Oversized Sturgeon Fishing in NorthWest Part 1

How Oversized Can Sturgeons Get?

Perhaps the first immediate response is how Sturgeon fishing is such a fun activity. It is an unusual concept that any fish you may catch is oversized, and will, therefore, have to go back into the water. The sturgeon is too small to be kept undersized.

The oversized Sturgeon are the ones that are 54 inches in length or longer. These fish if left alone can have long lifespans of up to 80 years. Although these fish can be caught, they must be released back into the water.

As a type of fish, the Sturgeon has always struck me as having something alien about them. Sitting on the edge of the Coquille river when I was staying at my Grandpa’s farmhouse. I was young enough to kid myself into believing that I was fishing for oversized. My fishing gear was too necessary to have much chance of catching a sturgeon. In reality, it was more like I was going to fish for sculpin. My fishing gear was too small and lightweight to stand any realistic chance of landing fish as large as sturgeon. I decided that one day I would have access to the fishing rods so that I would be able to catch sturgeons. Furthermore, I decided to save up enough money to go fishing for the day with a specialist who was an expert in catching oversized sturgeons. It was the only way in, which I could act on the urge to go fishing for big fish.

A Sturgeon Story

I met the fishing guide at 5 AM at the boat launch near to Camus, in Washington. We went on the Columbia River to go fishing in a perfect place for sturgeon. Only the guide said that he would take us somewhere to find the best place for fishing. We drove some 26 miles to catch our bait first. The guide drove us to the Bonneville Dam. The water levels at the dam were very high indeed, so high that the water was overflowing into the river below it. We now launched the boat into the whitewater and got on with the job of catching the bait. However, the water was wild, and it got both of us excited. It was a case of man against nature, so bring it on. I have to tell you that that was incredible.

Been cast into a vortex of rapidly flowing water indeed concerned me, on the other hand, my guide was not concerned in the slightest, he did not seem to have a care in the world. He got the boat about half a mile further along the water. Then he expertly positioned the boat to get in the exact spot for getting the best chances of catching all of the fish he wanted.

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Sturgeon Fishing Fraser River

 

The Fraser River, British Columbia

What Is The Fraser River?

The Fraser River is well known to plenty of whitewater enthusiasts who enjoy it’s a significant number of rapids and also tumbling canyons every year. However, the Fraser is perhaps better known as a working river due to its length, location, and size. Seafaring ships constantly sail on the Fraser River from the mouth of the river at Fraser River Port to the Fraser Surrey Dock, which is 30 km away from the downtown districts of Vancouver.

Only watching this river anywhere between the two ports could be considered a vacation in it’s right. Watching the ships go up and down the river can be enjoyed around the whole year due to the fair weather conditions we have within the lower mainland. There is simply no way that anyone can watch along this river and get bored. Throughout both day and night, there are tugboats taking logs, sometimes houseboats, and other wood products to where these are needed to go.

The tugboats frequently help the bigger vessels travel along the Fraser River. These larger vessels come from many different parts of the world; some look exotic while other ones appear more mundane. The more mundane ships will be the workboats, which regularly trip up and down the Fraser. For the large ships that fish in the sea as well as the small ships, which fish in the river that river is vital for their crews and owners in making their living.

The Beauty Of The River

There is more to the Fraser River than how many ships use it. The river has an absolute beauty, which seems to alter with the light as well as the weather. For instance, on a bright summer day, the surface of the river can appear smooth and calm as it reflects the Alex Fraser bridge. Compare that to a misty early morning during the autumn making it look like the bridge is lifting up through the fog to greet the beginning of a new day. Then there is the view on a beautiful yet crisp wintery morning when the shoreside plants and the clear blue sky get reflected in the calm waters of the river; it is a snapshot in the short time between the changes of the tide.

To Conclude

Thus while watching this busy river the wonders of nature can be enjoyed. The occasional seal can be spotted as he puts his head above the water and when watching the eagles swoop down to catch prey then fly back up.

People can enjoy the river in different places such as Barnston Island, which lies in the middle of the Frazer River. This small island with its farms is a reminder of times gone by. Alternatively, a visitor could stroll through the pretty gardens of the New Westminster Quay.

It is easy to understand why the Fraser River means so many things to so many people.

Special thanks to the writers at www.fraserriversturgeonfishing.ca for this article

Fraser River Sturgeon Fishing

Oversized Sturgeon Fishing in NorthWest Part 2

The Story of Sturgeon Fishing in the NorthWest

I remember being struck by the way my guide used the rod and bait to increase the chances of catching fish. He set the rods with a crank as bait and with the hooks removed plus a dropper leader with a small spoon. The crankbait places the spoon in the water in such a way to make sure that it stays in place. The spoon was put on a NorthWest standing, the little Dicknite. I said that I had been told the cranks that were half silver and also half brass would be the best one.

The guide replied that the color of the crank did not matter as they all did the job well. We then put out the lines and waited for the current to enable them to do their job. The first bite of the hook came within a few minutes. That was when I reeled in a Shad that was 15 inches long and weighed in the region of 1 to 2 lbs. This turned out to be lots of fun, and that was the same size as the fishes, which I usually catch. That was going to be our bait for the sturgeon, not for the entire, but one Shad for every single cast we were going to use.

The plan was to fish for the sturgeon with whole shads instead of just pieces of an individual fish. To be specific, there would be enough bait we decided to fill the coolers, which took us an hour and a half to do.

The next stage was heading down the river to find another spot for catching sturgeon, hoping that 60 lbs of bait would be adequate for detecting oversized sturgeons onto our hooks. Furthermore, the boat was then moved down the river. Just a little further down the river remained huge, yet the water was much calmer. After moving to another exact location, the anchor has dropped again. The set up we decided to go with was a little different than usual.

We had a 100 lb test line connected to a 200 lb test leader that was tied to a large old hook. For every line we used the hook was put the head of a shady, and the leading cord was wrapped around it a few times to ensure that the shad would not get taken away by the strength of the current. Then a first weight the size of a baseball was attached to the line so that fish smaller than a sturgeon could not take the bait. The bait was repeatedly stabbed to enable blood to attract fish.

 

Why Sturgeon Fishing Is Better Than Most

In lots of ways fishing for sturgeon reminded me of fishing for catfish, in that it could be a long wait before this bait was bitten. Plus with sturgeon, the delay would be longer as the lead weights meant smaller fish could eat the shad. It would take something the size of the boat to take the bait. It was exciting waiting for the sturgeons to arrive.

After a while, one of the rods started to bounce. The guide gave it to me, and I began an almighty struggle to reel in the catch. He was telling me that it had to be an enormous sturgeon has it had taken more than 150 yards of line. At the time I was concentrating on not been dragged into the river as the fish tried to escape.

It did avoid as the rope snapped. My guide reckoned it could have been as big as 500 lbs. I heartily recommend sturgeon fishing charters Fraser River tours to everyone if you’re thinking of partaking in any sort of sturgeon fishing in Mission, BC.

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Sturgeon Fishing Charters Fraser River

Plans For Deeper Dredging of the Fraser River

 

The Fraser River Area in BC

The supporters of a scheme to dredge the Fraser River in British Columbia broader claim that it will bring more jobs into the area. They also claim that it would boost the shipping potential for the BC region taken as a whole.

After studying the area that may be dredged a geographer stated that there could be environmental consequences like Richmond been at higher risk of flooding.

Recently a team representing Fraser Surrey Docks and the Surrey Board Of Trade (SBOT) were in Ottawa attempting to increase the federal funding available for them to spend on the upkeep of this famous river for the region.

The head of business funding in Vancouver, and chief executive of SBOT, Anita Huberman called for funding levels similar to those, which had already been approved for the dredging of the St Lawrence River. She told Business in Vancouver in a recent interview that the plan was needed.

The SBOT and the Fraser Surrey Docks are also keen for the river to be dredged more buried so that the much more significant cargo vessels becoming increasingly standard will be able to traverse up and down the river. They fear that if ships find it challenging to do so, that will go to other ports and rivers instead.

Fraser River in Present Time

At present, the Port Metro Vancouver authority spends $15 million every year to dredge the river to a depth of 11.5 meters. The sand that is dredged up is then sold on to cement makers, and generate an income of $10 million a year for Port Metro Vancouver. If the plan were approved, it would mean that the depth of the river would be increased to 13.5 meters.

However, making such a drastic alteration to the most significant river in BC should not be done slightly due to the environmental impact it will have. That is the opinion of Michael Church, a professor at the University of British Columbia.

The Michael Church Plan For The Fraser River

The church is against the plan as it will make flooding more likely due to there being less sand to absorb the tide. The present levels of dredging have reduced the sand and silt deposited on the Delta from three million tons a year to one million tons. The extensive dredging would mean that the delta would be permanently submerged as sea levels continue to rise.

The submerging of the Delta will have dire consequences for the residential and farming areas of Richmond. At present, the delta protects those areas from heavy seas and tidal flooding. The federal government has estimated that sea levels will rise by a minimum of 1 meter over the next century. That would leave to the potential loss of much of the land in and around Richmond. The increased levels of dredging would speed up that process.

Church argues that the plan to increase the level of dredging is not the best method of enhancing the shipping trade along the Fraser River Sturgeon Fishing Charters. Instead, the strategy should be similar to the one already adopted by New York City as well as several of the Gulf States. There marches and deltas have been built up rather than whittled away. The dredging does not have increased at all as other harbors are capable of handling larger ships.

That was another reason put forward by Church in that are different ports available that will not have to be dredged as they have more in-depth water levels in any case. That sentiment is shared by Harold Stevens who is a Richmond city councilor suggests that the ports at Burrard Inlet and Roberts Bank.

Church has pointed out that Burrard Inlet would be the best option all round, and developing it makes a lot better use of taxpayers’ money than increased dredging.

Fraser River Sturgeon Fishing Charters

Fraser River Sturgeon Fishing
14513 104 Ave #103
Surrey, BC V3T 1X6
(604) 239-5053

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