01/08/2026
Did you know??
Lake Sturgeon are NOT like other fish.
Other fish have a bone skeletal system that holds everything in place. Sturgeon do not have that. Their skeletal system is made up of all cartilage. Cartilage is soft and pliable, and when held vertically can displace their internal organs. Resulting in death hours, days, even weeks later. They also do not have bone in their heads and gill plates meaning lifting them by the gills can rip the gills and cause serious damage, so its best practice to just keep the hands out of the gills at all times as these are big powerful fish.
Other fish spawn once or even twice a year, while Sturgeon only spawn once every 2-7 years and do not reach sexual maturity until they are roughly 20-25 years old.
The individual Sturgeon is a tough, resilient fish, but the Sturgeon as a population is very fragile.
During catch and release season(October to late April), it is always best practice to keep them horizontal and grab them by the mouth, tail, or pec fin. To hold them, one hand on the tail, the other under the belly behind the pec fins.
We have THE BEST Lake Sturgeon fishing opportunities here in Minnesota over any other state in the nation with the fewest regulations.
With proper handling and care it has been proven to be a near zero death rate and the populations are thriving and growning. After all, isn't that what everyone wants? To catch a monster Sturgeon? Respect, care, and proper handling will make that possible in the very near future for all.
Most places you can't even fish for them, and if you even can, you can not remove them from the water, and have some of the most strict regulations of any freshwater fish.
Let’s respect these elder fish and the amazing opportunity we all have here in Minnesota.
A link to more about how to catch and handle sturgeon
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/gofishing/how-catch-lake-sturgeon.html
