The Best Kept Secret!

We’re all familiar with caviar and the name of the fish it comes from, Sturgeon.  But what else do we know?  It turns out that I knew nothing about this magnificent fish 

When Cathy asked me to join her on a trip to Vancouver, BC to go fishing, I jumped at the chance. I’m always up for an adventure with Cathy.  She said we would be fishing for sturgeon.  I didn’t know you could fish for them. All I knew was they are farm raised now and their roe harvested without killing them.  I knew this because eating caviar on New Year’s Eve is a tradition for my husband and me. 

As our departure date came closer, I did a little research into what I would need to pack in order to catch a sturgeon.  The guide service Cathy booked was Yves Bison Sturgeon (https://www.fraserriversturgeon.com/).  His website indicated he would provide rods, reels, tackle, bait, waders, boots, coffee, water and snacks.  I just needed to get my fishing license and bring my lunch each day.  That made it easy.

A couple days before our trip, Cathy sent me sturgeon photos from Yves’ website.  It was then I realized I might not have the strength to fight one of these fish – especially at my age (76).  Some of those sturgeon weighed over 300 pounds.  I’ve caught tuna that size using a harness which allows me to use my legs to fight the fish. There weren’t going to be any harnesses available to help fight these fish.  How in the world would I be able to land such a fish only using my arms?

I met Cathy at LAX for our flight to Vancouver.  Our flight was on time and in less than three hours, we were in Vancouver, had our rental car and were on the road to Harrison Hot Springs Resort.  Google said we would reach our destination in a little over 2 hours. 

After checking in, we had dinner at the hotel and ordered our sandwiches for the next day’s lunch on the water.  At 7 the next morning, we had breakfast in the resorts coffee café then we were off to meet our guide.

Yves Bison was waiting for us alongside the Fraser River, his jet boat on the water and ready.  Yves advised us where to park our car then invited us on board.  He gave us the run down on boating safety then explained the plan for the day.  We were going to be fishing on the Fraser River.  I had no idea where that was other than we were in BC Canada.  It was a beautiful day, sunny with blue skies and tall evergreen trees lining the river and up the mountainsides.

 

As he drove towards our starting point, Yves educated us on how to fish for sturgeon.  We were going to be using Talica 16 two speed reels spooled with 200-pound yellow power pro spectra on eight foot rods.  The hook was similar to a 12/0 offset circle hook we use for tuna or other big fish but without a barb.  Above the hook about 30 inches is the weight to hold the bait on the bottom of the river.  The size of the weight depended on the current.  We had a fast current so this day we were using 18 ounces.  The bait today would be salmon.

 

After a short drive, Yves stopped the boat and anchored.  He baited the hooks and cast  out all three rods putting each one in a rod holder along the stern of the boat.  He told us the rod on the left is number 1, rod in the middle is number 2 and rod on the right is number 3.  Next, he demonstrated how to take the rod out of the holder and set the hook when the rod gets a bite.  He emphasized that you must lift the front of the rod first or the rod will be locked in the holder.  As you lift the rod out of the holder, you should pull hard to set the hook, making sure there is no slack line.

I was nervous about being able to get the rod out of the holder and set the hook let alone bring one of these fish to the boat.  I sure was glad Cathy would be up first when we got a bite.  We settled back in our seats and watched the rod tips looking for some indication of a bite.  At first, we thought the little jiggles on the rod tips were either bites or little fish picking at the bait.  We were wrong.  Yves said “it’s just the weight bouncing on the bottom as the boat swings on the anchor.”

As we waited for a bite, we used the time to quiz Yves about sturgeon.  Yves is a wealth of information from his 20 plus years as a guide for sturgeon.  He said that sturgeon are virtually blind and they find their food through scent. They have no teeth so they suck the bait in. He also said sturgeons live a very long time and it’s difficult to determine a sturgeon’s age.  It’s believed fish over 8 feet long are somewhere over 40 years old. 

As the morning passed without a bite, I wondered if we would even see a fish the first day.  Yves would work an area for an hour or so then move to another area he knows the fish frequent.  Around 1 pm, one rod jiggled and Yves said “Get ready. That’s a fish.”  Cathy got up next to the rod just as Yves said, “Set the hook.”  Cathy grabbed the rod and set the hook hard and she was on.  I started filming her just in time to catch a video of her fish jumping.  Yves said, “That’s a big fish.”

The next 45 minutes were exciting and hard on Cathy.  She threw her entire body into pulling on that fish trying to get her rod high in the air so she could wind line in when she dropped the rod down.  Her fish jumped a couple more times and she got it to the boat more than once during the battle only to have the fish peel the line off again.  As her fish reached the end of the fight, Yves beached the boat.  At the end, her fish was tired and docile.  Yves put on his waders and got in the water so he could leader the fish and remove the weight and hook.  Once he did that, he had Cathy put on waders and get in the water with her fish so he could measure the fish and scan it for a tag.  It wasn’t tagged, so Yves tagged the fish.  Then we took photos.  Yves even had me get in the water with her and her fish for photos.  

I noticed her fish had a pattern of small white daisies on its back.  The top of the fish had what looked like little spikes running along the ridge of its back which Yves said were called “scoots.”  Later I looked up what “scoots” are and learned they are a modified ganoid scale which are diamond shaped scales found on primitive bony fish like sturgeon.  They can help serve as protection for fish like armor.  No wonder these fish look prehistoric.

Cathy’s fish taped out at 8 feet 8 inches and, based on a weight chart, weighed around 350 pounds.  Wow!  Way to go Cathy.  Her goal for the trip was to land a trophy sturgeon and she did just that.  It was awe inspiring to watch her magnificent fish swim its way down in the river until it disappeared beneath the muddy waters.

Yves set up the rods again and this time it was my turn.  I didn’t have to wait long before another fish bit.  Yves said to set the hook.  Thank heavens I got the rod out of the holder and was able to set the hook.  My fish jumped right away just as Cathy’s did and Cathy was able to catch that jump on film too. At times it felt like I lost the fish when I would feel a bump then slack line.  Yves said it was the line crossing over its head as it swims because the mouth is on the bottom of its head. 

Pulling on these fish is very difficult.  A rod belt is no help because the fish are too strong for stand-up fishing.  Instead, I opted for the big rubber rod butt bumper that I could put between my legs and set on the engine cover where I was sitting.  I would put my feet on the rail and pull back with all my strength just to be able to move the fish.  Fortunately, my fish wasn’t quite as large as Cathy’s so my fight ended in 30 minutes.  I was exhausted and my left under arm was bruised from wrist to elbow. 

Yves had me put on waders and get in the water with my fish as well.  It’s really something special to be able to stand next to a fish that’s fought so fiercely and be able to let it go on living.  I noticed my fish had little white starburst patterns all over its back.  Quite different from the daisies on Cathy’s fish.  Yves said every fish has a different pattern.

 

Different Patterns on the backs of Sturgeon we caught.

Our trip was already a complete success and we were exhausted.  Yves was ready to put the rods out again and Cathy suggested we call it a day. 

We had two more days of fishing ahead of us.  I wondered if I could do it again.  Yves suggested we fish the Harrison River the next day for some smaller sturgeon.  That sounded great to me.

When we got back to our room, we changed clothes and decided to soak our bodies in the mineral hot springs pool available at the resort.  Our bodies really appreciated the water’s healing properties.

We got into a daily routine of dinner and breakfast at the resort restaurants and ordering sandwiches for lunch from the resort restaurant. It was very convenient, and the food was good.

Day two, we met Yves at a location somewhere along the Harrison River.  As before, his boat was on the water and ready for us to board.  It was another gorgeous day.

Yves drove us to another beautiful location, but this place had crystal clear waters.  It was very different from the muddy waters of the Fraser River.  Yves set up the three rods and baited them with salmon again.  Yves said he is very particular about the bait he uses and may drive distances to obtain just the right bait.  The only part I recognized was a salmon belly strip like the ones I used to bring home from Alaska to smoke.

As we waited for a bite, Yves looked up the tagging information on my fish from the previous day.  He was able to tell us when and where the fish had been caught before and how many times.  With the large fish, he said they are smart and its usually 2 to 5 years before they are caught again.  Sometimes the fish stay in the same location and sometimes they move from river to river.  Each one is different.

Cathy decided she wanted me to go first this day.  It didn’t take long until we got a bite.  Fortunately, the fish here were smaller and much more manageable.  When I got this fish close to the boat, Yves leadered the fish into a sling attached to the side of the boat.  He removed the weight and hook and was able scan and measure the fish without getting in the water.  Yves pointed out that this fish was dark in color because it was in clear waters instead of white like the fish we had the previous day.  This fish was tagged as well.

 

We went back and forth catching six fish in all on day two.  Three fish each.  Some of the fish were sling fish and some of the fish were shore fish (too big for the sling).  What a fun day.  Every fish fought a different fight.  Some fish jumped and others didn’t.  Some fish just lay still in the current and let you drag it in and others did the back and forth fight of taking line and giving it back.

 

Yves suggested we fish in the same area for our last day of fishing.  We were quite happy to do so.  It had been a great day of fishing and also one of education about the fish we had caught.  We looked forward to doing it again.

We stayed with our same routine at the resort.  We met Yves the next morning at 8:30 am to fish on the Harrison River for our last day.  It was Saturday and there were more boats on the river.  The weather had turned quite warm and by late afternoon it was in the 90’s and not a breath of wind.  Fighting fish in this weather was much more difficult even though Cathy and I were drinking lots of water and water with Liquid IV supplement.

The third day was similar to the previous day except the fish were a bit larger.  Cathy was up first.  She got bit before Yves could set out rods two and three.  She made quick work of her fish.  Once it was in the sling, it paid her back with a quick tail slap across her face as she was leaning down for a photo as I was holding her feet.

 

I was up next.  We waited about half an hour for the next bite.  It was my turn.  By this time, we were able to detect a bite and were already on our feet when Yves said, “set the hook.”  Before Yves could bring the other two rods in, we had another bite and Cathy was on.  We had a double!  This was interesting as our fish were running in opposite directions.  How was Yves going to maneuver the boat.  Oh well, my problem was to fight my fish and not tangle with or cut off Cathy’s fish.

 

Yves did a masterful job of handling the boat so Cathy could get her fish in first then I was able to get my fish in as well. Yves asked if we wanted to get in the water with our fish and we both said we were fine just using the sling.

I was up again.  My next fish took a very long initial run almost spooling me then just used his weight and the current to put pressure on me.  When that fish finally came to leader, it was a shore fish and had a very fat body.  Its circumference was 44.25 inches.

 

By late afternoon, we had caught and released six sturgeons, same as the day before.  Yves set up the rods again and Cathy got another big fish.  It was tough in the heat to fight such a fish but she did a fantastic job.  Another shore fish.

 

It was 4 pm and the fishing day ends at 4:30 so I thought we would head in for the day but I was wrong.  Yves put the rods out one more time.  That would prove to be a mistake for many reasons.  I was up.  It was 90 degrees and no wind or shade.  These were bigger fish in this area.  I had already caught 3 fish for the day and was exhausted and my age and weight (110 lbs.) were against me.  Of course I had to hook a big and tough fish.  After three or four times bringing it to the boat, I was asking Yves what I could do to end the fight.  He said just keep doing what I was doing.  By 5 pm, I got the fish close to the boat and begged Yves to leader the fish and get it in the sling.  (I shouldn’t have asked as the fish was still green.)  Yves was accommodating though and got the fish in the sling (with the head and tail hanging out at each end).  He got the hook out just before the fish exploded and jumped out of the sling.  No chance to scan for a tag and no measurements.  Fortunately, no one was hurt.  I’m sorry Yves for begging you to bring in a green fish and especially for that being your last memory of me.

Thanks though for the kind words on your website as shown here.

We ended our trip having caught 16 fish in 3 days – 8 for each of us.  Catching one of these fish would have been enough for anyone.  They are beautiful prehistoric fish unique in every way. And now you know The Best Kept Secret – It’s Sturgeon Fishing!

I can’t thank Yves enough for providing us with the Adventure of a Lifetime.  Anyone interested in following in our footsteps, contact Yves right away as he books a year in advance. 

Yves Bison Sturgeon Fishing (https://www.fraserriversturgeon.com/)