When you plan your sturgeon fishing trip in Hells Canyon, make sure you’ve got the right bait to feed them. Next time you visit your local bait shop, think about what kind of bait a sturgeon prefers as you get ready for your trip. Feed them what they love and take pictures of every catch before releasing them.

Salmon Eggs

Sturgeon respond best to live bait, and many experienced anglers use roe, or salmon eggs. Some varieties do better than others; use chinook salmon eggs if you can get your hands on them. (The chinook salmon run earlier on in the summer, so you may be able to harvest bunches of roe then.) They’re best when they’re fresh!

Stink Bait

Sturgeon will eat just about anything—and that includes rotting carcasses. Among avid fishing enthusiasts, sturgeon fishing season stinks something awful! You can’t buy stink bait at your local bait shop, so you’ll have to make it yourself. Let a dead fish rot or pick one up along the shoreline, remaining mindful of any local regulations.

Crawfish

Sturgeon eat crawfish in their own free time, so they’ll gravitate toward any dangling from your hook. Before you begin your Hells Canyon sturgeon fishing in earnest, grab some live crawfish from the bait shop or catch your own. You may even get nibbles from bass or trout while you’re at it!

Mollusks

Sturgeon also like to munch on clams and snails, which are easy to harvest on your own if you know where to look. Keep local regulations in mind every time you harvest your own live bait. Look around the area where you’ll be doing your sturgeon fishing, and you’ll get a feel for what sturgeon normally eat on their own. Small snails and clams are great snacks for any sturgeon.

As you prepare for your fishing trip courtesy of River Adventures, make sure you’ve got all the bait and tackle you need. What kind of bait does a sturgeon prefer? Well, they’ll eat just about anything, but have a feast of fresh snails and rotting fish ready for them.