Our guided fishing for sturgeon takes place from March right through to the end of November. In the spring after a long winter, the eulachon (otherwise known as candle fish) start to return to spawn. The Sturgeon are hungry and feast on these little fish. It is not uncommon to have double digit days when angling for them at this time of year. This spring fishery is very consistent, until the snow melts from BC’s interior mountains, raising the water levels in the Fraser River. These river levels fluctuate dramatically depending on the size of the previous winter’s snow pack. Even though the water can be high and dirty there is always someplace to fish out of the current and debris. The fish will hold in these ‘softer’ areas and feed on different food sources made available due to the high water levels.

 After the run off subsides and the river levels start to drop, the fish will begin to move back to their regular haunts. The next big feed for the sturgeon is when the salmon return to the Fraser on their annual spawning migration. This time of the season is when we start to use salmon parts and salmon roe to attract the fish.

In August the sockeye salmon begin arriving. The temperature of the Fraser River has warmed up a bit and the sturgeon get very active. The battles can be monumental, with sturgeon leaping clear of the water when hooked!

 Every two years (odd numbered years – 2013, 2015, etc.) there is a pink salmon migration on the Fraser and Harrison Rivers, with millions of fish returning to spawn. The sturgeon fishing is just short of insane, the sturgeon feast on the pink salmon and become very fat. You can actually feel whole salmon in their bellies after you land a big one!

As summer turns to fall so begins the chum salmon migration. Again the sturgeon will eat and get there fill before the long winter returns again. At this time of year salmon roe will be the bait of choice. They will feed actively through the fall until the cold water temperatures slow their metabolism down with the onset of winter.