Question about fish

mumszie

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Feb 22, 2005
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Spring Hill, Florida
I have been hunting a few times but haven’t been finding anything at all. Like this afternoon I ended up with a grand total of 3 pennies and some junk. My question is.... do you know anything about sturgeon? For the last few weeks people have been saying there is a rather large one going up and down the river where I hunt. My son’s mother in law lives on that river and they have seen it too. I was shoulder deep in the water this afternoon when everyone started yelling and pointing. I thought it was a manatee but when I finally actually heard what they were saying it was a big sturgeon. Even the people at the restaurant across the river were standing and pointing. Some were saying it was 4 feet and others said no it was at least 6 feet. So I backed myself into the shallow water just to be safe. I am not afraid of the manatee when they come up to me but I know nothing about sturgeon. Any comments?
 

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lookindown

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They are harmless...they dont have teeth.
 

Lady Pirate

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I was out boating in a river near Silver Springs (By Ocala) and saw some HUGE fish and were told by others boaters nearby by that they are River Sturgeon. I've never heard of that either..... but I don't know everything (surprised myself) that is in Florida waters. Glad to see you on here mumszie
 

kinigit

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Yup harmless. They are bottom feeders <http://www.stewart.army.mil/dpw/fish/STURGEON_facts.htm>. Maybe they have been eating all the gold:) I am sure it would be terrifying to get bumped by something that big though.
 

Sandman

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There rubbery mouth is made for vaccuming up the shells, clams, etc. They can get very large and older than us. It is rather rare to see one too and a four footer is still a baby.
 

old digger

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:icon_scratch: Not familar with your area, but I would check with the local Fish&Game and find out if sturgeon are native to the area. If not, Bull shark are known to migrate up freshwater rivers and streams. :dontknow:
 

willie d

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seeker41

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Sturgeon is the common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. The term includes over 20 species commonly referred to as sturgeon and several closely related species that have distinct common names, notably sterlet, kaluga and beluga. Collectively, the family is also known as the true sturgeons. Sturgeon is sometimes used more exclusively to refer to the species in the two best-known genera, Acipenser and Huso.
One of the oldest families of bony fish in existence, sturgeon are native to subtropical, temperate and sub-Arctic rivers, lakes and coastlines of Eurasia and North America. They are distinctive for their elongated bodies, lack of scales, and occasional great size: sturgeons ranging from 7–12 feet (2-3½ m) in length are common, and some species grow up to 18 feet (5.5 m). Most sturgeons are anadromous bottom-feeders, spawning upstream and feeding in river deltas and estuaries. While some are entirely freshwater, very few venture into the open ocean beyond near coastal areas.
Several species of sturgeons are harvested for their roe, which is made into caviar — a luxury food which makes some sturgeons pound for pound the most valuable of all harvested fish. Because they are slow-growing and mature very late in life, they are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and to other threats, including pollution and habitat fragmentation. Most species of sturgeons are currently considered to be at risk of extinction, making them more critically endangered than any other group of species.[SUP][2]

although they have no teeth and are generally gentile creatures, the frequencies transmitted by the fisher cz20 metal detector have been known to cause the large fish to "spear" the unfortunate metal detectorist using the machine in waters where sturgeon swim.

[/SUP]
 

kiana7

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Glad to hear you're safe mumszie,be careful out there:hello:,,HH
 

cdv1

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Dang, learn something new every day on here.... didn't know they were down south too, from what I read on the link posted, you are safe IF you aren't in a boat, :-)
 

gold fever pete

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Bottom feeders. No worry. If you like fish, you would love these. The meat has a mild flavor, if smoked mmmmmm tasty.HH GFP
 

mamabear

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Mumszie, I am so glad to see you're back! I'd be making sure it's a sturgeon. a shark could just ruin your pedicure! How was your trip with your Sis? & as always, I know the gold is just around the corner.
 

lorraine

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Hi Mumszie,

So glad to "hear" from you.

I'm sorry that I cannot give you any insight regarding sturgeon, but I'm learning a lot about them by reading the replies on your thread.

Stay safe, and good luck out there

Lorraine
 

gold nuggets

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Glad to read that you are still swinging the coil every now and then Mumszie.
Having a fish the size of a sturgeon swim by you would ruin your concentration
while detecting for sure. Especially when the large fish is still a baby at 4' long!
Gold Nuggets :hello:
 

NYwaterhunter

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Jul 23, 2011
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Mumszie,
MAKE SURE WHAT the people are identifying are actually Sturgeon ! Be carefull.
We have fresh water sturgeon in our fingerlakes and St Lawrence River.
Although I have not come in contact with any diving, All the divers say they are harmless and curious like most fish. (they have a sucker mouth)
Can I ask, What does the Mum stand for with your username?
Is it a reference to Chrysanthemums ?
I grow 60,000 8 inch mums every year.
Good luck,
Stay safe,
Gary G.
 

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mumszie

mumszie

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Feb 22, 2005
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Spring Hill, Florida
I thought I'd share some pictures that my daughter in laws mother took of the fish in question. They live on the river where I hunt and this came right up to their sea wall one day. Sorry the pictures are better but.. you get what you take.

IMG_4157_zps3d7fb36d.jpg


IMG_4152_zpse5695d4d.jpg


IMG_4148_zpse91e8dc2.jpg


I guess since I'm not able to get out as much as I want anymore I will start haunting T-net to enjoy all the finds you g&g's are finding.
 

beckleeson

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Jul 19, 2012
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Wow, I'm just south of you and we don't have the river sturgeon. Your really lucky to get those awesome pics!
 

worthy

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is sturgeon where caviar comes from --eggs
 

worthy

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is sturgeon where caviar comes from --eggs
 

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