STURGEON FISHING IN THE FRASER RIVER

Fraser River, British Columbia
by Susie Lee

My fishing adventure began at Harrison Bay Guided Services, ideally located in front of Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa. My fishing guide, Yves Bisson and I set out from Harrison Lake in a beautiful covered jet boat. We saw seals, bald eagles, blue herons and off sprays as we sped down the Harrison River. The boat ride was an adventure in itself as the natural beauty of the West Coast was worth the trip already. It took twenty-five minutes before the green waters of Harrison River joined up with the mighty Fraser River.

The Fraser River is home to a healthy and wild population of white sturgeons. These fish are tough and resilient, living in both fresh and salt water. Females will lay between one-hundred thousand to several million eggs and deposit them over rocky areas of swiftly moving fresh water. Males will spray milt over the eggs which allow the eggs to sink to the bottom and attach themselves to plants or rocks. They can grow up to twenty feet long, weigh over fifteen-hundred pounds and live over one-hundred years old. My hope was to able to catch one of these pre-historic looking creatures.

IN THE FRASER RIVER

We arrived at our destination and placed our rods into the water. As we waited for our line to bite, Yves went over the procedures of how to reel in a white sturgeon. Since this was my first time fishing, he decided to place a plastic rod belt around my waist. This would help keep the end of the rod in the belt socket when I reeled in the fish.

Flowing in the river was really relaxing as the calm water currents flowed by us. It was peaceful and relaxing as we reclined in the sun waiting for our line to bite. Suddenly, we noticed a slight movement on our fishing line! Yves quickly yanked on the rod to hook the fish. He then passed the rod over to me to reel in the fish. For the next half hour, I repetitively reeled in and leaned back as I wrestled with the white sturgeon. I needed assistance from Yves a number of times to relieve my tired arms. Out of nowhere, the sturgeon jumped out of the water and flapped in the air! I spontaneously yelped as I was exuberant to see how large the sturgeon was!

After about half an hour of fighting with the fish, I final got to see the sturgeon as we lifted him into the boat! The white sturgeon had a large body covered with a row of sharp bony plates, also known as scutes. It had a wide toothless mouth with whisker-like barbels below the snout to help these bottom dwellers sense and suck up their food. Despite their name, the white sturgeon I was looking at was a grayish color rather than white. Sturgeons are naturally a dark color at birth but as years go by, the sun exposure lightens their dark pigment.

Yves scanned the sturgeon with a Passive Integrated Transponder tag scanner or a PIT scanner. The unique set of numbers on the tag helps to identify and monitor the sturgeons. Harrison Bay Guided Services assists the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society to collect data through the tagging study. Today all sturgeon fishing in British Columbia follow the ‘catch and release' program in order to ensure the sustainability of these species. To our surprise, a PIT tag was not detected on my catch. Yves said it was rare to catch a sturgeon that had not been tagged yet, so I felt extra lucky to name and number the sturgeon we caught! We inserted a small thin tag less than one centimeter long underneath the skin of the fish. Our sturgeon was measured at a whopping five feet and ten inches long! After taking a few memorable pictures, we carefully released him back to his home.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As we made our way back up Harrison Lake, I was still filled with excitement as I caught the grand daddy of all fishes! For me, there was more to fishing than just the catch itself. It was the sense of beauty and wonder of the outdoors that captivated me. It was a wonderful adventure to catch the pre-historic looking fish but it felt greater to release him back to where he belonged.

WHITE STURGEON FACTS

• In the early 1900's the population of white sturgeon in the lower Fraser River plummeted to near-extinction levels due to intensive commercial fisheries
• Sturgeons are slow to reproduce because they do not reach sexual maturity until 25-30 years of age and females may only spawn once every 6-11 years
• Sturgeons are the only species that continues to grow throughout its entire lifespan
  (Source: The Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society)

ADVENTURE TIPS

• Sturgeon fishing is available all year long in the Fraser and Harrison River
• All rods and fishing gear are provided
• Dress in layers as the weather varies throughout the day
• Bring your hat, sunscreen plus your camera (you definitely don’t want to miss this photo opportunity)

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Harrison Bay Guided Services
100 Esplanade
Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia
Toll Free: 1(877) 796-3345
Telephone Number: 1 (604) 796-3345
www.harrisonbay.com

+ Part 1: HARRISON HOT SPRINGS
+ Part 2: WORLD SANDSCULPTING COMPETITION
+ Part 3: FRASER RIVER STURGEON FISHING

+ Download PDF One-sheet
+ Harrison Bay Guided Services
+ www.frasersturgeon.com