A few weeks ago I was aboard my friend Cory’s 23-foot jet boat on the Fraser River, rod and reel in hand, holding on for dear life as I played and landed my first eight-foot white sturgeon.
It was the largest fish I have ever caught – so far.
Seven o’clock seemed to come awfully early that first morning we headed out fishing. I’d been looking forward to casting my line to the giant white sturgeon that inhabit the deep, dark muddy waters of the Fraser since my last fishing trip with Cory in the fall.
As we headed out from the dock, our mood was truly one of anticipation. We’d only been fishing for about half an hour when Cory’s rod tip suddenly jerked up and down – an aggressive take like that could only mean he was into a good-sized fish. He set the hook and the fight was on. Well, sort of. In a matter of maybe four or five minutes, he brought a three-and-half footer to the side of the boat. Neither of us could believe that such a small fish had hit so aggressively and fought so hard. That was pretty much the way the whole day went. Between the two of us, we tied into half a dozen fish, none of which was over five feet in length.
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It was getting close to five o’clock and we decided to cast our lines out one final time and then head for home. Maybe tomorrow would be better.
I don’t think our lines had been in the water for more than a couple of minutes when my rod tip began to twitch. I set the hook. An hour and 40 minutes later, with arms and legs that felt like overcooked spaghetti, I finally brought it to the side of the boat. I was both exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. Over the years I’ve tied into a couple of sturgeon at least that size but had never actually managed to land one. We slowly towed it to shore and released it back into the depths of the muddy Fraser.
According to statistics, a sturgeon of eight feet in length would weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 pounds. All I know is that it came lunging up out of the water not once, but five times. The spectacle of seeing something that huge rise up, shake its head and then splash back down right in front of us is an image that will stay in my memory for ever.
The white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) is the largest freshwater fish in North America. They are also the longest living. Some of the sturgeon in the Fraser River system are believed to be more than 100 years old. The largest on record weighed an estimated 1,500 pounds (628 kg).
Remnants from the age of the dinosaur, sturgeon are grey to a grey-white in colour on top and white to a creamy white underneath. They are bottom feeders and have characteristic barbels on their snout, an extendable mouth, and a shark-like tail. Rows of diamond-shaped bony projections run lengthwise along their exterior. Their skeleton is mainly composed of cartilage. Fishing for sturgeon on the Fraser is strictly catch and release. (If you want to know more about white sturgeon and/or wish to support ongoing conservation and enhancement programs contact/join the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society.)
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I was still yawning when we left the dock to head out on the water the following day. With lines finally in the water, we started in on our Tim Hortons toasted bagels and orange juice. I hadn’t even taken two bites when my rod tip began to twitch. I set the hook and the fight was on. Well sort of – first a short run, then it turned and tried to go under the boat. Cory managed to outmaneuver the fish from the helm. It took out a few hundred feet of line, stopped, hesitated for a brief moment and then proceeded to head on down river into fast water taking out line at will.
That fish was in total control. I wasn’t even in the game. Two hours later we cut the line and admitted defeat. Who knows how large it might have been.
Like I said ,my eight footer the previous day is the largest fish I have ever caught – so far.
@SalmonArm
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