Rippin’ Lips On The Columbia

I had the opportunity to scratch one of my bucket list items Tuesday, with help from Atwood's N.W. Guide Service. I finally reeled in a 7 and half foot sturgeon. (it could have been 8 foot, it wasn't holding still enough to measure it) Here is how I did it.

Scott and Scott picked us up at a boat dock along the Columbia river. We traveled up or down river for about 6 hours. When we finally got to the fishing hole, Scott baited our hooks with chicken heads and old tube socks. Using our bamboo rods with 1/4 inch steel cable and a handful of lug nuts as weights, we flung our bait into the water. It only took 10 minutes to 1 hour, and we had our first fish on, we were rippin' lips. It took close to 4 hours to get the giant next to the boat, we had to take turns fighting this creature, 30 minute shifts. The sturgeon was so long you can see it if you go to Google maps (look up and down the Columbia river until you see it, you can't miss it, resembles the great wall of China).

We were all exhausted, but Captain Scott said we must fish on. We caught 168 fish in that 4 hour period, brought them to the boat, dislodged the barb less hook, and sent them on their merry way. We caught so many sturgeon Scott and Scott are spending today re-painting the side of the boat.

If you would like to fish for a giant river creature, dont tie fishing line and a big hook to your legs, and drag old, rotting animal parts behind you as you swim around the Columbia. Call Atwood's N.W. Guide Service, 521-8211. The above fishing story is fabricated a little, everything but the name of the company and the phone number. Oh, yea, the picture of me holding on to that big fish is not photoshopped. Big thanks to Scott and Scott from Atwood's N.W. Guide service, it was a blast.