'I never thought I’d see a sturgeon this large': Giant white sturgeon caught in Suisun Bay

On July 9, 1983, Joey Pallotta of Crockett, California caught the world record white sturgeon weighing 468 pounds while fishing from his boat in San Pablo Bay in Contra Costa County.

His epic catch will remain the world record for the foreseeable future due to new sturgeon regulations in California that were adopted requiring the release of all fish over six feet long. Oregon and Washington had already adopted regulations preventing the taking of fish over 72 inches.

Since then, all three states have developed a myriad of regulations that further restrict the take of white sturgeon to protect the species.

Since Captain Zack Medinas of Gatecrasher Sportfishing was a teenager nearly four decades ago, he’d always wished and dreamed a truly giant sturgeon would be caught and released from his boat.

That dream seemed to become more elusive as the years dragged on.

“After nearly four decades of giving it my all and thousands of landed sturgeon I stopped believing,” he recounted. “That’s right; I gave up on that dream.

"The best part of this story though is that my dream never gave up on me.“

On a trip this month, two anglers fishing with Medinas — a fireman and his son — caught and released by the side of the boat a massive sturgeon much larger than any other fish boated by Medinas or anglers fishing from his boat over the year.

“I have caught many huge fish over the years, but I have never seen one this large before — and to accomplish and share this life highlight with a fireman and his two sons in a storm made it all the more special,” he said.

“I never thought I’d see a sturgeon this large in our system,” Medinas noted. “Many of my friends have left our area to catch and release a giant in other states, but I made a promise to myself if I was ever going to see one it would be in my backyard, or not at all. To my surprise, it finally happened.”

“After decades of trying and more sunburns and freezing days and nights than I can remember, I finally saw my dream fish,” he stated. “I hope there will be many more like this in the future so that you all can experience what I finally had the privilege to see.”

The sturgeon hit a nickel-size piece of salmon roe in Suisun Bay as the spring rain poured down that morning. After the hook was set, the battle began.

“The fight did not disappoint,” he continued. “One son, Chase, fought it for 20 minutes and the dad, Corey, fought it for another 15 minutes. Every time they got the fish close to the boat, it’s massive head would shake.“

The fish jumped clear of the water two times and once partially out of the water. The dad said it ‘looked like a piano coming out of the water’ when it jumped.

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Medinas said he couldn’t estimate the size of the fish.

“I have caught a lot of big fish, but had never seen anything like this. After I released it, the fish swam back into the water nice and peacefully. I put a PIT tag on the fish after it was released just like all of the fish I hook,” said Medinas.

“Its mouth was so big you could put a cantaloupe in it. I’m a big guy — and I couldn’t even lift its head up for a photo beside the boat,” he continued.

After the fish was released, the father, exhausted from the fight, asked to go back to the harbor since they were not up for catching any more fish after having battled the fish of a lifetime.

Medinas reported “pretty good” sturgeon over the past four to five days prior to our interview. He reported six to 10 hook-ups per day, with most of the fish under 40 inches and over 60 inches.

“There are a lot of 61 to 62 inch fish,” said Medinas. “When we tag the fish, we record all of the measurements. There are good numbers of 2017 year class fish around 34 inches and 2019 year class fish around 30 inches.”

“I was lucky to see one of these huge sturgeon I’ve heard about during my lifetime. I’m happy to know that we still have the genetics out there to make more big fish,” he concluded.

To view a video of the two anglers battling the gigantic sturgeon, click here.

Anglers are reminded that emergency regulations enacted by the California Fish and Game Commission in October 2023 to reduce the harvest of white sturgeon in state waters are currently in effect.

The new regulations reduce the number of fish that can be kept to one per year, reduce the slot limit to 42-48 inches, cap the number of white sturgeon that can be possessed on a vessel at two per day and add seasonal closures to sturgeon fishing in key spawning areas.

The new regulations were enacted by the Commission following a joint recommendation by CDFW and angling groups. The emergency action was taken in response to long-term declines in adult white sturgeon populations as well as the impacts of a harmful algal bloom (HAB) in the summer of 2022.

California has two species of sturgeon: green sturgeon and white sturgeon. Green sturgeon are listed as a threatened species under the Federal Endangered Species Act. White sturgeon are listed in California as a “Species of Special Concern."

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Sturgeon are one of the oldest fish in existence with fossil records dating back more than 200 million years. Individual white sturgeon can live about 100 years and don’t start spawning until approximately 14 to 19 years old. Scientists estimate that white sturgeon in the Central Valley only spawn successfully every six to seven years, the CDFW reported.

“White sturgeon abundance has declined significantly from approximately 200,000 harvestable fish in 1997 to around 33,000 (recent five-year average),” according to the CDFW. “Sturgeon fisheries in California have closed multiple times in the past due to overharvest.

“During the summer of 2022, a HAB in the San Francisco and San Pablo bays caused the death of tens of thousands of fish including at least 864 sturgeon. Most sturgeon experts believe there were likely thousands more sturgeon killed during the HAB that sank to the bottom of bay waters and were not counted,” the CDFW said.

Fishing for white sturgeon is now closed upstream of the Highway 50 bridge on the Sacramento River and Interstate 5 bridge on the San Joaquin River from Jan. 1 to May 31, 2024. This upstream area will reopen to fishing on June 1, 2024, once spawning season is over.

CDFW is currently working on a white sturgeon regulation package to allow for limited harvest. The regulation package is scheduled to go through the commission regulation setting process with a target effective date of January 2025. For more information visit CDFW’s sturgeon page. Questions can be sent to sturgeon@wildlife.ca.gov.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Giant white sturgeon caught in Suisun Bay