Adam and Anita came out for a 6 hour trip this week and after 45 minutes of wondering if the fish would show up, they turned up in a big and fun way. After two good starter fish the #1 Rod geared up for Mr. Big started to bounce. Adam learned what "Arm Burn" feels like and he thought the fight time was much longer based on the soreness of his arms! However they landed and help me tag this 6.5 footer and then went on to more! Another Mr. Big grabbed the Mr. Little line ( we also fish some lines with small hooks to try and tag juvenile sturgeon) and by the way the rod bent down Adam knew he was into a big fish. However, size matters and the big guy straightened out the hook and did a "self release". This is all part of the day. All's well that ends well and in the last minute of the day a nice 4.5 footer reminded Adam that his arms were still sore and would be even more so! A good day was had by all. Tight lines everyone.

Jake and Aaron called up spur of the moment and we got out on the water yesterday. The cold snap had dropped the water temperature to 42 F and we knew the bites would be light. However, Jake connected twice and caught his first sturgeon and the largest fish he has ever caught. However when he hooked the big one and the rod bent down and he felt his back muscles twinge he said, "I knew I was going to have to trade off the rod to Aaron" if the fight went the distance. This time the big one did a roll and the barbless hook came out. Jake and Aaron are planning to come back to renew that match up in October. From here on in the Sturgeon will be getting more aggressive as the weather and water warms and the Eulachon bait fish enter the river to spawn and the sturgeon start their spring feasting on this bait fish.

The last couple of outings have been beautiful views and a couple of arm muscle busting fights. Winter sturgeon fishing can have cool crisp days but a heated cabin and some warm tea or coffee and telling great fishing stories help pass the time. The rod tip may only bend slightly as bites can be a lot lighter as the water temperature drops but the thrill of help catch and tag and measure these beautiful creatures helps us build our winter data base. Even though we are looking to tag as many juvenile fish as possible, you just can't stop these big fish from biting!