Sturgeon

[steve28fishing]

Going fishing in France on 29 June to a lake that has a decent head of these up to 90lb.

Never fished for them before .. any pit member have experience of fishing for them ?

Any tips? .. line strength ? Baits ? Fish close in or far out ? Test curve rods ? Do they have teeth ?

As you can gather I know nothing about them .

[Nige Johns]

Stev,Duncan is your man, from memory he’s done a bit in Canada

[steve28fishing]

Ok thanks Nige

[Duncan Holmes]

I'm fishing a lake over there later in the year with 100lb+ fish. I've never fished for them in lakes before, but they seem to get landed ok on 15/18lb line and heavy carp rod.

I plan to fish for them with my p1's, 0.38 fluorocarbon and make the corks creak if I hook one

Lots of pellet seams to be the thing, and they seem to be quite greedy, so i plan to buy pellet at the venue and feed a spot heavily with just pellet. And then fish a tight hair big pellet and a big hook.(1/0). Circles with dead baits are popular on the Fraser.

No teeth in the mouth but very tough lips, i would go barbless if you have a choice.

Anything 80-90lb plus is going to be a 2 man job I reckon, unless you can get in the water in waders. Maybe Dave H could give us some pointers after his BIG brace.

My French group brought jumbo mat and sling between us to cope with 90lb+ cats, but with out it I'm not sure I would attempt to weigh a fish that size. Measuring it and work it from a length chart would be close enough for me.

Those Fraser fish live in VERY fast powerful water and you have that added to the power and weight of the fish. Over there its 100lb braid, standup glass rods, butt pads and lever drag multi's.

[Dave Horton]

Me experience of Sturgeon is that they are VERY catch-able and greedy! I've only fished for them a few times and used a 50" cheap (it may well get broken) landing net. 2 men to lift and weigh them (I've caught several over 50lbs with a best of 70 odd). I caught on sea food cocktails (cheap bags of shell fish from Tesco including prawns and mussels etc). A strong size 2 hook direct to 20lb mono worked for me.
I'm off to Canada later in the year and trying to track down where I might catch a 100 plus UK one too (If anyone knows and is happy to PM I'd be grateful).

Regarding the catfish, my visit to the Ebro, years back, where the guides chin em all out and slide up a plastic sheet to unhook and weigh was very useful in preparing me to deal with them. BIG, fished for cats in my experience can be very wily and rigs seem critical?

(Fun fishing face)

[steve28fishing]

Thanks for the advice lads most helpful.

Sound like very powerful fish … owner of the lake insists on micro barb hooks
and minimum 15lb line .. as Dave suggests will step up the line strength and hook size.

[Duncan Holmes]

Me experience of Sturgeon is that they are VERY catch-able and greedy! I've only fished for them a few times and used a 50" cheap (it may well get broken) landing net. 2 men to lift and weigh them (I've caught several over 50lbs with a best of 70 odd). I caught on sea food cocktails (cheap bags of shell fish from Tesco including prawns and mussels etc). A strong size 2 hook direct to 20lb mono worked for me.
I'm off to Canada later in the year and trying to track down where I might catch a 100 plus UK one too (If anyone knows and is happy to PM I'd be grateful).

Regarding the catfish, my visit to the Ebro, years back, where the guides chin em all out and slide up a plastic sheet to unhook and weigh was very useful in preparing me to deal with them. BIG, fished for cats in my experience can be very wily and rigs seem critical?

(Fun fishing face)

If my couple of trips are anything to go by you will have a great time over there. If you are a tea or coffee drinker, take a flask with you, lunch on the boats rarely includes hot drinks.

Cabelas and Fred's Custom Tackle in Abbotsford are well worth making time to visit.

[Dave Horton]

Me experience of Sturgeon is that they are VERY catch-able and greedy! I've only fished for them a few times and used a 50" cheap (it may well get broken) landing net. 2 men to lift and weigh them (I've caught several over 50lbs with a best of 70 odd). I caught on sea food cocktails (cheap bags of shell fish from Tesco including prawns and mussels etc). A strong size 2 hook direct to 20lb mono worked for me.
I'm off to Canada later in the year and trying to track down where I might catch a 100 plus UK one too (If anyone knows and is happy to PM I'd be grateful).

Regarding the catfish, my visit to the Ebro, years back, where the guides chin em all out and slide up a plastic sheet to unhook and weigh was very useful in preparing me to deal with them. BIG, fished for cats in my experience can be very wily and rigs seem critical?

(Fun fishing face)

If my couple of trips are anything to go by you will have a great time over there. If you are a tea or coffee drinker, take a flask with you, lunch on the boats rarely includes hot drinks.

Cabelas and Fred's Custom Tackle in Abbotsford are well worth making time to visit.

Hi Duncan, we're going for 8 days and only fishing 6 (having a couple of days off to just enjoy being there).

I've not booked the flights yet (any advice) can I get wrong airport for example? I know I can and will ask "Sturgeon Hunter" but you're here and accessible.

(Any other advice / tips to help make the trip would be much appreciated face)

[Kev Berry]

The lake I was fishing yesterday had 2 sturgeon in it until recently ----- the owner took them out in the end as they were getting caught several times a day.
Greedy feckers

[Duncan Holmes]

Me experience of Sturgeon is that they are VERY catch-able and greedy! I've only fished for them a few times and used a 50" cheap (it may well get broken) landing net. 2 men to lift and weigh them (I've caught several over 50lbs with a best of 70 odd). I caught on sea food cocktails (cheap bags of shell fish from Tesco including prawns and mussels etc). A strong size 2 hook direct to 20lb mono worked for me.
I'm off to Canada later in the year and trying to track down where I might catch a 100 plus UK one too (If anyone knows and is happy to PM I'd be grateful).

Regarding the catfish, my visit to the Ebro, years back, where the guides chin em all out and slide up a plastic sheet to unhook and weigh was very useful in preparing me to deal with them. BIG, fished for cats in my experience can be very wily and rigs seem critical?

(Fun fishing face)

If my couple of trips are anything to go by you will have a great time over there. If you are a tea or coffee drinker, take a flask with you, lunch on the boats rarely includes hot drinks.

Cabelas and Fred's Custom Tackle in Abbotsford are well worth making time to visit.

Hi Duncan, we're going for 8 days and only fishing 6 (having a couple of days off to just enjoy being there).

I've not booked the flights yet (any advice) can I get wrong airport for example? I know I can and will ask "Sturgeon Hunter" but you're here and accessible.

(Any other advice / tips to help make the trip would be much appreciated face)

So if you are out with sturgeon hunter, I imagine you will be staying in Chilliwack. On both our trips we have flown Gatwick to Vancouver on Airtransat and both occasions been very good service.

If you are driving up to Chilliwack, you will drive past Abbotsford and well worth making the time to stop. On your days out, Hope and the Othello Tunnels are worth a visit, look for steel heads in the streams below.

If you have plenty of time on the way back to Vancouver and fancy a road trip, take the old road from chilliwack to Whistler and then Vancouver. It will take you through scenery that will repeated take your breath away.

Go prepared for any weather, climate is as unpredictable and almost the same as ours. Take binoculars, you are likely to see Eagles and Bears on the river.

The shandar hut Indian restaurant does a great curry, but seek out starbucks rather than Tim Hortons for coffee. Aw Is a burger chain that puts all of ours to shame, and great if you want fast food and crash after battling sturgeon all day.

Will think of some other stuff I am sure.

You are going to love it, catfish feel like being attached to a pickup truck, big sturgeon feel like you have hooked a freight train.

[Dave Horton]

Me experience of Sturgeon is that they are VERY catch-able and greedy! I've only fished for them a few times and used a 50" cheap (it may well get broken) landing net. 2 men to lift and weigh them (I've caught several over 50lbs with a best of 70 odd). I caught on sea food cocktails (cheap bags of shell fish from Tesco including prawns and mussels etc). A strong size 2 hook direct to 20lb mono worked for me.
I'm off to Canada later in the year and trying to track down where I might catch a 100 plus UK one too (If anyone knows and is happy to PM I'd be grateful).

Regarding the catfish, my visit to the Ebro, years back, where the guides chin em all out and slide up a plastic sheet to unhook and weigh was very useful in preparing me to deal with them. BIG, fished for cats in my experience can be very wily and rigs seem critical?

(Fun fishing face)

If my couple of trips are anything to go by you will have a great time over there. If you are a tea or coffee drinker, take a flask with you, lunch on the boats rarely includes hot drinks.

Cabelas and Fred's Custom Tackle in Abbotsford are well worth making time to visit.

Hi Duncan, we're going for 8 days and only fishing 6 (having a couple of days off to just enjoy being there).

I've not booked the flights yet (any advice) can I get wrong airport for example? I know I can and will ask "Sturgeon Hunter" but you're here and accessible.

(Any other advice / tips to help make the trip would be much appreciated face)

So if you are out with sturgeon hunter, I imagine you will be staying in Chilliwack. On both our trips we have flown Gatwick to Vancouver on Airtransat and both occasions been very good service.

If you are driving up to Chilliwack, you will drive past Abbotsford and well worth making the time to stop. On your days out, Hope and the Othello Tunnels are worth a visit, look for steel heads in the streams below.

If you have plenty of time on the way back to Vancouver and fancy a road trip, take the old road from chilliwack to Whistler and then Vancouver. It will take you through scenery that will repeated take your breath away.

Go prepared for any weather, climate is as unpredictable and almost the same as ours. Take binoculars, you are likely to see Eagles and Bears on the river.

The shandar hut Indian restaurant does a great curry, but seek out starbucks rather than Tim Hortons for coffee. Aw Is a burger chain that puts all of ours to shame, and great if you want fast food and crash after battling sturgeon all day.

Will think of some other stuff I am sure.

You are going to love it, catfish feel like being attached to a pickup truck, big sturgeon feel like you have hooked a freight train.

Thanks Duncan, you paint a pretty picture of it all and I really am looking forwards to it. I'm going with 2 brother fishermen and my best mate who doesn't fish at all and I'm sure he'll enjoy it all as much as the rest of us do? As ever you've been very helpful.

(Thanks mate face)

[bigaldo]

I caught the legendry Mervin the sturgeon at brittany mills at 120lbs ish on a carp rod. It was a feckin nightmare!!! The greedy b*****d came out several times that week.
I would recommend catfish gear!!!! Bait? An old dossers leg will suffice!!

[Duncan Holmes]

Me experience of Sturgeon is that they are VERY catch-able and greedy! I've only fished for them a few times and used a 50" cheap (it may well get broken) landing net. 2 men to lift and weigh them (I've caught several over 50lbs with a best of 70 odd). I caught on sea food cocktails (cheap bags of shell fish from Tesco including prawns and mussels etc). A strong size 2 hook direct to 20lb mono worked for me.
I'm off to Canada later in the year and trying to track down where I might catch a 100 plus UK one too (If anyone knows and is happy to PM I'd be grateful).

Regarding the catfish, my visit to the Ebro, years back, where the guides chin em all out and slide up a plastic sheet to unhook and weigh was very useful in preparing me to deal with them. BIG, fished for cats in my experience can be very wily and rigs seem critical?

(Fun fishing face)

If my couple of trips are anything to go by you will have a great time over there. If you are a tea or coffee drinker, take a flask with you, lunch on the boats rarely includes hot drinks.

Cabelas and Fred's Custom Tackle in Abbotsford are well worth making time to visit.

Hi Duncan, we're going for 8 days and only fishing 6 (having a couple of days off to just enjoy being there).

I've not booked the flights yet (any advice) can I get wrong airport for example? I know I can and will ask "Sturgeon Hunter" but you're here and accessible.

(Any other advice / tips to help make the trip would be much appreciated face)

So if you are out with sturgeon hunter, I imagine you will be staying in Chilliwack. On both our trips we have flown Gatwick to Vancouver on Airtransat and both occasions been very good service.

If you are driving up to Chilliwack, you will drive past Abbotsford and well worth making the time to stop. On your days out, Hope and the Othello Tunnels are worth a visit, look for steel heads in the streams below.

If you have plenty of time on the way back to Vancouver and fancy a road trip, take the old road from chilliwack to Whistler and then Vancouver. It will take you through scenery that will repeated take your breath away.

Go prepared for any weather, climate is as unpredictable and almost the same as ours. Take binoculars, you are likely to see Eagles and Bears on the river.

The shandar hut Indian restaurant does a great curry, but seek out starbucks rather than Tim Hortons for coffee. Aw Is a burger chain that puts all of ours to shame, and great if you want fast food and crash after battling sturgeon all day.

Will think of some other stuff I am sure.

You are going to love it, catfish feel like being attached to a pickup truck, big sturgeon feel like you have hooked a freight train.

Thanks Duncan, you paint a pretty picture of it all and I really am looking forwards to it. I'm going with 2 brother fishermen and my best mate who doesn't fish at all and I'm sure he'll enjoy it all as much as the rest of us do? As ever you've been very helpful.

(Thanks mate face)

Dave,

Just to wet you appetite a little more, I have dug out a few pictures from the 2018 trip....


As I said the scenery is breath taking, especially on the upper middle river and even if when sturgeon are being a bit "tight lipped" you will find yourself looking around thinking "Wow".

DSC00083.jpg

Then bang, one of the rods will bang over and you are stuck in to probably the hardest fighting freshwater fish you will ever hook. The rod in the photo is a 60lb class one piece glass blank and they seriously bend. If its a big fish you have hooked, 30-45 minutes of discomfort, sweat, pain and swearing will follow

DSC00092.jpg

Dependant on the swim sometimes they head up in the water, and if you feel one swimming up and the line cutting through the water, clamp the spool and hang on because there's a good chance they will do this....

DSC00091.jpg

[Duncan Holmes]

The fish in the previous shot was 7'10" and according to the time stamps on the original photos, 45 mins later @ around 260lb

DSC00125.jpg

Jaime got stuck in to a few as well, but one of them damaged her shoulder during the fight and she sat off the rods for a couple of days to let it heal.

DSC00060.jpg

On a previous trip Jaime had taken the lions share of the big fish including an 8 footer, and that was what I really wanted, an 8 being the point at which you cross in to BIG sturgeon territory. I had some good fish that week including big 7's but finally on the last morning I got my "8".

DSC00182-2.jpg

[Duncan Holmes]

The last fish of the trip deserves a story in its own right, not for any great angling feat, but purely because of the ciaos it created on the boat.

If these big fish decide to take off, despite the fact that you have 60lb class rod, lever drag multi, and 200yd of 100lb braid, the skipper needs to get the anchor up pretty quickly or you get spooled. Earlier on the last day we had witnessed a boat (through binoculars) hit in to a big fish but get the anchor stuck in the rocks, it was clear that they never landed the fish and the skipper was pretty sure they had been spooled and lost the fish.

So early that last day I finally had my "8" but the rest of the day the rods remained stubbornly still, despite the skipper doing everything possible to put us on to feeding fish. The skipper stretched the day as long as he could and we were well past the time to head home, but still no bite. The inevitable time came and we were asked to get the rods in for the last time, so I picked up my rod and started winding. As the rig appeared I could see I had hooked some braid and as we were anchored in the same proximity to the other boats lost fish this morning, we thought that probably what I had picked up. So we set about handlining in the lost rig and braid, I guess I had around 150 yards of braid in the boat which takes a long time to hand line in and makes a big mess in the bottom of the boat.

A couple of times the braid had pulled tight and pinged from rocks or snags below, so as the braid tightened again I have given it a tug expecting it to ping free when suddenly it pulled back. The braid started streaming through my hands and I shouted to the skipper fish was still on. He set about the anchor while I desperately tried to control the fish, 100lb braid is pretty unforgiving stuff when you have bare hands and an lively fish on the end. Eventually the anchor was up and the I shouted to the skipper to get up stream of the fish to get some slack in the line. I don't remember the thought process but I decide that the best way to deal with this would be to get it hooked up to another rod. Managing to use the slack the skipper was brilliantly creating, we where heading up stream at a rate on knots, I cut the lose braid and quickly chucked a grinner knot over the line of one of the other rods, then cut of the rig from that rod and completed the know with another grinner.

So I was now connected with the fish properly and with the skippers help on the throttle started to get some line back on the rod, then disaster. As the fish had powered off the loose braid flying out of the boat had picked up quite a few knots, several had bumper through the rings and on to the spool, but now I was faced with a big birds nest that simply wouldn't go through the tip ring. Only one option, the skipper created some slack, Jaime held the rod and I went through the whole cut, tie, cut tie procedure again and we where back in business.

After getting back in control of the fish again, and Jaime doing her best to get rid of all the braid in the bottom of the boat which was now tangled around everything including me, another problem developed. I was now faced with an over filled spool and simply couldn't get any more braid on to the reel but still had at least 50 yards of line between me and the fish. So for the 3rd time, I went through the cut and tie procedure, connecting up to a 2nd rod which gave me the space to get the fish to the boat.

Eventually the skipper beached the boat and we jumped in to the shallows and secured the fish, with all three of us bursting out in laughter at what had happened over the last 30 minutes or so. I don't remember the length/weight of the fish, I couldn't really count it in my own mind, but it was certainly well over 200lb. Not the most conventional capture, certainly not one of any great angling feat, but one of the most memorable fish I have ever landed and a story that the skipper said he will never get tired of telling.

DSC00194.jpg

DSC00196.jpg

[Dave Horton]

The fish in the previous shot was 7'10" and according to the time stamps on the original photos, 45 mins later @ around 260lb

DSC00125.jpg

Jaime got stuck in to a few as well, but one of them damaged her shoulder during the fight and she sat off the rods for a couple of days to let it heal.

DSC00060.jpg

On a previous trip Jaime had taken the lions share of the big fish including an 8 footer, and that was what I really wanted, an 8 being the point at which you cross in to BIG sturgeon territory. I had some good fish that week including big 7's but finally on the last morning I got my "8".

DSC00182-2.jpg

Thanks sooooo much for sharing them, Duncan! I'm assuming Jamie is ya lady? How very very cool that she shares the experience with you!

I'm saving the last long post for this eve when I can give it the time it deserves (actually thinking on it that will be tom now - out with the kids for fathers day dinner tonight).

(Can't wait to show my non fishing mate face)

[Duncan Holmes]

The fish in the previous shot was 7'10" and according to the time stamps on the original photos, 45 mins later @ around 260lb

DSC00125.jpg

Jaime got stuck in to a few as well, but one of them damaged her shoulder during the fight and she sat off the rods for a couple of days to let it heal.

DSC00060.jpg

On a previous trip Jaime had taken the lions share of the big fish including an 8 footer, and that was what I really wanted, an 8 being the point at which you cross in to BIG sturgeon territory. I had some good fish that week including big 7's but finally on the last morning I got my "8".

DSC00182-2.jpg

Thanks sooooo much for sharing them, Duncan! I'm assuming Jamie is ya lady? How very very cool that she shares the experience with you!

I'm saving the last long post for this eve when I can give it the time it deserves (actually thinking on it that will be tom now - out with the kids for fathers day dinner tonight).

(Can't wait to show my non fishing mate face)

Jaime is the wife, she's a pretty good fisherwoman, we are both off for a weeks carping in France later in the year, I am fully expecting her to get the most and biggest

[Dave Horton]

The fish in the previous shot was 7'10" and according to the time stamps on the original photos, 45 mins later @ around 260lb

DSC00125.jpg

Jaime got stuck in to a few as well, but one of them damaged her shoulder during the fight and she sat off the rods for a couple of days to let it heal.

DSC00060.jpg

On a previous trip Jaime had taken the lions share of the big fish including an 8 footer, and that was what I really wanted, an 8 being the point at which you cross in to BIG sturgeon territory. I had some good fish that week including big 7's but finally on the last morning I got my "8".

DSC00182-2.jpg

Thanks sooooo much for sharing them, Duncan! I'm assuming Jamie is ya lady? How very very cool that she shares the experience with you!

I'm saving the last long post for this eve when I can give it the time it deserves (actually thinking on it that will be tom now - out with the kids for fathers day dinner tonight).

(Can't wait to show my non fishing mate face)

Jaime is the wife, she's a pretty good fisherwoman, we are both off for a weeks carping in France later in the year, I am fully expecting her to get the most and biggest

You have my envy!

(I wish you both well face)

[Mark Phillips]

On my bucket list, along with musky fishing in Canada - pal of mine fished in Canada a few years back, he had two days and was really just hoping to get one - instead he had a shed load, including one of nearly 10ft long, estimated at I think around 700lb. One of the biggest caught on rod and line that year. Lucky fecker - amazing pictures too, it was honeymoon, so the missis was holding one end, him the other (LOL)... as to UK fish, I've only mucked around with some on a water I think a few people have been on... I used cat tactics, i.e. dirty great chunks of sausage, fished over a pile of pellets. Worked well enough, they weren't exactly hard to catch either. Watch out for the jumpers - if you're going to lose one, that's when it'll happen...

[Wes12]

I know it’s not massive but I caught this on a prawn, I think most lads in South Yorkshire must have had it, like what’s already bean Said greedy f*****s

[Dave Horton]

The last fish of the trip deserves a story in its own right, not for any great angling feat, but purely because of the ciaos it created on the boat.

If these big fish decide to take off, despite the fact that you have 60lb class rod, lever drag multi, and 200yd of 100lb braid, the skipper needs to get the anchor up pretty quickly or you get spooled. Earlier on the last day we had witnessed a boat (through binoculars) hit in to a big fish but get the anchor stuck in the rocks, it was clear that they never landed the fish and the skipper was pretty sure they had been spooled and lost the fish.

So early that last day I finally had my "8" but the rest of the day the rods remained stubbornly still, despite the skipper doing everything possible to put us on to feeding fish. The skipper stretched the day as long as he could and we were well past the time to head home, but still no bite. The inevitable time came and we were asked to get the rods in for the last time, so I picked up my rod and started winding. As the rig appeared I could see I had hooked some braid and as we were anchored in the same proximity to the other boats lost fish this morning, we thought that probably what I had picked up. So we set about handlining in the lost rig and braid, I guess I had around 150 yards of braid in the boat which takes a long time to hand line in and makes a big mess in the bottom of the boat.

A couple of times the braid had pulled tight and pinged from rocks or snags below, so as the braid tightened again I have given it a tug expecting it to ping free when suddenly it pulled back. The braid started streaming through my hands and I shouted to the skipper fish was still on. He set about the anchor while I desperately tried to control the fish, 100lb braid is pretty unforgiving stuff when you have bare hands and an lively fish on the end. Eventually the anchor was up and the I shouted to the skipper to get up stream of the fish to get some slack in the line. I don't remember the thought process but I decide that the best way to deal with this would be to get it hooked up to another rod. Managing to use the slack the skipper was brilliantly creating, we where heading up stream at a rate on knots, I cut the lose braid and quickly chucked a grinner knot over the line of one of the other rods, then cut of the rig from that rod and completed the know with another grinner.

So I was now connected with the fish properly and with the skippers help on the throttle started to get some line back on the rod, then disaster. As the fish had powered off the loose braid flying out of the boat had picked up quite a few knots, several had bumper through the rings and on to the spool, but now I was faced with a big birds nest that simply wouldn't go through the tip ring. Only one option, the skipper created some slack, Jaime held the rod and I went through the whole cut, tie, cut tie procedure again and we where back in business.

After getting back in control of the fish again, and Jaime doing her best to get rid of all the braid in the bottom of the boat which was now tangled around everything including me, another problem developed. I was now faced with an over filled spool and simply couldn't get any more braid on to the reel but still had at least 50 yards of line between me and the fish. So for the 3rd time, I went through the cut and tie procedure, connecting up to a 2nd rod which gave me the space to get the fish to the boat.

Eventually the skipper beached the boat and we jumped in to the shallows and secured the fish, with all three of us bursting out in laughter at what had happened over the last 30 minutes or so. I don't remember the length/weight of the fish, I couldn't really count it in my own mind, but it was certainly well over 200lb. Not the most conventional capture, certainly not one of any great angling feat, but one of the most memorable fish I have ever landed and a story that the skipper said he will never get tired of telling.

DSC00194.jpg

DSC00196.jpg

That's a great story, Duncan, thanks for sharing.

Puts me in mind of Neilson Baxter landing a snagged 30 for another angler!

(Both of yas thinking on ya feet face)

[steve28fishing]

What a joke … turns out there were only two sturgeon in the whole lake !
One 37lb and one at 44-45lb

We all ( four of us ) caught both of them !

So can confirm that they do fight hard and as a previous poster alluded to they are very greedy.

One fish was re captured only half an hour after a previous capture so they must have poor memories.

[AdsW85]

OMG I have really enjoyed reading this strange unconventional way of landing a huge sturgeon sound's completely surreal.

I am looking for places to go sturgeon fishing in France. I imagine that the closest fight for a big 100 lbs plus guy is only that of saltwater fish such as Marlin and Tuna which I have caught in the canary Islands and also barracuda in the Arabian gulf but they were pretty small in comparison he'll of a fight especially for their size.

The last fish of the trip deserves a story in its own right, not for any great angling feat, but purely because of the ciaos it created on the boat.

If these big fish decide to take off, despite the fact that you have 60lb class rod, lever drag multi, and 200yd of 100lb braid, the skipper needs to get the anchor up pretty quickly or you get spooled. Earlier on the last day we had witnessed a boat (through binoculars) hit in to a big fish but get the anchor stuck in the rocks, it was clear that they never landed the fish and the skipper was pretty sure they had been spooled and lost the fish.

So early that last day I finally had my "8" but the rest of the day the rods remained stubbornly still, despite the skipper doing everything possible to put us on to feeding fish. The skipper stretched the day as long as he could and we were well past the time to head home, but still no bite. The inevitable time came and we were asked to get the rods in for the last time, so I picked up my rod and started winding. As the rig appeared I could see I had hooked some braid and as we were anchored in the same proximity to the other boats lost fish this morning, we thought that probably what I had picked up. So we set about handlining in the lost rig and braid, I guess I had around 150 yards of braid in the boat which takes a long time to hand line in and makes a big mess in the bottom of the boat.

A couple of times the braid had pulled tight and pinged from rocks or snags below, so as the braid tightened again I have given it a tug expecting it to ping free when suddenly it pulled back. The braid started streaming through my hands and I shouted to the skipper fish was still on. He set about the anchor while I desperately tried to control the fish, 100lb braid is pretty unforgiving stuff when you have bare hands and an lively fish on the end. Eventually the anchor was up and the I shouted to the skipper to get up stream of the fish to get some slack in the line. I don't remember the thought process but I decide that the best way to deal with this would be to get it hooked up to another rod. Managing to use the slack the skipper was brilliantly creating, we where heading up stream at a rate on knots, I cut the lose braid and quickly chucked a grinner knot over the line of one of the other rods, then cut of the rig from that rod and completed the know with another grinner.

So I was now connected with the fish properly and with the skippers help on the throttle started to get some line back on the rod, then disaster. As the fish had powered off the loose braid flying out of the boat had picked up quite a few knots, several had bumper through the rings and on to the spool, but now I was faced with a big birds nest that simply wouldn't go through the tip ring. Only one option, the skipper created some slack, Jaime held the rod and I went through the whole cut, tie, cut tie procedure again and we where back in business.

After getting back in control of the fish again, and Jaime doing her best to get rid of all the braid in the bottom of the boat which was now tangled around everything including me, another problem developed. I was now faced with an over filled spool and simply couldn't get any more braid on to the reel but still had at least 50 yards of line between me and the fish. So for the 3rd time, I went through the cut and tie procedure, connecting up to a 2nd rod which gave me the space to get the fish to the boat.

Eventually the skipper beached the boat and we jumped in to the shallows and secured the fish, with all three of us bursting out in laughter at what had happened over the last 30 minutes or so. I don't remember the length/weight of the fish, I couldn't really count it in my own mind, but it was certainly well over 200lb. Not the most conventional capture, certainly not one of any great angling feat, but one of the most memorable fish I have ever landed and a story that the skipper said he will never get tired of telling.

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[JoeNickel]

Amazing story!

Having read the "Is it possible..." thread earlier though, it turns out nobody caught that sturgeon because everyone helped

[Dave R]

I’ve just read this post and Daniel’s incredible “knotting” story. I also fished the Fraser River near Chilliwack, in June 2022. It was an incredible experience! My story might also be of interest to would be sturgeon hunters. Brace yourself, this turned out a bit longer than planned….

After attending a work conference in Calgary I took a short holiday in British Columbia (BC), having booked Sturgeon Hunter for a few days. Combining work with fishing doesn’t often go to plan but this was one of my better decisions. Upon arrival in BC the weather was remarkably warm (35C) and the river was in flood due to snow-melt run off. Hmmm, this could be tough, and so it proved. Long story short, I caught 5 sturgeon in 3 days - that’s very slow according to the guides, but what fish!

Day 1 produced one fish of 7’8” (estimated 280lb by the guide), landed about 3 or 4 miles downstream from where hooked. Fishing is at anchor, using leads of 12oz - 20oz lobbed out the back of the boat, with smallish deadbaits (lamprey, salmon, local coarse fish) on 8/0 barbless semi-circle hooks to 200lb braid traces, with 130lb braid main line. Rods are 8ft one piece custom jobs, like heavy duty uptide rods. Reels are lever drag multipliers, Shimano Talica, Penn, or Avet. To ‘land’ such beasts the jet boat must be run aground in the margins after the fish is suitably tired, whereupon the fish is unhooked (strictly barbless hooks), measured (fork length), photographed in the shallows, and released. With the river being so high and extending into the trees finding suitable landing sites was very difficult; hence drifting / being towed so far by this fish before we could find a suitable shoreline.

Day 2 started with ‘baby’ of about 50lb (tope size, but fought better than tope, jumping). This was followed by a beast about 8ft long which was unhooked boatside, due to lack of any landing sites in the area.

Day 3 started well with a 6ft 9 incher. Then we struggled, anchoring in various areas while targeting fish observed on the sidescan. Shortly before going in time we hooked a monster, on a small chunk of salmon. We remained at anchor, downstream of an island, hoping to eventually land the fish on the island, although the wooded magins were not ideal. After 1 hour I was really feeling the strain. The fish had jumped 5 times during the first 10 minutes but we still did not appreciate how big it was - they all look ‘big’ when they jump. After 1.5 hours the fish was also tiring, making shorter and less sustained runs, and we started backing up towards the island in stages, lifting and redeploying the anchor several times. Finally, with the fish on the surface (wow!) we basically towed it the last few yards until we beached the jet boat among the bushes and trees on the island. The fish wasn’t finished and made one last run, diving into a sunken tree about 20 yards offshore and snagging solid there……..oh ****!!!! The quick thinking guide, Rod, relaunched the boat and reversed around the back of the sunken tree and, miraculously, the line came free! We regained control, got the fish on the surface, beached the boat, then Rod jumped in among the bushes and grabbed the fish by its mouth/proboscis (this is the best way to grip them). This one measured 9 feet 1 inch fork length (about 10ft total length!) which indicated a weight around 400 lb based on their chart. I’ve attached a pic - it’s not great but you’ll appreciate that the environment was challenging with only me and Rod to control a 9ft+ fish in flooded woodland. As Daniel mentioned an 8ft sturgeon is regarded as a big fish on the Fraser (equivalent to say a 20lb pike?) but a 9 footer is exceptional (like a 30lb pike?). So, I had a slow few days but a jammy final result. I know the guide Rod deserves most of the credit but I did hang on to the end (groups of anglers typically hand the rod over to friends) and this will remain one my fondest angling memories.

So, if you have a bucket list, I’d suggest the Fraser River deserves a place. Everything about BC is great - the scenery/wildlife and overall facilities are amazing. Highly recommended! Don’t leave it too late though - it can be very physical, particularly in flood conditions.

Some might regard sturgeon as sluggish, prehistoric bottom feeders. This is a mistake, they are perfectly evolved (over many millenia) “river monsters”, perfectly suited to predating sizeable salmonids in a turbid river with low visibility. Their body form reminds me of tope and indeed they fight at least as well as tope (size for size) and certainly better than any european freshwater fish (I’ve had catfish to 154lb on carp rods). Also, they jump, typically 4 or 5 times within the first 10 minutes, at least in the summer. In cold water they’re obviously more lethargic and, when the river is low with reduced flow this may also tip the balance in the angler’s favour. Some real giants (10-11ft) have been landed in such conditions. I’ve no experience of stocked stillwater sturgeon in Europe. They might be very different; do they jump?

[Dave R]

Apologies - I was referring to Duncan’s incredible knotting story. It took so long to type the above that I lost track of earlier contributions.

[martin(rockape)]

One hell of a fish that.

Regards

Martin

[JoeNickel]