- 2 days ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00World, where history and conservation collide.
00:03Inside, we uncover the story of a prehistoric giant that still roams the Great Lakes,
00:09the Lake Sturgeon.
00:11Then it's time to hit the water, chasing down one of these river monsters ourselves.
00:15What we hook into will push our gear and our strength to the limits.
00:20And when an unlikely catch hits the line,
00:23we'll find out if its bad reputation on the dinner plate is true or just a myth.
00:27I'm Kyle Green.
00:28I travel the globe with my best friends hunting for wild game and dynamic conservation stories.
00:34Join us on our adventure as we escape the shackles of the modern world
00:37and gain a deeper understanding of where our food comes from.
00:41Welcome to Greenway Outdoors.
00:46Welcome to the oldest aquarium in North America, established August 18, 1904.
00:52This is the Belle Isle Aquarium.
00:54The Belle Isle Aquarium isn't just another stop on our journey.
00:58It's the oldest public aquarium in the United States and a true piece of living history.
01:03For generations, it's been a gateway for people in Detroit to connect with the underwater world.
01:09It houses an incredible collection of native and exotic species.
01:13But what really makes it special is the team behind it.
01:16Now I came here to meet with the Department of Natural Resources, fisheries research biologist Andrew Briggs,
01:21to learn about one of North America's most ancient fish, the lake sturgeon.
01:26But first, curator Dr. Paul Schuert is giving me a brief history of this remarkable place.
01:32It was built in 1904. It was opened in 1904.
01:35It was designed by Detroit architect Albert Kahn, who's rather famous for his designs.
01:41He designed this building and the conservatory next door.
01:45They were open together, and we've been open ever since.
01:49Now, I heard some rumors about rum runners.
01:52Detroit was a gateway for about 80% of the liquor that came into the Northwest.
01:59Yeah.
01:59And a lot of it came across Belle Isle, and they would store the liquor in the basement here.
02:07There's underneath the fountain on the other end of the island.
02:10That's what the rumors are.
02:11Yeah.
02:12And this was one of 800 speakeasies in the Detroit area during Prohibition.
02:18So was the aquarium like a front?
02:20I just think it was something after dark.
02:23Yeah.
02:24They had little shindigs downstairs.
02:26Do the employees here still party like that?
02:28Are you guys, you guys, you guys settle down now.
02:30Yeah.
02:32Just, just at night.
02:33Yeah, just at night.
02:34I love it.
02:35What are the biggest problems facing the sturgeon right now in Michigan?
02:39They were reduced to 1% of their historical level.
02:41So with lake sturgeon, they're a long-lived species.
02:44Takes them a long time to mature.
02:45Males don't mature until they're like 15 years old.
02:47Females closer to 20 to 25.
02:49So once they start getting the habitat they need and all that, it's still going to take some time to recover.
02:53But right now, the main issues are still, a lot of dams are blocking their migration.
02:58Routes, so they can't reach their spawning areas.
03:01So that's kind of the main issue today is restoring their access to spawning habitat and then restoring spawning habits.
03:08So here in the St. Clair Detroit River system, there's artificial reefs that we put in and kind of increase their spawning here.
03:13We've only ever caught one lake sturgeon and it was in the St. Clair River and it was over 70 inches.
03:18Holy cow, he's taking out of line, boys.
03:33He's running out of line right now.
03:35Oh my goodness, he's huge, man.
03:37Oh my goodness, you're going to be able to get the right.
03:39Oh my goodness.
03:40Oh my goodness.
03:41Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.
03:50Dude...
03:54I really just hooked it on the trolling motor.
03:56It's not bad, it's not bad.
03:57It's not bad.
03:58Oh my goodness.
03:59Come on.
04:00Take it right, take it right.
04:02Come on.
04:03Take it right here.
04:04Come on.
04:05Let's get that going.
04:07Yeah!
04:08Woo!
04:09Yeah!
04:23Holy cow.
04:24I'm hoping to get another one now.
04:26And it would be really cool to get one in the slot, which is like 42 to 50.
04:30Why do you guys pick 42 to 50 for people to be able to keep them?
04:34And also, everyone knows this.
04:37In the fishing community, too, we are the most judgmental people on the face of the earth,
04:40right?
04:41So there's people like, if you keep a trout, you're the worst person that ever existed.
04:45Yep.
04:46And then there's talk of if you keep a sturgeon, even if it's in the slot, you're the worst
04:49person ever.
04:50As a biologist, looking at the numbers, not necessarily your personal feelings, what are
04:55your thoughts on it?
04:56So we allow harvest for a reason.
04:58So we monitor our population very closely.
05:00We know how much harvest it can handle.
05:03Roughly, we want to keep, based on our management plans, we want to keep harvest to about 2-5%
05:08of the population size.
05:09So that definitely allows for some harvest.
05:11But as you mentioned, a lot of people, they don't want to keep a fish.
05:14I mean, these are fish that they can live for hundreds of years and tons of people can
05:18catch these.
05:19So we got fish that have been reported that we've tagged that have been caught by 12 anglers.
05:22Wow.
05:23So it just shows you the value of that specific fish.
05:25Yeah.
05:26It can be tens of people that caught a single sturgeon.
05:28There's a hundred-year-old out there not learning lessons.
05:30Yeah, exactly.
05:31You didn't feel that hook again.
05:32Exactly, yeah.
05:33But yeah, as far as people, like, people can keep them.
05:35A lot of people, like, they don't want to, but we don't dissuade people from keeping them
05:40if they want to.
05:41So between 42 and 50 inches is our slot.
05:43And that's set in place as 50 inches is about when females start to mature.
05:47Okay.
05:48So it's protecting the spawning females primarily is what the slot limit is doing.
05:52That's why it's there.
05:53Yeah.
05:54Does fishing actually help this fish?
05:55So we believe it does because, so a lot of people, they'll never see a lake sturgeon
06:00their whole life.
06:01Right.
06:02But fishing gives them an opportunity to do so.
06:04And it's really hard for somebody to get an appreciation for a fish like a lake sturgeon
06:08until they see one in person and get to hold one.
06:10So that's one of the big things about fishing for sturgeon that I think has really helped conservation,
06:14especially in our area.
06:15We have this really, like, driven fishing community for lake sturgeon and they're really conservation
06:21driven.
06:22They want to help protect the fish, help restore the fish.
06:24So it's really beneficial in our area.
06:26I've traveled all over the world and seen so many different fish species and met different
06:30cultures and learned how they interact with the fish.
06:32And the one thing I find consistently is the fish that have conservation efforts and have
06:37people actually working towards furthering the species are the ones that have value to people.
06:42Now, I feel like all fish have their own value.
06:45But if people aren't catching them, if people aren't eating them, if people aren't going
06:49after them, using them as a sport fish, they just don't care.
06:53Follow The Greenway Outdoors on all social platforms for our weekly podcasts, vlogs, how
06:58to's, merch and more.
07:00Powered by Dynamo CX.
07:03The Greenway Outdoors is brought to you by Ram Trucks.
07:07Nothing stops Ram.
07:09And by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's.
07:12Your adventure starts here.
07:17Welcome back to The Greenway Outdoors.
07:19We are in Michigan targeting lake sturgeon and we've just arrived at the St. Clair River.
07:26Whenever I'm going to a new lake, new body of water, or targeting a new fish species,
07:30I find it's pretty helpful when you see a guide service boat that specializes in that species
07:35and that water, you stop and ask questions.
07:38What's going on?
07:39How you doing?
07:40Good, how are you?
07:41I'm Kyle.
07:42Hey Kyle, I'm Anthony.
07:43Nice to meet you, Anthony.
07:44I hear you're the guy to talk to about sturgeon.
07:46Yeah, I've done a little bit of sturgeon fishing over the years, about 20 years of it.
07:50Oh, wow.
07:51Yeah, I'm going out for kind of my first time out on these waters and I'm taking the sea-dew.
07:56The sea-dew?
07:57Yeah, but hear me out.
07:58It's a fish pro, so it's made for this.
08:00Okay.
08:01But I'm kind of going to be pushing about, I'm going to be pushing the limits on it today
08:04for sure.
08:05Just wear your life jacket in case that thing tips over, they pull you over.
08:08Always, always, always.
08:09I just, I know I don't want to ask a fisherman his spots and I know not to break those rules,
08:13but is there anything you can tell me to point me in the right direction or some tactics?
08:17Absolutely.
08:18Typically, you want to target the deeper holes.
08:21Okay.
08:22Throughout the river, you're going to have areas where it's going to go from 30, 40 feet.
08:25It's going to dip down to 50, 60, even 70 feet.
08:28Okay.
08:29So a lot of times, a bigger fish will lay down in them holes, especially during the day,
08:33night.
08:34They can roam around, but them holes are really good areas to target.
08:37They kind of specifically will hold those fish in that area.
08:41Right.
08:42So those are good areas to definitely try to target and check out.
08:45I'm limited because I can only fish during the day, obviously.
08:49Is there anything I should do different or what baits would you recommend because I'm
08:52only fishing during the day?
08:54So a good bait to start with, worms and minnows.
08:57Okay.
08:58Those two, definitely.
08:59It's the easiest to get.
09:00Go to the store.
09:01You can buy them right down the street.
09:03You know, if you're putting worms on, put two, three worms on.
09:06You know, I like them to dangle down about two, three inches off the hook.
09:10And you're going to use about approximately 12 to 16 ounces of weight.
09:14I prefer to use 16 just because then I can pretty much fish any area of the river, whether
09:19it's fast current, slow current, if I'm fishing 40 feet or 60, 70 feet.
09:24Right.
09:25Yeah.
09:26It's going to hold down on that bottom no matter the current.
09:28Absolutely.
09:29Okay.
09:30Well, that kind of gets me.
09:31Look for the deep holes.
09:32Use that bait.
09:33Are you heading out now?
09:34I'm going to be, yes.
09:35So you go out during the day too.
09:36It's not only a night thing then.
09:37No, you can fish anytime.
09:39They kind of bite in spurts.
09:40Okay.
09:41So I would say within a five hour period, you're going to catch one of them biting periods.
09:45Okay.
09:46If you don't catch something in 20 minutes, do you move?
09:49Depends.
09:50If I'm marking fish and I know there's fish around me, I'll typically stay in that area.
09:54Okay.
09:55Because the general rule is that you hear all over the place, don't leave fish to find
09:59fish.
10:00Fair enough.
10:01Well, thank you for your help.
10:02You're very welcome.
10:03I appreciate it very much.
10:04Nice meeting you.
10:05I'll be there.
10:06I'll be the only sea dew out there that doesn't make you mad.
10:08All right.
10:09I'll keep an eye out.
10:10Make sure you don't tip over out there.
10:13Well, that's a bit of a relief.
10:14I was honestly pretty worried that fishing during the day wasn't going to pan out well
10:18from sturgeon.
10:19Whenever you talk to people, they're like, it's a nighttime thing.
10:21It's a nighttime thing.
10:22But I think it's just about how much time your baits are in the water.
10:26Not necessarily the time of day.
10:28Well, that's sure a nice jet ski.
10:40I love the thing.
10:41I like because I can just go out and that's it.
10:44You know what I mean?
10:45I'm just on the water in seconds.
10:46I can do it myself.
10:47I don't need anybody else there.
10:49And if I'm not catching fish, I can go tooling around for a while, cool off.
10:52That's a beautiful rig right there.
10:54Thanks, man.
10:55The Greenway Outdoors is brought to you by Ram Trucks.
10:59Nothing stops Ram.
11:01And by Bass Pro Shop and Cabela's.
11:04Your adventure starts here.
11:06Eagle Fishing.
11:07Tactical fishing gear for the savvy angler.
11:10Onyx Hunt.
11:11Know where you stand with the number one hunting app.
11:14Sea Dew.
11:15Live the Sea Dew life.
11:19Mama helped port down in the forest.
11:33Daddy made himself home out by the sea.
11:38I spent all my time just trying to ignore it.
11:42Missing all the loving that was there for me.
11:48So the rig is pretty simple while very big.
11:51These are 12 foot rods which aren't ideal.
11:54Probably want a little bit shorter rod for this type of situation.
11:57But these are what I had from casting for sharks in the 10,000 Islands.
12:00So this is what I got to use.
12:02They're heavy.
12:04And these fish get really big.
12:06Like a lot of people will catch 100 pound fish out here.
12:09Fishing for sturgeon makes me stop and do a little math.
12:14A 100 pound fish could be well over 100 years old.
12:19Meaning my grandfather who passed away before I was born could have dangled a fishing hook in front of the very sturgeon I hope to catch today.
12:27That fish could have even been in the same river system during World War II.
12:32As I got lost in my thoughts my rod went nuts and I had a fish on.
12:37Nope, probably catfish.
12:42Alright I'm on.
12:44Right away.
12:47But it does not feel like a sturgeon.
12:49If I was a betting man I'd say catfish but I don't know for sure yet.
12:53Most folks call this fish sheep's head but the real name is freshwater drum.
12:57They make a drumming sound during spawning.
12:59And use powerful throat teeth to crush clams and other crustaceans on the river bottom.
13:04Round here they have a bad reputation on the dinner table.
13:07But I've never tried one myself so we're going to keep this one for dinner.
13:11Awesome fish.
13:12Just a few moments later my other rod got hit.
13:16And this time I knew it was a sturgeon.
13:18That's a fish.
13:19Big fish.
13:20Big fish.
13:21Big fish.
13:22Big fish.
13:23This is going to be a sturgeon or the biggest sheep's head world record you ever saw.
13:44This is a big fish.
13:49Really big fish.
13:50Sturgeon are known as crazy fighters.
13:53They'll dig.
13:54They'll go on long runs.
13:55They'll make you think you've tired them out.
13:57And then all of a sudden they'll go on another run.
13:59And there he goes again.
14:00And you don't want to think of this as a sprint.
14:03It's a marathon.
14:06Alright I got my first look at him.
14:09He's huge.
14:10Oh wow.
14:11He's big.
14:12Really big.
14:13Oh wow.
14:14A fish this size could easily be well over 40 years old up to 50 years old.
14:26It's safe to say he's older than me.
14:28And that's kind of neat to think.
14:30He's an 80s baby.
14:33Okay.
14:35I'm not about to try and make this run with this dinosaur again.
14:40So I'm going to pull over to shore and get in the water so I can unhook him and keep
14:44him safe and keep him alive.
14:45And I think he's tired enough now that I'm going to be able to accomplish that.
14:50Alright.
14:51Okay.
14:52So this is a lake sturgeon.
14:55Come on buddy.
14:57Massive.
14:58Strong.
14:59Smart.
15:00Old.
15:01The skin is like covered in sharp points.
15:06The little hangy things you see on the bottom of his chin there.
15:09The barbells are actually used to sense food on the bottom of the water.
15:13If you were to go through their poop and stuff you're going to see a lot of sand and shells
15:18and things because they're sifting through the mud and eating stuff off the bottom.
15:22And that's exactly how we got this one is we had our bait just sitting on the bottom.
15:26He scooped up and got it.
15:27This fish is nowhere near the slot fish.
15:30So we're going to let him go and I'm going to take the hook out, nurse him back to health
15:35and then send him on his way.
15:36But to be honest with you, this isn't a trout.
15:38This thing is a dinosaur.
15:40They've been here for millions of years unchanged and he doesn't need too much help from me
15:45because he's ready to go already.
15:47Absolutely incredible fish.
15:49The Greenway Outdoors is brought to you by Ram Trucks.
15:53Nothing stops Ram.
15:55And by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's.
15:58Your adventure starts here.
16:00LEM game processing equipment.
16:03Wilderness athlete, fuel for the rugged.
16:06Rufus Teague, seasoning, sauces and snacks.
16:10Ski-Doo, experience that Ski-Doo feeling.
16:14Summit tree stance, hunting, elevated.
16:17Blokes, modern men's health.
16:24Welcome back to the Greenway Outdoors.
16:26Jeff is setting up the grill to find out if sheep's head is any good.
16:41So Kyle got to do the fun part of going sturgeon fishing.
16:44Unfortunately, he didn't catch one in the slot, which means we couldn't keep one.
16:47The fish that we did catch that we could keep was a sheep's head or a freshwater drum.
16:51So I get the experimental part of trying to make this into something delicious.
16:56For most people, this is a by-catch when they're trying to catch sturgeon.
17:00They treat it like a trash fish.
17:01They just throw it back.
17:02What I want to do is I'm going to treat this fish with the respect that it might deserve.
17:07I'm going to take this one.
17:09I'm going to just add salt and pepper, a little bit of lemon inside the cavity.
17:12Grill it up until it reaches about 145 internal temp and give the meat an honest try.
17:18So the purpose of that fish is to experience it the way it is naturally.
17:23Don't put a whole lot of fancy stuff on it.
17:25But to give the fish the best foot forward, let it be everything it could be,
17:29I'm also going to prepare filet with some of the fanciest ingredients.
17:34I've got some black pepper from Iceland.
17:36I've got some whole black peppercorn from Italy, freshly ground.
17:40And then I'm also going to finish it with a little bit of compound butter
17:44that I made using Rufus Teague fish rub.
17:46And then I'm going to pair that with some green beans,
17:49with a little bit of shallot, a little bit of garlic, and a red pepper.
17:55Now that whole fish should be done by now.
17:58Oh yeah, look at that.
18:00Take that off, being careful not to mess up the skin here.
18:05Plop that down.
18:07Now while that's cooling, I'm going to get this in.
18:10It'll cook in about 10 minutes.
18:12And everything should be ready to eat.
18:14Alright, so I think it's safe to say that I've given this fish every opportunity to be absolutely delicious.
18:26In fact, I'll give it one more last hurrah.
18:28I'm going to hit it with some lemon too.
18:30Just to play safe.
18:32Alright, let's dig in.
18:35Alright, looks nice and white and flaky.
18:41That's not a bad fish.
18:42It's very mild.
18:43Doesn't have a lot of fishy flavor.
18:45I would not call this a trash fish having tried it.
18:48But let's get into the fancy one with the compound butter.
18:51That butter is melting on there.
18:56No question.
18:57That is fantastic.
18:58That is an amazing fish.
19:00And anybody who tells you that this is a trash fish is dead wrong.
19:04Oh, that's so good.
19:06On today's episode, we set out to catch one of the oldest fish in the world.
19:16But it was the trash fish that reminded us of something greater.
19:20In God's eyes, no part of creation is worthless.
19:24As Ecclesiastes 3 says, He has made everything beautiful in its time.
19:29So whether it's a river giant or a sheep's head, every creature God has made has value.
19:35And everyday outdoors is a gift that's meant to be treasured.
Be the first to comment