Want to catch a giant sturgeon? This Idaho guide can show you how 

As Captain Tim Parrish motored along the Snake River, I was mesmerized by the unorthodox machine propelling us upstream. Labeled “Mud Buddy,” it looked and sounded like a giant fan.

“This is what they use to get around the Everglades,” Tim said, raising his voice above the motor’s hum.

It became clear why when, suddenly, the river shallowed to less than a foot in depth. I raised my eyebrows at my fishing partner Randal, but the Mud Buddy glided along without a hitch.

A few miles, two deer and a giant turkey later, we arrived at our first spot. Just a couple football fields away from shin-high water, we anchored on the edge of a cavernous 80-foot hole.

“Welcome to sturgeon country!” Tim announced.

Parrish, owner and operator of Hammett Valley Fishing Adventures, has been guiding on the Snake and C.J. Strike Reservoir for about four years. He offers panfish and bass trips on C.J. Strike, guides fly anglers hunting river smallmouth and carp, and also leads sturgeon excursions.

When Tim invited me fishing, I opted for the latter — I’ve wrestled sturgeon before, but not as often as I fish for other species. Plus, Randal was a sturgeon virgin, and I wanted to see him catch a dinosaur.

The pre-front skies were gray and snowy as Tim unpacked the rods. We threaded fresh cut bait onto huge circle hooks and launched them into the deep. Within 30 minutes, Randal hooked up, but the fish came in too quickly to be a sturgeon.

“We’re not getting skunked today!” I joked as he landed one of the biggest pikeminnow I’ve ever seen.

We fished on. The bite slowed, prompting Tim to motor upstream. After another hour passed with no action, Tim furrowed his brow in thought.

“Let’s go back to the first spot,” he said. “Maybe they’ll be ready to eat.”

This is where it pays to have a captain who knows the river like his backyard. Back at the original hole, my bait had barely hit bottom when the telltale tap of a sturgeon bounced the rod tip.

Once, twice…I picked up the rod and kept a finger on the 80-pound braided line. It’s incredible how subtle the bite of a 100-pound fish can be. The key is to feel the sturgeon swimming with the bait and then reel like crazy to embed the circle hook in the corner of its mouth.

There!! I could tell he had it. I reeled down furiously and felt the weight of a fish moving towards us.

“Is it a dino?” Randal wondered.

“Maybe,” I answered. “It’s either small or doesn’t know it’s hooked yet.”

Just then, the fish stopped. I smiled at Tim, who nodded in approval. The reel groaned as a huge fish took off downstream. Sturgeon on!

I fought the fish for 10 minutes and then handed off to Randal. When the fish made its first run with him at the controls, he let out a whoop of excitement as the drag sizzled.

After a 25-minute battle, we had a six-foot sturgeon boatside. We joined it in the water for pictures, then quickly scrambled aboard to get the lines back in the water.

The dinner bell had sounded. Not five minutes after releasing the first fish, I had another dino on. This one was only four feet long, and I had it landed and released in 10 minutes.

“Keep those lines wet, boys!” I shouted.

Indeed, we were hooked up again within minutes, this time on Randal’s rod. Right away, we could tell this was a bigger fish, and Randal dubbed it “Walter.” We passed the rod every 10 minutes, in part to divide the muscle-burning work, but mostly to share the experience. “It’s a big one,” Tim confirmed. “Probably eight or nine feet — there are monsters in here. There are more sturgeon in this stretch of the Snake than just about anywhere in the world.”

Pretty cool to think about. Just an hour and change from Boise, anglers have a world-class opportunity to tangle with some of the biggest freshwater fish on the planet.

But landing such a fish is no easy task. After 45 minutes, the fish was still 100 yards away. On one fateful surge, with full tension in the line, it went slack. Somehow, the hook pulled before we ever got eyes on Walter.

With daylight fading, we had to call it quits. We thanked Tim for an awesome trip — he was great company, on top of putting us on the dinos — and headed home. We’re already planning a return trip. As it turns out, the only thing more addicting than catching a big sturgeon is losing a bigger one. Tight lines!

Book Your Own Hammett Valley Adventure!

Captain Tim Parrish of Hammett Valley Fishing Adventures is a licensed Idaho guide offering panfish, bass, fly-fishing and sturgeon trips on the Snake River and C.J. Strike Reservoir. To book a fishing trip with Tim, call (208) 585-4858, email hammettvalleyfishingadventures@gmail.com, or visit www.hammettvalleyfishingadventures.com.

Jordan Rodriguez has been fishing Idaho waters since he was a teen. Share your fish stories, adventures, tips and tricks with him at tightlinesboise@gmail.com or visit www.tightlines208.com.