by paul » Thu Jun 16, 2011 2:04 am
The big white sturgeon are a real rush to tangle with alright. I know a simulation won't ever compare to the real thing, but I intend to get as close to it as I can. I've fished for them only once, but with a guy who really knew them and the river. I was really fortunate to catch a 9 footer and a 12 footer, and if I can get even a little bit of that thrill into the game, it will be worth the effort. I want to fish for them again someday, and while that may not happen for a few more years, getting them in VRS will happen sooner.
One mistake I made on the 9 footer was to let my bass and pike experience overrule common sense. With a bass or other typical game fish, you can thumb the spool of a baitcast reel to put a little extra resistence on a fish and slow it down during a run. It's often easier to do a little extra braking that way rather than tighten the drag temporarily. Not a good idea with a fish over 100 pounds that's blasting away at full speed, it turns out. I burned a blister into my thumb instantly and I'm sure the fish never noticed any extra resistence.
Paul