‘Newbies’ hook 700-pound sturgeon on B.C. catch-and-release fishing trip

Two Albertans reeled in a once-in-a-lifetime story throughout a fishing trip to B.C.’s Interior.

After years of fixed invitations to do some catch-and-release fishing for sturgeon on the Fraser River close to Lillooet, Steve Ecklund lastly mentioned sure, and hauled alongside pal Mark Boice.

And on Father’s Day, the 2 hooked a large sturgeon that weighed 700 kilos, was 10 ft, one inch in size and had a girth of 57 inches. The huge fish was additionally regarded as round 110 years previous.

“We’ve never sturgeon fished, never been on the Fraser River,” mentioned Ecklund, including he’s glad he lastly took the recommendation of Jeff Grimolfson, who runs River Monster Adventures.

You learn that proper: On their very first sturgeon fishing trip, they landed a monster – probably a record-breaking fish for the center portion of the Fraser River.

Reached on Monday as they have been driving again to Alberta, Ecklund and Boice mentioned it took two gruelling hours to reel within the sturgeon. And the 2 have been nonetheless enthusiastic about their journey.

“It was pretty incredible, really,” Boice mentioned. “To be down there (taking pictures) with it after fighting it for two hours, there were a lot of high-fives.”

They mentioned they battled the sturgeon continuous because it swim upstream for 2 kilometres, then downstream for an additional two km earlier than it will definitely drained out.

Asked in the event that they knew they’d hooked an enormous one early into the battle, Ecklund mentioned they’d no clue — till it jumped out of the water.

“The whole boat starts erupting and yelling. It was pretty shocking, to say the least,” mentioned Ecklund, who hosts a show known as The Edge on Wild TV.

“We knew it was big, but when you see the guides’ reaction, and they do this 100 days a year, when they got excited … well, we had no idea what was going on.”

Ecklund added, “it looked like Jaws coming out of the water in slow motion.”

For those that don’t fish, the sturgeon was by no means hauled into the boat after being caught.

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Rather, it was taken near shore, the place Ecklund, Boice and the 2 fishing guides — Nick McCabe and Tyler Speed — took photos with it earlier than releasing the behemoth.

Grimolfson credited his two guides for making a memorable day, including water ranges on the Fraser are fairly excessive, which provides to the problem stage.

He additionally famous that along with being launched, the sturgeon was additionally tagged, scanned and documented for the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society.

For extra about sturgeon fishing in B.C., go to the sports activities-recreation-arts-and-culture/outdoor-recreation/fishing-and-hunting/freshwater-fishing/ws_guidelines.pdf” goal=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>province’s web site.

It was additionally the day’s final catch, with the group having caught a half-dozen different sturgeon, albeit a lot smaller.

Ecklund mentioned they measured it from tip to mid-point of the tail. Had the total tail been measured, he mentioned it could have been 11 ft.

“During the day, we’re catching these fish. And they’re between six feet and six-foot-eight. And a guy can manage that by himself. It’s not an easy battle, but it’s a battle that can be done,” mentioned Ecklund.

“Your arms are worn out and they feel like jelly. And then me and Mark are going ‘If we tie into an eight-footer, what are we in store for?’”

Turns out eight ft was two ft quick.

“It was pretty intense; we knew we locked into a good one,” mentioned Boice. “But when it came out of the water, it made it all real at that point.”

Ecklund mentioned they needed to double-team the trouble to land the sturgeon.

Boice added: “An hour into the fight, if those guides weren’t there, we would have cut the line.”

“We both fought it for two hours straight and I can say this: It feels like we were in a helicopter crash. We are worn out. Back, stomach, groin, arms … it’s incredible,” Ecklund mentioned.

“It’s insane. We can barely hold a Tim Hortons coffee because our arms are so sore.”

With B.C. disappearing into the rearview mirror, Ecklund mentioned he was glad he lastly mentioned sure to Grimolfson’s requests.

“I love to fish, but, these days, I don’t get a lot of time, with doing the show and working full-time in the oil and gas industry,” mentioned Ecklund.

“I finally just committed and me and (Boice) jumped in the truck and drove 12 hours for one day of fishing, turn around and come back. And lo and behold, we catch the record fish of all time (for the middle Fraser River).”

Ecklund was requested if he plans on returning to B.C. for extra sturgeon fishing.

“On the boat, (the guides) were making jokes that this was a retirement sturgeon,” laughed Ecklund. “You may as well hang it up and pack it in. You’re done.”