Have you ever fished for a prehistoric creature? I'm talking about something that has been on this planet before human ancestors. For many, the answer is no. Luckily for me, I live in Minnesota and each spring get a chance to fish for lake sturgeon.

Making a strong comeback on the heels of clean water legislation and no-harvest regulations, lake sturgeon today can be fished in four of Minnesota's major rivers systems and a couple of Minnesota's largest lakes. Today the fish are back and catch and release fishing is the norm, although Minnesota does allow residents to purchase a tag to keep one fish. Success is variable, but I consider a good day of fishing one in which you can land anywhere from six to eight fish.

Last April, Rick, owner of Hot Spot Outdoors and Fishing Minnesota (hotspotoutdoors.com and fishingminnesota.com), Joe Paquin and I landed twenty one sturgeon in one morning from 8:00 a.m. to noon with the three largest going fifty two, fifty three, and fifty five inches. Every year, the Fishing Minnesota and Hot Spot Outdoors spring get-together is held on the Rainy River for these awesome creatures. If you have never done battle with a fifty to seventy inch sturgeon, this is your year to head up to the Rainy River in Minnesota and target this arm-tiring fish! When you hook up with a sixty inch, fifty to seventy pound sturgeon, the fight is on! This photo is of one 55 incher than I landed last April. What a battle it was! This sturgeon was almost as wide as my LUND Classic!

April is not far away and I'm already getting pumped anticipating hooking up with a 100 pound sturgeon. Fishing in my LUND for these prehistoric sturgeon is an Ultimate Fishing Experience. There are two things you can't take away from me each April-my LUND and Rainy River sturgeon fishing.

Tom Hatlestad

Fishing Minnesota & LUND Pro-Staff

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