Boilies

[dannypee]

Any one had any success whilst using these baits on sturgeon I used to carp fish in the UK and was toying with the idea I have some great stinky recipes to try. sturgeon go for these in Europe so I thought why not !! Just wondering if anyone on here had tried them ?

[The Fisherman Guy]

It's definitely worth a shot, I've never heard of anyone using boilies for White, Green or Lake Sturgeon however.

[dannypee]

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement I'll give them a try and if I'm succesful I'll send you some

[The Fisherman Guy]

That's a keen offer I will not pass up, thank you.

You may be onto something, will the next Alberta Record Lake Sturgeon fall to a Boilie? Keeping it stationary in fast moving water is key. Considering they are round, they should stay still in the current, as long as they aren't buoyant. Rigged with a traditional Sturgeon rig, they should stay on bottom, hopefully motionless.

[dannypee]

I'll have to talk to my brother in the UK who is a keen carp fisherman there are several boilie recipes some float some don't I think the biggest boilie you can buy is 20mm, I'm thinking bigger ill do some trials in an old fish tank they are often used on a hair rig which presents the bait floating above the hook (see you tube) but as you say in a fast flowing river it could present some problems unless I find a deep still pool (I have a location in mind) but again I feel I'm up to the challenge and will give it a go !!! Thanks again for your encouragement I find a lot of negativity on this forum sometimes but clearly none on this thread !!

[Geezle]

Originally Posted by dannypee

I'll have to talk to my brother in the UK who is a keen carp fisherman there are several boilie recipes some float some don't I think the biggest boilie you can buy is 20mm, I'm thinking bigger ill do some trials in an old fish tank they are often used on a hair rig which presents the bait floating above the hook (see you tube) but as you say in a fast flowing river it could present some problems unless I find a deep still pool (I have a location in mind) but again I feel I'm up to the challenge and will give it a go !!! Thanks again for your encouragement I find a lot of negativity on this forum sometimes but clearly none on this thread !!

You don't necessarily need them too big...my largest sturgeon was caught on a #4 hook with half a minnow for bait. I think scent is going to be the biggest factor...make 'em stink and you should be good

[The Fisherman Guy]

Thinking outside the box can definitely deliver positive results, you never know unless you try!

I am familiar with the hair rig running corn, pellets, dough & bread or boilies. I would go with a strong anchovy or herring scent if you are planning on making some. Perhaps when the suckers spawn, some roe could also be used in your boilie batch. I've heard of guys using sucker roe tied into roe bags, don't see why the roe scent added to the boilie mixture wouldn't work to bring in a sturgeon.

As has been posted here before, a good rigging suggestion for Sturgeon is:


Pickerel rigs will catch fish, but they break easily and aren't designed to catch sturgeon. I snell my 3/0 hooks with an egg loop knot using 60lb braid. Above the hook, I typically run 14-18" of line to a heavy duty swivel. I'll tie about 5 of these for each trip, as the hooks will dull bouncing off the rocks on retrieval. That way, it's easy to swap out the rig in less than a minute.

I don't use a slider as pictured, I use a heavy snap swivel to my pyramid weight.

Good luck this year, I am counting down the days until May 8!

[Geezle]

I use basically the same rig as well, but also with a heavy snap swivel instead of the slider, and a snap swivel in place of the swivel. Then I tie my snells with a surgeon's loop at the end for easy swapping. Also instead of regular braid I use the braided nylon sturgeon leader material.

So yeah...exactly the same, only different

I'm looking at the river almost every day, and she's slowly opening up near me.

[dannypee]

Some great advice here guys thank you so much

[WayneChristie]

OK you got me, what the heck is a boily? I dont use slider rigs personally, I much prefer my own system, works for me have my favourite baits too Im just curious what you are thinking of using.

[The Fisherman Guy]

Boilies are carp bait Wayne, most often made by fishermen with their own secret recipes. Basically it is a firm dough, with many stinky additives, that is rolled into balls of varying size and boiled for a short time like a dumpling.

They are then removed and placed in bags or jars for storage. There are several kinds of rigs for them, mostly the "hair rig" is used, where the boilie is threaded onto the back of a specially snelled hook and held in place with a stopper. It's quite an elaborate technique.

Carp fishermen who use bait are a whole other breed of hard core fishermen. Long distance casting with a finely tuned technique, super long rods, chum sling shots, homemade bait, bite sensors, you name it - carp fishermen take their sport very, very seriously. It's quite popular in Europe, where they think we are crazy for not targeting carp more often as a serious sport fish.

[dannypee]

Im glad ive sparked so much intrest !! if you go on you tube there are lots of videos on how to make your own boillies !! In my expierience the stinkier the better there are also great videos on hair rigs that could perhaps be used on sturgeon in fairly still water as they feed much the same as carp , i know that sturgeon are caught on them in Europe mostly in big lakes!! Im just thinking of mixing it up a little this year on the river just remember chaps if you are going to try your hand at making them open a window!! Or feel the wrath of the long haired sergeant major !!! Oh and if anyone has any dramas with the brit accents on you tube ill be glad to translate

[WayneChristie]

Originally Posted by dannypee

Im glad ive sparked so much intrest !! if you go on you tube there are lots of videos on how to make your own boillies !! In my expierience the stinkier the better there are also great videos on hair rigs that could perhaps be used on sturgeon in fairly still water as they feed much the same as carp , i know that sturgeon are caught on them in Europe mostly in big lakes!! Im just thinking of mixing it up a little this year on the river just remember chaps if you are going to try your hand at making them open a window!! Or feel the wrath of the long haired sergeant major !!! Oh and if anyone has any dramas with the brit accents on you tube ill be glad to translate

I guess its always good to have a few options for the days with slow bites. Ive had some baits that were bad enough to drive a cat off a gut wagon and even some that would gag a maggot, but Im usually on the river for 3 or 4 days at a time so the less fragrant baits make it easier to live with myself I for one wish we had the big carp in Alberta, Ive caught them before and I would rank their fight up close to sturgeon for the bigger ones. Our other gamefish are always fun but I fish for the fight and other than very big pike or laketrout nothing else comes close

[J D]

Have not tried a bolly but I have a few baits I use for white sturgeon that are mashed baits in nylon bags soaked in a jar of scents. They give off a really strong odour

They work and when fishing with multiple people it helps draw them into the area our baits are sitting. Sturgeon seem to follow in the scent from down river