Monster of Celilo Fishing Article

Monster of CELILO

by Glenn Dee Summers

Ever dream of catching that above-the-fireplace sized Sturgeon? Despite their looks, sturgeon are considered exquisite table fare; smoked, baked or stir-fried. Once know as the Czar's fish in other waters, woe be the peasant that ignored that royal declaration. Baits are personal preference; squid, rotten fish, smelt, anchovy, pickled herring and various commercial concoctions all get a play.

I had explained to the Doctor and his teenage son that the fish we were seeking would stand second to none when it came to heavy weight fighting strength and determination to stay in the 100 foot depths laying below my boat.

I think they grasped my guide's talk better as they watched me rig a whole, 3 pound shad onto the 7/0 hook and 75 pound leader. They laughed a bit and shook their heads as I taped two railroad spikes together, tied the spikes with some grocery twine and then to the three-way swivel to provide weight to hold the baited rig near the bottom of the pool we were anchored in. Somehow the concept of hooking a fresh water fish over eight feet long had not come home to roost with these two.

I gave a demonstration on how to cast such a cumbersome hook-up (this time without the all too-frequent backlash) and successfully had both of their rods set in no time. The Doctor's bait had no more than hit bottom when it gave the long, steady tattletale pull that told me something approaching the length of my 20' Duckworth was inhaling the king-sized bait on the other end.

Read the entire article "MONSTER OF CELILO" at Fine Fishing Magazine.

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