rigging sockeye as bait for sturgeon

[twoSevenO]

Hi gang,

I'm a novice sturgeon fisherman and have some questions on how to rig up fresh sockeye for sturgeon

1. Heads - I got some heads off the smaller sockeye and chinook jacks. Can i go through the lower lip, through the mouth and bury the hook in the back somewhere?
- What about bigger heads? Can they be split in half and used?
2. Guts - Someone in the other thread said they go straight on the hook. Spider wire to hold it together?
3. Roe - got some sockeye roe too ..... on its own only, or rig up into a bag together with the guts?
4. Which actually makes the best fresh bait? heads? flesh? roe? I don't suppose heads and guts work as well as flesh and roe, right?

[Funeral Of Hearts]

I use belly strips left over from filleting sockeye, hearts, guts (in a "roe bag" pouch), roe, and sometimes other pieces of trim from filleting the fish.

I put the roe in a bag if there are lots of course fish around pecking at it.

The best bait is the one they are biting. Always take a few different ones. If it is early in the run they like fresh bait. Late run they prefer stink bait from a floater.
When socks are in the river, that is usually what the sturgeon key on.

A good tip for helping it stay on is use a bait loop and secure part of it in the bait loop (if you REALLY need to then use spider wire as well) and then after piercing the hook through the bait put a rubber bumper from a buzz bomb on the hook bend. Simply pass the hook through the bumper and leave it at the bottom of the bend. It helps keep the bait on the hook.

You dont need a big piece of bait to catch big fish. Ive landed fish over 6 ft on a single sockeye heart.

[ryanonthevedder]

I like to split the head down the middle so any scent is delivered right away. Put the hook through any skin or bone as close to a corner as you can. Roe always goes in a tied bag or you will have some very fat and satisfied pike minnows in your hole.

Ahh yes, it’s almost stink bait time again... cut your strips down wind if you want the full effect...

[ElectricDyck]

Nylons work well for roe bags..put your hand inside them and grab some roe from the outside like using a glove, pull it in cut it, twist it and spider wire the twist...usually good for 20 minutes before they milk out or get pecked away by coarse fish..

No matter the season i always put a lamprey on one rod..always performs well..

[lovemywinchester]

Just a heads up for guys that you can only use fish as bait in reg 2. We just had this conversation last week fishing for sturgeon in reg 3. Fresh skein sure worked well for us.



Fin fish…means all fish other thancrustaceans, echinoderms, molluscs,shellfish and marine mammals. Theuse of fin fish (dead or alive) or partsof fin fish other than roe is prohibitedthroughout the province, with thefollowing exception: You may use thehead of fin fish or the headless body of finfish as bait, onlya) when sport fishing for sturgeon inRegion 2 only on the Fraser River,Lower Pitt River (CPR bridge upstreamto Pitt Lake), Lower Harrison River(Fraser River upstream to HarrisonLake), or(b) when set lining in lakes of Region 6 orin lakes of Zone A of Region 7.

[sako79]

Used sturgeon heads yesterday has bait caught 7

[twoSevenO]

Thanks guys. I was wondering if the heads were used whole or split in half.

[ryanonthevedder]

Thanks guys. I was wondering if the heads were used whole or split in half.

When bears get close to hibernation they will key in on salmon bellies, roe, and brains. I split the head down the middle to advertise the fresh brains. At the very least you get two riggins when they are split.

[Leaseman]

Doe heads left in the sun for several hours..... my go to bait in large sockeye years and pink years......some great fish have been caught!