Fantastic information VAGAbond! Thanks so much. I have been doing my best to get a sense of things and this is probably the most information I've found in one spot anywhere. Even if it isn't all good news its more than I knew yesterday. Unfortunately, in searching older threads most of the discussion seems to center around the unethical practices of some anglers on this river in particular, however those threads are all 10+ years old so my hope is things may have changed a bit as far as that goes. Either way, I'll be fishing legally regardless of what those around me are doing, and if it becomes obvious that doing so means I won't be getting into any fish... well that's life. Worst case scenario I got some fresh air and to explore new to me country.
I guess I was mistaken as far as the Sturgeon pool being on the lake. I did read at least one old post referencing a rough trail down to the lakeside closer to the narrows/ocean end that could be fished from shore with success. The poster didn't call it the Sturgeon pool, I came across that name elsewhere and the access conditions sounded similar. Thanks for setting me straight and if you know anything about this lakeside spot or fishing the lake in general I'd love to hear it. I briefly toyed with the idea of bringing my 14' Lund down with me and giving it a try on the water (with tidal license), but not sure what either the road will be like for a trailer this year or what the boat launch looks like, and I figure the lake isn't a world famous wind surfing destination because of its LACK of wind and waves - so I figure I'll keep it simple this time and just bring the waders. Can always explore and make some notes for a possible boated excursion in the future.
This morning I plan to take a real close look at the map and the regs over my morning coffee, and probably mark up a map to make sure I know where all the closed spots are. If you're willing, maybe I can PM you the results for a verification? Sounds like you know the river pretty well and despite my best efforts its still possible to get it wrong based on internet research. One thing to look at a map, another to see it in person. I definitely want to make sure I am crystal clear at least on where we can fish and where we can't.