I have for years fished for Sturgeon on the Columbia river from both the Washington and Oregon side. It might be interesting to note that I found the fish would take a tied on fresh smelt with abandon when the bait was tied to the hook tail first. That way the fish when working up against the strong currents would IMO more readily take the bait head first. It worked for me. You might consider making your flies backwards rather than conventional. Good luck, Jonezee