Sturgeon Fishing On The Fraser River

[surhuntsalot]

I'm thinking of making a trip to give sturgeon a go on the Fraser River. Plan is to pull the jetboat down, most likely around Mission, or Chillawack. Has Anyone ever gone and fished Sturgeon in this area ? What's the "Secret" bait ? When's a good time to go ? All info will be much appreciated...

Thanks

[g-tard]

Well you will have to wait till the water comes down after run off. June will start to produce and all throughout the summer. I have fished the upper and lower fraser for these dinos and it is awesome. they love sockeye the best, but you can not use fin fish in alot of areas. Anything sticnky and in a mesh bag will work.

[bobalong]

I have fished the Fraser around Chiliwack and Mission a couple of times and there is usually lots of fish in the area. We were with a guide but there is usually lots of boats on the water, not to hard to see where the hot spots are. We were using salmon roe mostly for bait. You can see Mission in the background on these pics
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/IMG_1873Small.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/IMG_1862Small.jpg

[Kingfisher]

I've fished a number of times down near Mission and other points between Hope and Mission. There are tons of holes that will hold sturgeon. If you haven't gone before it might be a great idea to go with a guide once just so you know the techniques and area's that the sturgeon like to hold in. Where to anchor. How to anchor. How to retrieve your anchor without getting it stuck on the bottom.

As mentioned we used roe. Sockeye roe is good, as well as chum roe. Wrap it up in mesh or nylon. A pocket of about 2" in diameter is good. Hopefully you have some good sturdy rods. These dinosaurs can get pretty big out there.

[tbosch]

You will have no problem cathching sturgeon yourself on the Fraser. Let me have a look over the bait regs for the area and get back to you. I might have a little trick you can use out there. I'll PM you a bunch of details soon.

[surhuntsalot]

Thanks.... I've done very well fishing sturgeon on the NSR the last few years, just want to try for the BIG white's, and add a few pictures to the album...

How deep is the Fraser on average, do you recall the "Pool" depths ? What was your best day numbers wise when fishing them ?

[tbosch]

Thanks.... I've done very well fishing sturgeon on the NSR the last few years, just want to try for the BIG white's, and add a few pictures to the album...

How deep is the Fraser on average, do you recall the "Pool" depths ? What was your best day numbers wise when fishing them ?

I'm not entirely sure of the average but I'd guess around 15 feet. The only worry is it can be 50 feet then 5 feet pretty quick. The pools we fished were usually between 30 and 50 feet deep. The best one being 50 at the deepest point. Our best day I was present for was 9 sturgeon. It wasnt actually a day it was only about 5 hours or so. Most of them were under 5 feet but we got a couple that were just under 7. THe day after I left, my buddies pulled up a 8 foot 9" monster out of the same spot.

[Elcinco]

As of last year, you need to get a sturgeon tag in BC... as for bait... some people use lamprey, eulechon, roe, or salmon bellies. Its a bit late now, for good fishing, but you could try... end of summer when socks and pinks are running is when those fish start to really pig out.

[Safety D]

If you have never gone I would hire a guide.

[angler1]

Hey there Surhuntsalot, I pull my jetboat down there a couple of times a year, usually in August and definetely the end of Sept for the chum run. We always stay at Island 22 campsite at Chilliwack. Good launching facilities, you can make reservations, and there is security. I would say that a large majority of the boats that leave there first thing in the morning are outfitter boats, just follow them, bring your GPS, and within a couple of days you will know most more popular spots. Probably the most important thing I can tell you is to use fresh bait, the stuff that they sell you in the tackle shops is crap and they know it. The outfitters in the morning all race up to the mouth of the Harrison river and catch some chum,very easy, and quickly go back to the sturgeon holes and use the fresh roe as bait. This the most common method in Sept. anyway and it is not a long run. Do not be intimidated by some of these guys who seem to think that they own the resource and some of the preferred holes. If you stay at the campground you can get a head start on these fellas as the security gate does not open untill 7 am. which gives you a chance to secure your bait and a prime spot to anchor at the sturgeon holes. Your boat and truck are already on the inside giving you the chance to leave whenever you like. I have seen as many as 20 trucks waiting in line to get in the gate in the morning. If you have any questions feel free to PM me, I can also give you some waypoints to get you started. Brian

[surhuntsalot]

Thanks for the info.... Keep it coming. :)

It's looking like the first trip might be around Mid July, for about 5 days, plus drive time. Does anyone have a prefference betweeen Mission, or Chillawack (and why) ? Were you using Circle Hooks, or octopus style ?

[bobalong]

Thanks for the info.... Keep it coming. :)

It's looking like the first trip might be around Mid July, for about 5 days, plus drive time. Does anyone have a prefference betweeen Mission, or Chillawack (and why) ? Were you using Circle Hooks, or octopus style ?

When we were there most of the guys were using 3/0-5/0 gami hooks (snell tied) with about a three ft snell. The rigs were basically lindy rigs, just with a heavier weight. I am thinking it is probably a stronger rig, as you dont have the swivels etc, that you have with a three way rig.
They use a lot heavier line than I use on the NSR as well with most of the rods rigged with 130 lb. power pro. They also carry a pail with about a 5-6 ft rope tied on to it. When they anchor they throw this pail out the back and it stops the side to side swing of the boat.
As far as a preference between Mission and Chilliwack, I don't think it is so much a preference as just going to where the best concentration of sturgeon are at the time, as it will change from week to week. The concentration of boats will show this.

[bubba 96]

if you can find it on the net fishing canada shot 2 episodes from mission, they showed where they fished with gps points as well as the rigging and bait they used ol pete bowman sure catches a whopper...bubba

[Pioneer2]

I have an old Outdoor Life Nov 79 by Jim Zumbo that talks about Fraser River stugeon.A ten ft speciman weighed 632lbs with a pic.The largest ever confirmed was a 1835lb.A 20 ft fish supposedly weighed in excess of 2000lbs was exibited at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.Many of these early sturgeon were taken on set lines and hauled in with a team of horses as fishing tackle at the time could not handle them...............Harold

[surhuntsalot]

Knowing I'll need heavier gear to tackle these Sturgeon than the stuff I use on the NSR, I'm looking at the following rod as a possibillity. It's an 8' Ugly Stick , Big Water, One Piece, Heavy, with an 80lb rating... Does that sound about appropriate when matched with a reel With about 500yds of 130lb Power Pro...?

[tbosch]

Knowing I'll need heavier gear to tackle these Sturgeon than the stuff I use on the NSR, I'm looking at the following rod as a possibillity. It's an 8' Ugly Stick , Big Water, One Piece, Heavy, with an 80lb rating... Does that sound about appropriate when matched with a reel With about 500yds of 130lb Power Pro...?

That sounds about right. The rod is very important but you should make sure you have at a minimum a 50mm wide spool level wind reel or bigger if you can afford it. Spend the money on the reel if you have it. Last time we were out my buddy showed me an okuma 50mm cheapey he bought. The first sturgeon he hooked ripped the guts right out of that reel. It was only a 6 footer. I dont know the exact model of the reel he was using I just know it was a bottom of the line. I would look at the Penn sal****er line of 50's or even 70's. The more line the better.

I'll be emailing you a map soon.

[BearnDown]

The guy in Bobalongs pics up there is the guy to talk to, thats Fred Helmer from Freds Custom Tackle in Sardis, known far and wide as Sturgeon King of the Fraser Valley lol. When I lived out there, we used ooligans when they were running and Roe otherwise. We always fished in a minimum off 11 Meters, but the 20M and deeper holes produced better. I've fished both Mission and Chilliwack and found Chilliwack to be considerably better, but we all knew the water around Chilliwack alot better than Mission too. If you're considering hiring a guide, I'd strongly recomend the boys at "Give'er on the River" in Abbotsford. Kevin and Pete are both extremley talented Sturgeon guides.

[surhuntsalot]

In gearing up for this trip, I'm lookin for a bit more info. What seems to be the reel of choice for those fishing the Great Whites (makes, size, line capacity...). Does anyone use two speed reels, or is the one speed with a 5:1 gear ratio sufficent ? What seems to be the most common line weight, and capacity used (will be using Spiderwire, or Power Pro)...

[pdfish]

8' Shimano Technium paired with a Shimano TLD-20 or Penn 330 with 80 or 100lb. Power Pro as your main line and you're good to go.

[surhuntsalot]

As of last year, you need to get a sturgeon tag in BC... as for bait... some people use lamprey, eulechon, roe, or salmon bellies. Its a bit late now, for good fishing, but you could try... end of summer when socks and pinks are running is when those fish start to really pig out.

What's the deal with the Sturgeon Tag ? Is it a conservation thing like our Migratory Stamp for waterfowl hunting ? Or have they introduced a keeper slot like in Washington & Oregon ?

[Joe Fehr]

Spring is a decent time to go down if you can keep your boat anchored if the water comes up. Oolies are the bait of choice most times in the spring, make sure you know where you are fishing as below Mission is tidal waters and you require a salt water licence.
If you want an excellent person to talk to call TNT Marine and talk to Thomas he was a guide and will either take you out or give you the whole low down on where and what to use. Used to be a guide on the river. Or if you are on huntbc.com get in touch with Leaseman who is one heck of a good guy and he will give you pointers.
One of the best things to do is look for boats fishing and follow their lead. A good depth finder is good to have. Look for holes and fish above them, if you catch small fish go up river as the big ones feed first!!
Good luck and have fun. If you need terminal tackle most of the shops will sell you pre tied also and give you tips.

[surhuntsalot]

Has anyone ever fished for other species of fish on the Fraser (Eg. Salmon...) form May through August ? I know the Sturgeon and salmon peak in the fall, but between work and hunting, I'm not sure about being able to make a trip then...