Fresh Totem Poles Fishing Reports

Art, Tomi, Ollie, Josh and Benji set out from Australia this April to spend some time in Whistler testing the ski runs and then coming out to the Fraser River to find and battle with the Great White Sturgeon. They set some personal and family World Record Catches and here are just a few shots of their adventures. Each of them had a chance to do battle but the last fish of the first day at 199 cm (78 inches or 6.5 ft) proved to be endurance test of the day. The fish tried a few tricks, starting with some good head shakes and then a sleeper run pretending to be a small one but then it took a rod bending run that looked like it was going to do in the tackle. Eventually Ollie prevailed and the family photo op smiles says it all. They were a fun crew to have on board and hope they make another trip up from Down Under soon! Tight lines.

Last September 2024 when McKenzie e-mailed that she and some family would be at the Whistler ski hills in March 2025 and asked if they could spend a day chasing sturgeon I was pretty optimistic that the day could turn out well..... I just didn't know how well! Water temperatures were up one degree F from last week at 44 F which would mean that the sturgeon would just be starting to wake up from their winter slumber and the bites might be tentative. Turns out that was the case as it took four or five bites for the team to get used to timing the gentle bites with the hook set but suddenly "Bam!" things started to click. Travis and Chris were first to connect and the ensuing tilts started to tow the boat from one side to the other. And so Team Florida's sturgeon adventure began. Once the bait scent started to flow downstream with a favourable current the bites started to multiply. At one point we had one in the sling and two on the line for an "almost triple header"! A few of them needed the fighting belts to help ease the strain on the back and shoulders! I actually pulled the rods for a bit so we could catch up with the measuring and tagging. The pre-trip e-mails from Kelly showed more than a fair measure of anticipation for the trip and she gracefully took on the role as 'Clerk Stenographer" to help me with the data recording sheet. On every trip we record detailed length, girth and tag numbers so the rest of the team hauled in the fish while Kelly faithfully recorded all the data I will be sending into the Fraser River White Sturgeon Conservation Society data base. Kelly did a bang up job on the data sheet but then it was her term to catch the "Special Fish of the Day". Our research program is seeking to identify the population of the smallest juvenile sturgeon to determine how recruitment and population growth is progressing. So Kelly showed everyone how it was done by landing the "most import research fish of the day". I think her smile tells it all and thanks for the great job on the data and landing this truly important trophy juvenile sturgeon.

Last September 2024 when McKenzie e-mailed that she and some family would be at the Whistler ski hills in March 2025 and asked if they could spend a day chasing sturgeon I was pretty optimistic that the day could turn out well..... I just didn't know how well! Water temperatures were up one degree F from last week at 44 F which would mean that the sturgeon would just be starting to wake up from their winter slumber and the bites might be tentative. Turns out that was the case as it took four or five bites for the team to get used to timing the gentle bites with the hook set but suddenly "Bam!" things started to click. Travis and Chris were first to connect and the ensuing tilts started to tow the boat from one side to the other. And so Team Florida's sturgeon adventure began. Once the bait scent started to flow downstream with a favourable current the bites started to multiply. At one point we had one in the sling and two on the line for an "almost triple header"! A few of them needed the fighting belts to help ease the strain on the back and shoulders! I actually pulled the rods for a bit so we could catch up with the measuring and tagging. The pre-trip e-mails from Kelly showed more than a fair measure of anticipation for the trip and she gracefully took on the role as 'Clerk Stenographer" to help me with the data recording sheet. On every trip we record detailed length, girth and tag numbers so the rest of the team hauled in the fish while Kelly faithfully recorded all the data I will be sending into the Fraser River White Sturgeon Conservation Society data base. Kelly did a bang up job on the data sheet but then it was her term to catch the "Special Fish of the Day". Our research program is seeking to identify the population of the smallest juvenile sturgeon to determine how recruitment and population growth is progressing. So Kelly showed everyone how it was done by landing the "most import research fish of the day". I think her smile tells it all and thanks for the great job on the data and landing this truly important trophy juvenile sturgeon.

On January 15th Jer came out with me for a gorgeous sunny day to tag some nice sturgeon and celebrate the day of uninterrupted fishing by barbecuing some great Fraser Valley Farmer Sausage and buns with the onboard BBQ. The sturgeon bite was quite steady even though the water temperature had dropped. Ahead of us, February will be the coldest month and then the warmer weather of March will start bringing the water temperature up and the sturgeon will come out of their semi-hibernation slumber with big appetites. March and April are some of the best fishing months as the sturgeon break their winter fast and start looking to feed on the bait fish entering the Fraser River to spawn. That will bring on the best sturgeon fishing of the year when the bait run peaks in April and early May. So, log on, book a trip and hope to hear from you soon. Tight lines!

What better way to bring in the 2025 Years Celebration than spending a beautiful day on the river, barbecuing Mennonite Farmer Sausage and pulling in sturgeon for tagging and scientific measurement. Pete an George joined me on the river and they brought in 8 fish on the day. To keep their strength up, they brought some Mennonite Farmer Sausage, BBQ sauce and buns so I tossed the boat BBQ on board so we didn't have to take a break for going for lunch. Everyone's energy and sprits were high and the day was a bright start to the 2025 season.

What better way to bring in the 2025 Years Celebration than spending a beautiful day on the river, barbecuing Mennonite Farmer Sausage and pulling in sturgeon for tagging and scientific measurement. Pete an George joined me on the river and they brought in 8 fish on the day. To keep their strength up, they brought some Mennonite Farmer Sausage, BBQ sauce and buns so I tossed the boat BBQ on board so we didn't have to take a break for going for lunch. Everyone's energy and sprits were high and the day was a bright start to the 2025 season.