10 Tips For Your Sturgeon Fishing Trip On The Fraser River

Travelling to Vancouver for a Sturgeon Fishing Trip of a lifetime on the Fraser River? Looking to make the most of your day or week with your guide?  Want that perfect day of fishing, but don’t know what to expect?  Well, when you go fishing with sturgeon guides such as Yves Bisson, there are some things that you should know.  Here are our top 10 things to know before you go on your sturgeon fishing trip on the Fraser River.

1. Research your guide.  Find a good guide.  Some guides are fabulous and really care for the fishing industry, others are in it for just the money.  Read up on recommendations.  Find a guide who fishes the areas you’d like to fish. Make sure your guide is part of the Fraser River Sturgeon Tagging Program and the Fraser Valley Angling Guides Association. 
2. Bring food & drink.  Unless you have ordered lunch through your guide, make sure you bring ample lunch and drinks to keep you hydrated so you don’t go hungry.  Many guides will bring water for you to drink but find out before you go.
3. Since you are fishing on a river, there aren’t really waves like in the open water, but there still is some rocking back & forth.  If you get sea sick easily, bring something with you to settle your stomach.  Your guide will likely also have some suggestions.
4. Dress in layers, no matter what the season.  Trips are 8 hours in duration.  No matter the season, there will be a large temperature swing throughout the day.  Winter fishing, summer fishing, rain, sun or a mixed bag – you want to be comfortable.
5. Go to the washroom before you leave.  While you can stop on shore somewhere, there are no washrooms onboard.  Depending on where you dock, there may or may not be outhouses near the shore.
6. Listen to your guide.  Your guide has likely fished for sturgeon for years and years, 8 hours a day, most months of they year.  In the case of Yves Bisson, that equates to over 15,000 fish. There are certain ways to hook the fish, reel in the fish, and especially handle the sturgeon.
7. Keep alcohol consumption reasonable.  Let’s face it, if you want a great day of sturgeon fishing, you’d like to remember it.  No point drinking to a point where you aren’t able to handle the fish in a respectful manner.
8. Don’t pollute!  This one is obvious.  Don’t throw garbage off the side of the boat. Make sure you don’t leave wrappers, etc in a position that they may get blown over the side.
9. Handle Sturgeon exactly as told by your guide.  Sturgeon can be successfully caught and released, many times over their 100+ year lifespan.  But there are certain ways to handle the fish – especially the larger ones after a fight.  Listen to your guide to ensure we maintain this great fishery.
10. Take lots of photos.  Sturgeon are a prehistoric fish. You may very well catch a 8ft or larger fish that weighs 300+ lbs.  Surely you want the memories.  Your guide will surely have a camera as well, but you’ve got to document your adventure for bragging rights!

You want your sturgeon fishing trip to be the best it can be. So by following these guidelines, you give yourself the best chance of having a great time, catching some large sturgeon and keeping the white sturgeon fishing industry on the Fraser River strong for the foreseeable future.

Yves Bisson is a sturgeon fishing guide on the Lower Fraser River with 15+ years of sturgeon charter experience. His conservation efforts have been recognized multiple times by the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society.