Outdoors: Finally landing that dinosaur

The wind gathered momentum and funneled directly down the narrow stretch of the river channel, unleashing its strength against the far bank before dissipating around the bend. Current and wind and waves blustered past. Collar popped against the torrent, I sat plopped along the edge of the chocolate-milk stained St. Louis River of early April. For the 15th time, I tried to convince myself I knew what I was doing.

My target was a springtime dinosaur; a sturgeon I could call my own. I chucked a 2-ounce sinker as far as I could into the rushing current. On a short leader, I had strung a dozen craw...