Sinker Posted May 20, 2009 Report Posted May 20, 2009 Me and my mom did the tourist thing last week in Vancouver. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, but we gotter done. Had a good visit with my brother, caught a few fish, and ate lots of seafood! LOTS of stuff to see down there, but my main goal was to put a white sturgeon on my list. I got there wed, had a guide booked for Friday on the Fraser. She's a big ole dirty river......not what I was expecting. First thing on my agenda was to get my fill of seafood That's pretty much all I ate the whole time I was there Wed afternoon we headed down to the fishermans wharf in Steveston. Grabbed a small sockeye, a few crabs, and some fresh large prawns........yeehaw.....lets eat!! The salmon was killer! Thursday, we just toured around Van. Lots of stuff to see. I took around 400 pics in 6 days, so I'm still sorting through them. I might do a NF report with them later, but for now, lets get on with the fishing We were to meet our guide in mission for 8am. We got there early, but our guide was ready to go. Heres our ride for the day. 22ft Jet, powered by a 454 The guide warned me prior to booking that the really big fish were hard to come by at this time of year, but we'd get into some fish for sure. I was happy with that. Any sturgeon would be fine with me. We did the intro's, the safety talk, and headed out. Friggen awesome backdrop for pictures. The place is beautiful. We set up the rigs, which were pretty simple. Heavy line, heavy weight and big stinky bait. We were running 120lb PP, with a 20 oz. slip weight. 2 rods had smelts for bait, the other had a huge honkin roe bag full of salmon skien. The current was running ~6MPH with LOTS of floating and submerged debris! We got the lines out and waited. It didn't take long for a rod to fire. My brother was all over it! Just a little guy, but we were on the board! The key to getting bites was to keep moving. Even 100ft would get a bite. The water was running high and super dirty, with lots of debris, so instead of checking lines and re-setting, we'd just move a little each time. It paid off, because every time we re-set, we'd get a hit. The water was really high and dirty, so you had to pretty much put your bait right in front of them to get bit, and we found most fish sitting behind current breaks. Its all scent, water visibility was about 2" tops. Next fish was all mine. I was friggen pumped. When the outside rod fired on my side, I was on it like a fat kid on a smartie!! FISH ON!! I knew right away it wasn't a monster, but it had a good headshake, and peeled some line. I had no idea what I was into, but knew for sure it was a sturgeon. I got her to the boat with no problems, it didn't take as long as I thought it would. My first ever white sturgeon. Crazy looking fish. The skoots on the sides are like razors, hence the pretty gloves..... At this point, I was a happy camper. I could care less if we got anymore fish, but we kept on fishing. We lost a bunch, missed a bunch, and caught a few more in the next couple hours. It was pretty much move, set lines, get bit, either land, lose or miss a fish, then repeat. My brother hooked into something a little bigger than what we'd been getting. The fight was on, with jumps, runs and lots of dogging on bottom. After the first jump, the guide just sat down and said "your gonna be a while" After about a 15 min battle, we got this fella in the boat. My brother couldn't have been any happier. This is the biggest fish of his life. I was happy he got it, it made the day for sure. I finished the day with 4 boated, my brother only landed his 2. The biggest, the first, and the smallest. Heres a couple more pics of the fish..... I lost the last fish of the day, and it was a good one. It jumped about 4 ft out of the water, and was about the same size as my brothers big one. It was a real heart breaker, but, that's fishing. You can't get them all. I got my sturgeon crossed off the bucket list, so I was more than happy. The guide was a really good guy who knew his stuff, and worked all day to keep our rods bent. We lost a lot of fish. Its hard to keep the barbless hooks in on the smaller fish, with such a huge weight. You just can't keep enough tension on the hook, with the smaller fish. We must have dropped easily 10 fish. It was all good fun though. I'd like to go back in the fall when the big boys are in there!! Sinker
holdfast Posted May 20, 2009 Report Posted May 20, 2009 Awesome report. Great Pics and excellent fishing. Yup, that river current is extremely fast. Try bridging Pontoons togeather to create a floating Raft. Our Boat Operaters really have to have it togeather. How was the Weather, Lots of Rain?
Sinker Posted May 20, 2009 Author Report Posted May 20, 2009 Awesome report. Great Pics and excellent fishing. Yup, that river current is extremely fast. Try bridging Pontoons togeather to create a floating Raft. Our Boat Operaters really have to have it togeather. How was the Weather, Lots of Rain? The weather was mint!! It rained the first night we were there, and stayed clear with no wind the rest of the trip. We got lucky I guess. I took my rain gear with me everywhere I went, but didn't put it on the whole trip. My brother said we were weather gods, because the day we left, it started raining.... LOL. I get home to a nice sunny warm day, but apparently it was crap weather here all weekend........suckers This week isn't looking too shabby either Sinker
medmart Posted May 20, 2009 Report Posted May 20, 2009 Great report Shayne looks like you and your brother had a great day on the water those are beautiful fish WTG Rob
Roy Posted May 20, 2009 Report Posted May 20, 2009 Thanks for that Sinker. Excellent report and pics! Really glad you were able to get out with your Mom and brother after those gargantuan, prehistoric monsters. Congrats to you.
Sinker Posted May 20, 2009 Author Report Posted May 20, 2009 Great report Shayne looks like you and your brother had a great day on thewater those are beautiful fish WTG Rob Thanks Rob, it was a blast! When we goin salmon fishin? They must be getting close, no? Thanks for that Sinker. Excellent report and pics! Really glad you were able to get out with your Mom and brother after those gargantuan, prehistoric monsters. Congrats to you. Your more than welcome Roy, its my pleasure. Sinker
brifishrgy Posted May 20, 2009 Report Posted May 20, 2009 I took my rain gear with me everywhere I went, but didn't put it on the whole trip. Thats why it didnt rain .. if you forgot it one day it would have rained for sure .. the sturgeon is on my list of must catches
anders Posted May 20, 2009 Report Posted May 20, 2009 Awsome!!! I actually thought about this trip and was wondering if i had missed the report!!!! Glad i didnt....that is on the top 3 of my fishing to-do list. Thanks for sharing
rock34 Posted May 20, 2009 Report Posted May 20, 2009 Awsome report Sinker!! I am visiting a friend in Chilliwak this summer and we are looking at booking a charter for Sturgeon. I take it you would recommend this company? What was the name? Thanks again for the awsome report. Cheers.
Jet Posted May 20, 2009 Report Posted May 20, 2009 Great job Sinker, couldn't of happened to a nicer guy! Next time I'm out in BC I'm gonna have to give that a try. Thanks for sharing.
limeyangler Posted May 20, 2009 Report Posted May 20, 2009 Crazy ooking fish! Awesome report, what a species to add to your list, congrats on your PB! shame about the last fish that got off....aint that always the way!? Sea food looked good too. Thanks for p[osting.
Zubris21 Posted May 20, 2009 Report Posted May 20, 2009 Great stuff! I've gotta get down there and give that a try! Thanks for sharing.
Sinker Posted May 20, 2009 Author Report Posted May 20, 2009 Awsome report Sinker!! I am visiting a friend in Chilliwak this summer and we are looking at booking a charter for Sturgeon. I take it you would recommend this company? What was the name? Thanks again for the awsome report. Cheers. Thanks for the comments folks! Yep, I'd recommend our guide for sure. He worked hard to keep our rods bent. The company name is STS guiding service. I actually found them from watching the Fish'n Canada show. They were there again the week before I was. They will guide for just about anything with fins. Primo equipment, and sweet boats. Sinker
crappieperchhunter Posted May 20, 2009 Report Posted May 20, 2009 (edited) Good on you Shayne. I was waiting for this report. A visit with family, some west coast seafood, a whack of Sturgeon and mint weather. Sounds like it all came together perfectly. Congrats on a great vacation and thx for sharing. Edited May 20, 2009 by crappieperchhunter
tbayboy Posted May 20, 2009 Report Posted May 20, 2009 Great right up Sinker. Really well written report, makes me want to hop on a plane right now! Thanks for sharing.
Spiel Posted May 20, 2009 Report Posted May 20, 2009 Super, I'd love to tangle with one of those babies someday. Looking forward to seeing some more of the 400 odd pictures.
rob v Posted May 21, 2009 Report Posted May 21, 2009 Looks like you had a great trip Sinker. My wife and I are planning a trip to visit my daughter at hell's Gate this summer. One of the things I had on my wish list was a strugeon fishing trip also. I'll have to look these guys up. What was their pricing like ? I"ll be fishing alone cause I'd never talk my wife into it so I may need to pair up with someone they may have booked already ?
buckster Posted May 21, 2009 Report Posted May 21, 2009 Right on Shayne.... Now get out there and get some simcoe(whitie) Sturgeon..... We have been layin a beating on em!
solopaddler Posted May 21, 2009 Report Posted May 21, 2009 Fantastic report, glad to see you were able to live your dream. But dude, you used the pose in one of your sturgeon pic's.
Sinker Posted May 21, 2009 Author Report Posted May 21, 2009 Looks like you had a great trip Sinker. My wife and I are planning a trip to visit my daughter at hell's Gate this summer. One of the things I had on my wish list was a strugeon fishing trip also. I'll have to look these guys up. What was their pricing like ? I"ll be fishing alone cause I'd never talk my wife into it so I may need to pair up with someone they may have booked already ? The rates are charged on a per person basis. If its just yourself, it shouldn't be a problem, unless they are busy. Even if they were, I'm sure you could work out something to join a group. Best time of year to go for the big ones is Sept. They are priced fair once you start shopping around. You get what you pay for also. Fantastic report, glad to see you were able to live your dream.But dude, you used the pose in one of your sturgeon pic's. I was just waiting for you to pipe up about that one. I did that just for you........not bad huh Looks pretty good with an ugly fish too.......whaddya think? Sinker
solopaddler Posted May 21, 2009 Report Posted May 21, 2009 I was just waiting for you to pipe up about that one. I did that just for you........not bad huh Looks pretty good with an ugly fish too.......whaddya think? Sinker I like!
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