Largest freshwater fish caught on rod and line

History Channel's MONSTER QUEST: GIANT FISH 

Prompted me to write about the largest freshwater fish caught.

Sturgeon were plentiful in West Florida until they were hammered by gill nets into near oblivion in the 1930s, but we don’t remember hearing of a behemouth like this one which was caught recently at the mouth of Rainy River in Minnesota.

Four anglers took turns for six hours reeling in the 11-footer that weighed more than 1000 pounds.

A limited non-commercial take is allowed and stocks are making a slow comeback according to fishery managers. Florida is also nurturing a program to bring back the unusual fish famed more for its caviar though the meat is excellent too.

White sturgeon of this size are certainly not unprecedented. In fact, according to information on the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission website, the white sturgeon is the largest freshwater fish in North America. The article notes that they can grow to 20 feet (6.2 m) in length, weigh over 1500 pounds (680 kg) and live for over 100 years.

Video of a large green sturgeon....