Sturgeon Fishing in British Columbia

Reporting from Beyond Brevard and Back!

Brevard county resident, Jeff Thummel is a State Farm Insurance Agent in Palm Bay and an avid angler. Recently he took a trip to Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada with his son Justin in search of Sturgeon. I asked Jeff to give a recap of the trip and here was his paraphrased version of his reply:

“We fished the Frazier river in Chilliwack BC with captain Marc of Cascade Fishing Adventures. During the day we hooked 7 sturgeon and landed 5 of those measuring between 53 inches and 90 inches. The biggest one weighed close to 200lbs and they were all white sturgeon and must be released. Two of the five jumped multiple times. We lost a giant fish after an hour long grueling battle. Captain Marc thought this fish to be 10 foot plus and over 900 lbs. Unfortunately there is a lot of lumber in river and we guessed he finally busted us off in a log jam. Captain Marc also says that the sturgeon are feeding on pike minnows this time of year as the river is loaded with them. That is what we used, threading minnows onto a hook and fishing the bottom.

The day was a lot of fun, far more than I expected. They fight half decent compared to what you might think. I would definitely do it again and the action was steady. Captain Marc said the sturgeon fishing is better now than it ever has been due to the strict regulations. I definitely recommend Captain Marc and for everyone to try it once, Marc has fished this river his whole life and knew every little trough they move in. None of other guides released half as many as we did.”