There are monsters in Shasta Lake! Local Oroville angler Larry Teague landed an absolute hog of a sturgeon which had to be at least 400-500 pounds. Teague fought the fish for 3 forearm-pumping hours before bringing it to the surface. The legend of giant sturgeon in Shasta Lake lives on!
Sturgeon can grow up to 1,500 pounds and live 100 years. Most sturgeon types are anadromous, which means they spend half their life in saltwater and then head upriver (freshwater) to spawn. Sturgeons that live exclusively in freshwater are considered potamodromous. The sturgeon species has been around for over 200 million years, and it pretty much looks like a dinosaur!