Sturgeon Fishing – Fraser Canyon
We’ve taken sturgeon fishing to the next level. Approximately 45 minutes east of Chilliwack is a beautiful stretch of river that offers a truly remarkable BC sturgeon fishing experience. It is the beginning portion of what we call the Fraser Canyon. Here, the river gets narrower, a lot deeper, and also, a lot faster. Most of it is simply unfishable, but the areas that are, can provide some amazing fishing opportunities. Fraser Canyon sturgeon are lot different than the lower river stocks, both in looks and their feeding habits. A lot of these fish are still considered to be transients, and do move up and down the river regularly. We have proven this with the ongoing tagging program. However, there are also a lot of resident fish that live in these waters for good portions of their lives.
Their scutes are usually dull, worn right down by the “sandpaper effect” from the silt that’s carried in the heavy current. But the most distinguishable feature on the Fraser Canyon fish is the really long and streamline nose, which allows them to root in between the gravel and boulders when searching for food. These fish live in an extreme environment where water level fluctuations between winter time lows and summer time highs can reach over 40ft. Heavy currents and very seasonal food supplies tend to make them more opportunistic feeders. Bites are typically very committing and if there are many fish around, it can create a feeding frenzy down there. It’s not uncommon to arrive in a spot and have 3 rods go off immediately. With food being scarce, it’s survival of the fittest. First to the food gets to grow bigger… it’s as simple as that. This kind of feeding is very typical in the Fraser Canyon, so rarely do you have to wait long to get bites. Since these fish are very opportunistic, they’re usually not too picky with baits either. All this equates to a very consistent fishery, right from March, all the way through to mid-October.
The Fraser Canyon is also known for its giants, who feel right at home in these treacherous waters. Every now and then, we hook river monsters that cannot be moved off the bottom. Some of these epic battles have lasted more than 3 hours, only to be lost. We know there are 12’+fish living up there, because we’ve seen them rise out of the water on more than several occasions. The Fraser Canyon portion of the river offers one of the best chances of hooking a trophy fish of a lifetime. Combined with an incredible jet boat ride through some of the most scenic terrain in South-western BC, this makes for a truly remarkable Fraser River sturgeon fishing adventure. If you have yet to experience the Fraser Canyon fishery, we highly recommend you add it to your next BC sturgeon fishing holiday. We guarantee that you won’t go home disappointed.
