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What started as an ordinary fishing trip in Georgia turned into an unexpected encounter with one of the oldest-looking fish still swimming in American waters.
On July 31, Micah Degier and his longtime friend Jack Herrington were fishing for striped bass in the Savannah River, near Augusta, when Degier felt his lure suddenly stop. At first, he thought it had become caught on a rock at the bottom of the river. Then the “rock” began to move.
Degier had been slowly working a homemade jig along the bottom when the unexpected catch pulled on his line. Just seconds later, he saw the enormous fish jump out of the water and realized he had hooked something completely different from what he had been targeting.
He thought he had snagged a rock
The anglers were fishing below the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam at around 11 a.m. Degier was using a 3-ounce flare hawk jig when the lure suddenly stopped.
Instead of being stuck on the riverbed, however, the object on the other end of the line started pulling.
The fish eventually broke the surface, revealing itself as an Atlantic sturgeon, a prehistoric-looking species that can grow to more than 10 feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds.
Degier had not been searching for sturgeon. The two friends were specifically targeting striped bass, making the unexpected catch even more surprising.
The fish is federally protected
The encounter was significant for another reason. The Atlantic sturgeon is a federally protected species, and the South Atlantic population is classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
These fish spend much of their lives in coastal and ocean waters but return to freshwater rivers to reproduce. The Savannah River remains one of the waterways where Atlantic sturgeon spawn, although seeing one this far upriver is noteworthy.
The species was once considerably more abundant along the U.S. East Coast. Its population declined after centuries of exploitation, including heavy fishing for its eggs, which were used to produce caviar.
Other factors, including dams, dredging, habitat changes, declining water quality and accidental deaths, also contributed to the decline. Federal protection was ultimately granted to Atlantic sturgeon in 2012.
The fight lasted longer than he expected
After the sturgeon took the lure, Degier had to fight to bring the powerful fish toward the boat.
The angler initially believed the battle had lasted only about 10 minutes. His friend, however, told him that the fight had actually gone on somewhat longer.
Eventually, the pair managed to guide the fish toward a sandbar, where they could leave the boat and carefully remove the hook.
But because they realized they were dealing with a protected species, the goal was not simply to land the unusual catch. They needed to make sure the fish survived.
They released the “prehistoric” fish back into the river
After removing the hook, Degier kept the sturgeon in the water and worked to help it recover.
He positioned its head upstream and watched its gills while gently moving its tail. The fish eventually began giving increasingly strong kicks, signaling that it had regained enough strength to swim on its own.
It was then released back into the Savannah River and disappeared beneath the surface.
The encounter was particularly remarkable because Degier had not been using specialized equipment or intentionally targeting the rare species. He was simply dragging a jig along the bottom in search of striped bass when the protected sturgeon grabbed it instead.
What to do if you accidentally catch an Atlantic sturgeon
Because Atlantic sturgeon are federally protected, anglers who accidentally hook one should prioritize releasing it safely.
The fish should be kept in the water whenever possible and handled as little as possible. If removing the hook would cause additional injury, anglers should cut the fishing line as close to the hook as they safely can.
If the fish appears exhausted after the fight, it should be allowed to recover in the water until it is strong enough to swim away on its own.
For Degier, what began as a routine attempt to catch striped bass ended with something far more unusual: an accidental encounter with an ancient-looking fish that has survived centuries of environmental and human pressure.
The sturgeon ultimately returned to the river alive, turning an unexpected catch into a memorable fishing story and one that highlights the importance of protecting one of the Savannah River’s rarest inhabitants.