[fishinfreak]

Hey guys,

I am looking for advice on sturgeon fishing. Location advice by boat and from shore, lower mainland. also prefered methods, time of year, time of day etc.


You guys are great thanks for the help!

Joe (fishinfreak)

 

[roscoe-pco]

Best time of year is sept-oct I find for the big, ones, generally this time of year you tend to catch the smaller 3 footers. Hatzic-hole is always good, many back-waters of the fraser hold some nice sturgeon as well.

 

[skunked]

sturgeon!

wher do you live there are some good places near the under the alex fraiser bridge look for a blue rock on shore anchor parallel and at 40 ft of water , slack high is best . or just down river at
bella cola fish dock again anchor parralell with the upstream end of the dock out about 50 meters from the dock at the slack . for bait roe is ok but ollicans (spelling ?) leave me sitting for about 20 min max on a bad day . best from these holes is about 7.5 ft . the alex fraiser can be fished from shore north delta side with a big casting rod !!! good luck

 

[fishinfreak]

Great feed back.

Thanks. (Freak)

 

[fishortho]

Hey 'freak.........Finding a good bank spot or dock along the Fraser that is consistant is a bit tough, as I went through the same problem a couple of years ago....I finally talked to some gillnet fishers from the reserve near Langley as they have a lot of experience with the structure in the river. They told me the "holes" in the river change constantly. If you have access to a boat with a sounder, then ply the waters in the area you wish to fish and find them.....The best places are when the river goes from it's usual 25-35 ft. to 40 -50 ft. or more, then anchor above or to the side of the area and fire away....This time of the year, you can use a lot of different baits, but a big chunk of roe in a spawnsac soaked in fish oil will usually work as will three or four dew worms. Use a bit of spider wire to hold them to the hook and be patient with the hook set with worms as they tend to suck in the trailing ends of the worm first, before they get to the hook....Ortho

 

[South Texas Salt]

I think the sturgeon are catch and release only, correct ? Always been that way in BC ? Is the reason very low numbers or what ? Just looking for information, never fished for them. Thanks. Salt.

 

[skunked]

yes catch and release only ,they grow so slow and reach breading age about 9years old i think then release eggs only every 4 to 5 yrs so the numbers are slow to recover ,many years ago we had a catch and keep but no longer as with many other species ,so if you catch one and its skin is slimy and red looking it is very stressed so take your time with the release and get the next one in quicker if possible .....

 

[Crazy Drifter]

Yeah sturgy's are catch and releae only The old regy's(pre 93,94 I think) was only fish 100cm to 200cm were legal to retain. I think it's a good idea that fisheries closed the market to catch and release, with all the charters and the popularity of fishing for them I dont think they would stand a chance. Dont get me wrong sturgeon meat is in a class by itself, smoked, DEADLY. But i think landing a 6 plus footer is still the best part .
I totally agree with Ortho, you have to find what the depths are, dont forget about ditch eels as a bait too. Try around Mission Bridge, Matsqui flats area, i dont get there often,I usually stay above Sumas Mtn, but when Ive ventured down that far I've never been skunked
CrazyD

 

[roscoe-pco]

Sturgeon numbers are good, and because of this regulation will only get better, we got a gem here to protect and have a chance to offer the world something no-one else has if we are smart about it, where else can you go out in hopes of catching a fish 6-10 feet long that will jump clear out of the water--- Ohhhhh WHAT A RUSH!!

 

[fishortho]

Arn't ditch eels a no no for bait?....Oolichans and smelts are Ok, I think....Ortho

 

[fisherman20]

I believe you just cant be catching the eels, if you have them in your freezer or what not it should be ok, but good luck explaining that they were sitting in your freezer if you get asked :lol:

 

[abbyfireguy]

Ditch eels are ok as long as they were harvested by someone with a commercial permit..Figure that one out..Just another crazy reg with bizarre reasoning if any behind it.....

 

[uncle_binky]

only been twice!

I was lucky enough to go on a guided sturgeon trip last October.

Patience seemed to be a key.
we fished the fraser and made many stops, no luck .
Fished over eight hours and then finally fish on!
One took the line hard.
when the guide passed another rod to someone to move out of the way.
Sure enought there was a fish on as well.
Double header both Sturgeon were 5 - 6 ft funnily enough the 5 footer was the tougher fighter

I have also seen many caught on the Harrison river.
Just below the train bridge and also right near the mouth.

The guide used rotting slamon cut into strips ( stinky does not come close to desrcribing the stench ).

Also went out with a buddy on his jet boat.
Tried the Harrison 1st, Had a monster jump beside the boat but would only tease the hooks.

We ended up fishing around the corner from the mouth right on the Fraser.
The bait of choice was Roe tied neatly in sacks of womens stocking hose.
Ocassionally adding a few Dew worms for added attraction.
After a couple more hours of hook nibbling finally hooked my 1st Sturgeon.
Busted out of the water, bigtime air & looked huge (about 5feet or more)
after 10-15 mins we landed this very healthy looking thick 4 footer.

I am now hooked also and am looking forward to many more Sturgeon adventures.

 

[meca_357]

i thought you werent allowed to use fin fish for bait....

 

[Crazy Drifter]

Yeah fin fish are legal to use only when fishing the fraser for sturgy's, you have to de head them and can only use either the head or a headless body but not the complete fish go figure
Crazy D

 

[fishortho]

Yup, another silly reg, but the stick bait of the bloated carcasses of pinks are prime bait. Nice report 'Binky........I caught a few in the Harrison this fall as well and they were all in the 4-5 ft. range.....apparently there are some really large fish in there at times........Ortho

 

[meca_357]

thats a pretty hypocritical reg if you ask me... :shock: :?:

 

[skunked]

not saying that this is legal but to catch ditch eels put a hay bail on a rope through into a deep ditch like the serpintine or any farm slough leave over night pull it out and reap the rewards , the fin fish head off reg is to stop the folks from introducing non native pests most people fish with very stinky bait for stergeon hard to do with live bait ...

 

[meca_357]

oh fair enough, my understanding was that the reason for no fin fish bait was to prevent the killing of fish just for the use of bait rather than consumption, since the regs state that any salmon caught should be used for consumption and not for sale or use of its organs, hence just the roe for bait... so in a way it still seems hypocritical, but i guess the introduction of foreign species adds another purpose to it...

 

[abbyfireguy]

Fresh roe is always one of the best bets....If you are around any salmon fishers that don't save the roe,,have zip lock baggies on hand(heavy duty ones). Wash the roe and get it on ice quickly..Freeze it at home and keep it fresh rather than simply let it decompose.....
I always forget to keep a supply of big zip locks with me and end up turning down roe...Dumb on my part....