Colfax Boy Scouts land sturgeon in Hells Canyon

Colfax Boy Scouts in Troop 595 departed last Friday for a three-day trip on the Snake River to Hells Canyon where they landed three sturgeon.

Their trip was organized by Dr. Mike Frostad and his better fishing ministries group. His dad, Dr. Alvin Frostad of Pullman and Chris Boyan assisted.

Two boats were used on the trip which departed for the Frostad River place upstream from Asotin and downstream from Beamer’s Landing.

The group landed three sturgeon on Saturday while they were fishing along the Snake near the confluence of the Snake and Salmon rivers. The technique was to set the bait, pieces of bass, and then beach the boats. They fished for bass while waiting for a sturgeon to hit the line.

Their largest catch, a seven-footer, took 44 minutes to bring to the boat. Each scout on the trip took a turn in landing the giant fish. Scoutmaster Mark Clinton noted they had to get back in the boat and onto the river to allow the sturgeon to run downstream when he decided to make that move.

The scouts later in the day landed a five-footer and a three-footer.

Late Friday, they had a giant sturgeon hit one of the lines, and that led to a battle which lasted about an hour before the big fish managed to shake the hook. That round also required them to get back in the boat to play the fish.

Clinton said the fish made some spectacular leaps out of the Snake before he departed, probably about 500 feet behind the boat.

The largest bass landed by the group weighed one pound, 12 ounces, and was caught by Steve Larkin, one of the adults. Other adult leaders on the trip were Mark Clinton, Pat Wuestney and Dick Cloaninger.

Among other sights on the river, the troop made a stop at the 1877 memorial where Chief Joseph led his tribe across the river in their flight from the Wallowas to Montana.