# Weird Fish Caught in RED



## surtrav3 (Jul 16, 2009)

I was fishing in the river just downstream of the Sorlie and caught a fish I have never seen before. It had a very long bony snout with a mouth on the underside. It had rows of short hard spines all along the body. It was yellowish in color. The head looked very much like a shark. It was about 7 inches long and about a pound or two. There were no teeth that I saw or felt. It was a very strange fish. Any Ideas on what it could be? I will be uploading a picture as soon as figure out how to get it off my phone.[/b]


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## carp_killer (Nov 24, 2006)

sturgeon???


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## surtrav3 (Jul 16, 2009)

Ok. Heres the pictures. They are not very high quality.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Wow, that is a sturgeon. It sounded like it, but I just didn't think there were sturgeon in the Red. However, I will have to admit I don't know much about the Red. I thought the Missouri was the only river in North Dakota that had sturgeon.


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## cavedude (Oct 20, 2006)

Congratulations on the sturgeon catch. I hope you released it.


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## surtrav3 (Jul 16, 2009)

I did release it. I have been fishing the banks of the Red river for years and have never seen a fish like that. Those spines are quite formidable! I wonder how big they get? Thanks so much for the info.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

I didn't know they had sturgies in the red?

We catch a few out here on the Missouri every spring.


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## ImpalaSSpeed96 (Aug 25, 2008)

surtrav3 said:


> I wonder how big they get?


Big!!!!! Hundreds of pounds big.

Good thing you released it. Those fish are uber protected.


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## Gildog (Jan 30, 2007)

I think I read in the Fargo Forum a couple years ago that the White Earth band and the DNR were working to remove barriers in tributaries to the Red, and also stocking sturgeon in lakes on tribal land that used to have sturgeon, and that are in the RR watershed...the idea being to get them back in the RR watershed after being extirpated 100 years ago. Perhaps this came from that effort...or from somewhere else, who knows?


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## drjongy (Oct 13, 2003)

I guess the Red has over 70 species of fish...pretty crazy the different fish you can catch in there.


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## Gildog (Jan 30, 2007)

from DNR release:

In 2002, the Minnesota DNR began implementing a 20-year stocking plan in the Red River basin with a goal of re-establishing a sexually mature, naturally reproducing population over the next 20 to 30 years. About 20,000 fingerlings have been stocked annually into basin lakes and tributaries (Minnesota DNR 2002). Since 1994, 5 of the 8 U.S. dams on the main stem of the Red River have been modified to allow fish passage. Another 19 dams on tributaries have been modified or removed. (Kallok 2008)


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## MoCarp (Nov 22, 2005)

don't they get like 7 feet long???


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## bowcarp (Feb 27, 2007)

MoCarp said:


> don't they get like 7 feet long???


they'll get even bigger than that watched them fishing for them on TV once out west forget if it was Washington or Oregon gut they we're HUGE !

watched on boat below Pierre on the Missiori catch 3 in about 15 minutes 2-3 footers really a cool fish [yes they were released]


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## ImpalaSSpeed96 (Aug 25, 2008)

MoCarp said:


> don't they get like 7 feet long???


They get huge...


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## ndoutdoorsman (May 13, 2004)

I didnt know they had sturgeon on the red either. They can get to be up to 12+ft long. When I went out to Idaho this summer i ended up catching a 11 foot sturgeon, awesome fish with tons of strength. Awesome catch, hope it was released and will grow big.


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## Canuck (Nov 10, 2004)

The sturgeon from the Red is a Lake sturgeon. They do not get as large as the species from the west shown in the pictures. A 125 pounder was caught in the Red north of Winnipeg a few years ago. That might be the official Manitoba record but some larger than that have been recorded. Manitoba is actively stocking Lake sturgeon in the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.
Congrats on catching and releasing an interesting fish.
Canuck


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

Wow! Very cool! :beer:


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## Hockeyhunter99 (Oct 11, 2007)

i have caught a sturgeon on the red before ( only once, it was in fargo). as i researched them more i found that the protected ones are not found here (Pallid Sturgeon) they are the ones that grow to be huge and give caviar. the ones in the red are lake sturgeon ( just as improbable to catch) but won't get nearly as big. they are a brownish rusty color and pallids are a greyish in color.

Still a trophy to CPR (catch, picture, release) nice work.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Yes, there are sturgeon in the Red. Last summer I caught a small shovelnose like the one in your picture at the Point in GF (where the Red Lake River flows into the Red. I threw it back.


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## koldkanuck (Feb 6, 2013)

There are Sturgeon in the Red and Winnipeg river,
however if they open the garrison diversion are fish in the red,winnipeg river and Lake Winnipeg are history.


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