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Common Sturgeon

Common Sturgeon

The common sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) is functionally extinct in the wild in the Netherlands — the last confirmed catch in Dutch Rhine waters was in 1952. Today, anglers encounter it almost exclusively in commercial pay-waters stocked with farmed fish.

A major reintroduction programme is underway, with juvenile sturgeon released into the Rhine since 2024, but wild fishing for this species remains off the table.

Scientific Name: Acipenser sturio

Also known as Europese steur, Atlantic sturgeon, common sturgeon

Physical Characteristics:
  • Long, torpedo-shaped body covered in five rows of bony diamond-shaped scutes (not scales) running from head to tail — unmistakable in hand.
  • Pointed, wedge-shaped snout with four sensitive barbels hanging beneath it; the fish uses these to feel along the bottom for food.
  • Colouring is greenish-brown to grey on the back, lighter silvery flanks, and a white belly.
  • Farmed fish in Dutch pay-waters commonly run 1–2.5 m; wild adults historically reached 3 m or more and over 300 kg.

What to know

Habitat Distribution

  • Historically native to the Rhine system: adults spent most of their lives at sea, then migrated upriver to spawn on clean gravel in fast-flowing reaches; juveniles grew up in the Dutch estuaries before heading to sea.
  • The Haringvliet and Biesbosch estuaries were critical nursery and staging areas; the Haringvliet dam (1971) severed the sea-river connection and ended that role until partial reopening in 2019.
  • Officially declared extinct in the Netherlands in 1953; since 2024, small numbers of hatchery-reared juveniles have been released back into the Rhine as part of a monitored reintroduction.
  • Today the only reliable place to fish for sturgeon in the Netherlands is stocked pay-waters such as Fishing Adventure Lake (near Enschede/Haaksbergen) and Toms Creek parks in Lelystad and Zwolle.

Key Locations

  • Rhine / Haringvliet system — the historical stronghold; juvenile reintroductions began here in 2024 as part of the national recovery programme.
  • Biesbosch — once the most important Dutch concentration area for sturgeon, particularly up to the 1930s, now a focus of habitat restoration efforts.
  • Fishing Adventure Lake (between Enschede and Haaksbergen) — the largest pay-water in the Netherlands, stocked with farmed sturgeon up to 2.47 m.
  • Toms Creek Lelystad and Toms Creek Zwolle — commercial fishing parks with stocked sturgeon available on a catch-and-release basis.

Specific Spots

  • In pay-waters, sturgeon cruise the bottom of deeper sections — focus on the deepest part of the pond, especially near any drop-offs where they follow the contour searching for food.
  • Sturgeon feed by feel, not sight, so presenting bait hard on the bottom directly in their patrol path matters more than casting to structure.
  • In larger pay-lakes like Fishing Adventure Lake, boat fishing lets you position over the deepest water and drop bait straight down rather than casting from the bank.

Common Sturgeon FAQ

Answers from onWater's species guide.

What are the best lures and bait for Common Sturgeon?

Large lobworms, dendrobaena worms, and prawns are the most consistent baits in Dutch pay-waters, presented on the bottom with enough weight to hold position. High-protein boilies (the same bait used for carp) also work well; sturgeon in stocked ponds are conditioned to them and will pick them up on a hair rig.

When is the best time to fish for Common Sturgeon?

Pay-waters are open year-round; sturgeon feed most actively in spring and autumn when water temperatures are moderate. Summer can slow action in shallower ponds as water warms; targeting early morning or evening sessions helps during warm spells.

How do you catch Common Sturgeon?

Virtually all sturgeon fishing in the Netherlands today takes place on commercial pay-waters, where anglers fish from the bank or boat using bottom rigs baited with worms, prawns, or boilies. The approach mirrors carp fishing: static bait on a leger rig, rod in a rest, waiting for the fish to patrol past.

What do Common Sturgeon eat?

Sturgeon are bottom feeders that use their barbels to locate worms, molluscs, crustaceans, and small invertebrates in the substrate, in pay-waters, large worms, prawns, and high-protein boilies fished hard on the bottom are the standard approach.

Where do Common Sturgeon live?

Historically native to the Rhine system: adults spent most of their lives at sea, then migrated upriver to spawn on clean gravel in fast-flowing reaches; juveniles grew up in the Dutch estuaries before heading to sea.

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