo traveling is often overlooked when we think about ways to raise our confidence and self-esteem. After all, it may seem scary to be alone.

This is an opportunity to be self-reliant and learn to trust ourselves. When we trust that our bodies and minds can work together to find peace, that sense of ability transfers into other areas of our life.

Also, some of the best experiences come from listening to our intuition and following the paths that feel right. Solo travel helps us hone that skill as we learn to listen to our instincts.

Volunteering

Finally, helping others discover or accomplish their needs is a surefire path to better understanding ourselves. When we help someone, we gain the pride and happiness that comes from seeing someone else smile. This has large impacts on our health.

If you do one or all of these different hobbies, volunteering your time to help someone at the start of their journey can be the perfect way to give back.

When we increase our sense of self-esteem through hobbies that build confidence and independence, we not only help ourselves but encourage everyone around us. These are things worth pursuing.

The post Hobbies and Activities That Promote Confidence and Independence appeared first on Outdoor Empire.