Nice Sturgeon!

[Malc Bason]

..................Why the rope?

 

[Warren 'Hatrick' (Wol) Gaunt]

They do a similar thing with Catfish Malc but i think through the mouth for retaining for a pic/photo setup.

 

[Malc Bason]

It just worries me a bit Wol. Sturgeon tire themselves to depletion and take quite a bit of nursing back at times. For this reason, I cannot fathom the need for the rope???

I suppose its nursed back to full strength, and then tied up and then lifted out for the photo shoot?

Hmmmm?

 

[Neil Maidment]

I fished for Sturgeon (but never landed one)in the States and Canada. I have seen big fish "tied" to the boat and gently driven along and then released. The guides said too many fish die after being hooked and landed/beached so the "resuscitation" seemed OK, the fish I saw went away with real strength.

 

[Colin Brett]

The rope is put on by the guide.
It allows unhooking and retention in the shallows. It's then photographed, checked for tagging and then hand held by the tail in shallow water to recover. All took about 3 minutes and the fish only left the water when lifted for photos.
I took much longer to recover after a 45 minute tussle.

Colin

 

[Malc Bason]

Thanks Colin.

What was its weight by the way?

 

[Colin Brett]

Approx. 200lbs

Colin

 

[Malc Bason]

Nice.