Sturgeon

[walshie 2,804]

I was just looking through what people have caught in the rivers round here and it seems the River Towy produced the British Record sturgeon of 388lb back in 1932. Are there still monsters like that in the river or was it a freak one-off?

[riohog 5,725]

i believe sturgeon when cought in the uk become property of the crown,, royal fish

[Rabid 1,936]

As a kid we used to fish a small stretch near me, one of the landowners was a proper nice paddy, but he did like a drink or two, he kept telling us about this fish he had seen in a slow backwater of his, he described it, and it took us months to find the picture, it was a sturgeon, we showed him the pic and he swore blacks blue that it was the fish he had seen, we just put it down to a few too many, or an over active imagination and tall stories, never did see it, or catch it, we fished his stretch a lot, I did get smashed up one day, and often wondered........ as I was on quite heavy pike gear at the time.

[walshie 2,804]

A lake up the road from me was fined for keeping sturgeon without a licence as they are considered a "non-native" species.

[Rabid 1,936]

A lake up the road from me was fined for keeping sturgeon without a licence as they are considered a "non-native" species.

Interesting reading about them, seems quite a few have been caught, and they stocked them in French rivers, one was caught in Cambridge, so it may be possible they are there.

 

A prehistoric-looking, scale-less fish with five distinctive rows of bony plates, known as scutes, running the length of the body

Dark grey/black back fading to lighter underside, often with green or yellow colouration

The head features an extended snout with two sets of barbules and an underslung, extendable mouth

In the 1930s, anglers landed two sturgeon from rivers in South Wales, one of which was reported to have weighed in at more than 440lb

A 320lb sturgeon overturned two coracles and broke three nets during its capture on the Towy in June 1896

Recent confirmed sightings on the Towy occurred in June 1986, June 1990 and June 1993

In 1860, a fish was caught from the Great Ouse at Hemmingford Grey, in Cambridgeshire, more than 40 miles from the sea.

[treecreeper 1,136]

Don't think you can stock them legally but you can buy them from a garden centre so no doubt there's a few knocking about in rivers.

[Hydropotesinermis 724]

One was landed at Lowestoft fish market a few years ago and Riohog is quite right they are property of the Queen. I think they got into hot water for trying to sell it without getting her permission.

 

I tried to find the story on Google but I reckon it pre dates the Internet, I did find this however.

 

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/fishermen-put-sturgeon-alert-after-5853603

[leegreen 2,182]

Don't think you can stock them legally but you can buy them from a garden centre so no doubt there's a few knocking about in rivers.

 

You can stock them as long as you put in provisions to stop them entering the local water course. This can be done by using mesh on water outlets.

There are quite a few types of Sturgeon.

 

They probably became extinct over here due to over fishing and blockages in rivers such as weirs, locks, etc.

 

They fight well.

[pointer 543]

Sturgeon grow quickly and are always hungry. I've only caught half a dozen to 21lb ( Siberian, Russian and Sterlet) but was disappointed by the fight. They gave a tug then just gave in, a 3lb carp fights much harder. They also need careful handling and take quite a long time to recover and swim away. Still they are a good looking fish and grow big. Being easily caught they would provide specimen sized fish to newcomers to fishing if they were allowed to be stocked. The EA say they can only be kept in ornamental ponds within the confines of a property but a few lakes have them in. It's only a matter of time before all those £15 sturgeon sold at aquatic shops outgrow their ponds and are dumped in our rivers. Then a ban will come the same as happened to the Channel Cat a few years ago.

[pointer 543]

 

This fish didn't fight very well for its size on a 10ft carp rod and 10lb line but I was pleased to catch it.

[jonnie bravo 572]

The river Aire has had two recorded catches of sturgeon. The biggest was 160lb+

[Welsh_red 4,690]

 

Not a bad size .

 

 

http://www.riverannan.co.uk/monster.htm

[walshie 2,804]

 

Not a bad size .

 

 

http://www.riverannan.co.uk/monster.htm

 

That's a great story. I wonder how much of it is true. "The sturgeon having no mouth."

[neil cooney 10,416]

I wish we had them in our local rivers, it would save me having to go to the local supermarket for my caviar. It's always in the morning when my toast is done that I find I'm out of caviar. Very annoying.

[Flipper_Al 1,012]

Caught a few in France, biggest was about 30lb, can get acrobatic which is fun