Back on the Sturgeon Water

Always great to get out on the water.  On this day Bob invited his buddy Steve out for a day of fishing with me and neither had ever caught a sturgeon before.  I warned them that I am not responsible for chiropracter or physiotherapist appointments and normally when I take Newby's out we catch a big fish or two and today sure did not disappoint.

The first fish of the day were respectable starter fish that warmed bob up to and was into his 4th fish before Steve connected.  But what a fish Steve connected with!

And what a bruiser Steve's first fish was!  A full 6 ft 10 inches it breached three times putting on a spectacular show before giving Steve a workout he was not expecting.  We had some great laughs as the sweat was pouring down Steve's face and it took about 40 minutes to bring this great white sturgeon to the shore.  Both Steve and Bob were over the top with excitement as they were able to pose with memories of a lifetime!

Steve followed up with another great fish which seemed a lot bigger as the 6'10" had taken a bit of the steam out of Steve's muscles.  There was also some interesting activity as the Coast Guard hovercraft steamed by.  Not your everyday Fraser River boat by any stretch.

The boys were on fire and in total could have hooked up to 18 fish, but at least they got 9 to the boat on an epic fishing day.   I just want to say that it was Bob that both came and went with the hardware of the day.

Bob was an Afghan war vet whose career was cut short after a helicopter accident broke a number of vertebrae in his back.  Bob went through some tough times to serve his country and fellow Canadians but he was back in fighting form today as the sturgeon gave him all the workout he could handle! 

As we near this Remembrance Day season let's all take time to thank our Veterans and first responders for the sacrifices they make for us every day.  If you know a Veteran who would enjoy a day on the water, drop me a line at peterk12@live.com

Our salute today goes to Bob who wins both the covetted Fraser Legends Fishing "Spidy Award" for capturing the smallest fish but also perpetual trophy for the most fish of the day for our Fraser River White Sturgeon Conservation project where in 2020 we are looking to catch and tag as many of the smallest and least understood sturgeon.  Our research is showing that recruitment of small sturgeon seems to be declining and we don't know why.  Coming out on a trip like this and using small special gear will help us find these little guys and tag them for the cause of fisheries science.

Thanks for the laughs and the adventure guys, we hope to see you on Big Blue again chasing the great white sturgeon of the Fraser River basin.

​Peter K. Krahn