Lower Mainland Visverslagen

Ronnie and Janet and their sons Jake and Tom called up from Texas that they were coming to Vancouver on New Years Eve and could I take them out for some sturgeon? I gave them some advice to bundle up and we needed to get going first thing in the morning to catch the right part of the tide. Well the day dawned bright and calm winds and the first fish hit pretty quick but after a half hour battle where we couldn't get it to come to the surface the big bruiser broke our leader. Undaunted we put the bait back out there and slammed a double header. The whole family got into the act as they teamed up and traded the rods till we could get the fish onto shore. Then it was a great time, measuring and tagging the fish and getting some once in a lifetime family photos. The team hit 7 more fish and landed five of them. The last one, another biggie, broke the main line. Are they coming back again? Yes said the youngest, after they do some weight training!

Brandon and Ashley's day on the Fraser began with beautiful mist and early morning sun on the Fraser River with just the perfect tide setting up. A little bit of coaching and Brandon soon had to put his bass fishing skills to good use...XCept these weren't no Bass fish! The first fish tested his biceps and was large enough to have to take to shore for measuring and tagging. From there, the bite stayed steady and every one of the 8 fish Brandon hooked we landed which is something when we are using barbless hooks. Ashley was a great help, documenting sizes, scanning fish for tags and recording tag numbers. They saved the best for last watching the largest fish of the day, around 6.5 ft, breach the surface and giving Brandon a tug-o-war he won't soon forget. It was great to have you both on board and hope you come back when the fishing heats up in the spring March to May season!

Brittney and Brandon made a last minute decision and called me up to see if we could put together a last minute trip on their last day in Vancouver. We quickly made arrangements and got licences to go the next morning. The cool day started with fog which lifted just enough so we could get out on the mornings rising tide. We didn't have to wait long for the first bit and their sturgeon fishing/tagging adventure began. In total 7 fish were hooked and 4 landed. The biggest one got away as it broke the line but just an incentive to come back and find him next time.

Santino and Marcus, both 9th grade students came out for a day of sturgeon tagging. Though we were after juvenile sturgeon (less than 20 inches in length) you can't stop the big fish from biting. The day ended with 3 reel burning fish, 6ft 11 in, 6 ft 5 in, and a 5 ft 6 in fish. The boys went home with great memories and burning arm muscles!

A few of the highlights from the day. The best one was a healthy 93” (237cm) white sturgeon. The diesel heater stayed on and made it nice and comfortable in the cab, the fish didnt care too kich anout the cold though. The bites were a little light but we got it done.

October and November is when the Fraser River white sturgeon fatten up on salmon carcasses to bulk up for the winter. While the air temperatures are lower the cabin heater provides a warm and comfortable spot to watch the rod tips. This week was a great time on the water as the high tide approached the bite came on with up to three rods bouncing at one time. Sometimes we had one rod in each hand to determine which bite to set the hook on. A problem every angler has to solve. In the end, 9 fish were landed, tagged and checked for health and injuries and then released. So a good batch of data was collected to support the Fraser River White Sturgeon Conservation program. Fishing will continue into mid to late January and then slow up in February as water temperatures are at the lowest and the bite gets sluggish. However when the bait fish start migrating up the Fraser in March to Mid May the sturgeon fishery will turn on fire again with April the premier month. Stay tune for more updates.