Catch of a lifetime
Local youth fisherman catches sturgeon in TB River
Logan Sigmon has spent nearly 10 years of his life catching all kinds of fish.
But during a recent fishing trip, the 12-year-old from Spruce landed the catch of a lifetime.
Fishing with his friend Conner Sauve of Alpena on Aug. 2, Sigmon landed a four-foot lake sturgeon on the Thunder Bay River, hooking the fish shortly before noon on a ned rig with his rod and open-faced spinning reel combo.
“I had it on and it started to rain. I was like, ‘I’m staying down here until I reel in whatever this is,'” Sigmon said. “The minute I hooked on to it, it (didn’t try) to turn around (toward me) and started to swim. I ended up letting it run for quite a bit. I ended up tightening my drag and setting the hook. I didn’t give in, I just kept reeling it in.”
What followed was a back-and-forth test of wills as rain started to fall. When Sigmon would tire, the fish would get another burst of energy and take a run. When the fish would tire, Sigmon would reel it in, using his strength to walk it back toward shore.
“I was fishing off the bottom and I caught it. At first, I didn’t even know what the heck it was. (Conner) thought it was a snag until my rod tip (bent) and the drag started to go. It just kept hurting my wrist,” Sigmon said. “Whenever I’d reel it in some, it would go back out and hurt my wrist so I’d have to hold it in my left hand.”
Sigmon fought it for several minutes before it finally broke the surface and he finally got a look at the fish. Based on pictures he’d seen before, Sigmon knew he had hooked into a sturgeon.
The two longtime friends have spent the summer fishing in Alpena almost every day and have hooked everything from pike to bass to sheephead. A sturgeon was the last thing they were expecting to see in one of their usual fishing spots.
“I was surprised. I was like, ‘How do I get this thing on what I was using?’ I was like, ‘How did I even get it on?'” Sigmon said. “I was hoping I wouldn’t lose it and I was hoping he could get it netted and stuff to get it up. I was just shocked I got a sturgeon.”
The sturgeon is a prehistoric bottom-feeder which has been in the Great Lakes for decades. Sturgeon are known for their rows of bony plates, also called scutes, and have a tail fin that’s similar to a shark’s tale. Juvenile sturgeon like the one Sigmon landed are characterized by their sandy brown color on top and white bottom.
After nearly 20 minutes, Sigmon finally got the fish close enough to the surface where Sauve could make an attempt to net it. At four feet long, the fish proved to be too large for their net and Sauve had to improvise to bring in the fish.
“He was pulling it (the net) around by the stairs. Logan, he was telling me to try to net it and just grab it and stuff,” Sauve said. “I got its head in and the net, it was too small, so I had to bring it in. I had to get in the water and grab its tail and walk it up the stairs. It was pretty crazy.”
The two boys briefly celebrated their catch and quickly snapped a few pictures with the fish before releasing it back into the water. Since fishing for lake sturgeon specifically is not allowed in local waters, the boys wanted to make sure the fish was returned to the water safely.
After a nearly 20-minute battle, the fish proved to be just as tired as the boys. When they released the fish, it initially floated belly-side up, prompting a call to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make sure the fish was still alive.
“We were really just focused on getting the fish back in the water safely,” Sauve said. “We got a few pictures with it and as soon as we did that we put it back in the water.”
Eventually, Sigmon got in the water and helped put the fish right side up. At that point, the fish got a second wind and began to swim away. Before they left for the day, the boys saw the sturgeon jump several times.
U.S Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Scott Koproski, who assisted the two boys, estimated Sigmon’s catch at around four feet and 20 pounds. The juvenile fish was also estimated to be between eight and 14 years old.
The typical lifespan for males is 55 years and between 70 and 100 years for females.
When Koproski arrived on the scene, the sturgeon was laying on the bottom, orienting itself naturally and eventually began to move away from the area where it was caught. Koproski determined the fish to be in good health and used the experience to educate Sigmon, Sauve and onlookers about lake sturgeon.
“I went into it thinking they had a morbid fish. I was going to take care of it and assist in any way I could,” Koproski said. “I used that as an educational opportunity to talk with them about lake sturgeon, the biology of lake sturgeon and some of their growth characteristics.”
Koproski said the sturgeon likely came into the river to look for food. As bottom feeders, sturgeon feed on invertebrates like crayfish, insect larvae and leeches. Kroposki said it’s not uncommon to hear reports from anglers reporting sturgeon sightings and noted that before the creation of the Ninth Street Dam, that area of the Thunder Bay River was an important tributary for local sturgeon.
Locally, Black Lake in Cheboygan and Presque Isle Counties is well known for its annual winter sturgeon season. The season begins on the first Saturday in February and runs through the following Wednesday or until a predetermined quota is reached. Recreational fishing of sturgeon in Michigan is closely monitored and is limited to specific seasons on certain waters.
For Sigmon and Sauve, the experience of catching the sturgeon is one that will stick with them for a lifetime, especially after they saw the sturgeon again several days later in the same area.
“(I’m going to remember) everything,” Sauve said. “It was pretty awesome.”
James Andersen can be reached via email at sports@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5694. Follow James on Twitter @ja_alpenanews.