Holiday Report. Part 1. BC Sturgeon @ FRFL. (pic heavy)
Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:42 am
August 24th my much needed 5 week holiday began. First stop Fraser River Fishing Lodge in Agassiz BC to test the biceps tuggin' and warin' with some white sturgeon.
This was a different kind of trip. Back in 2004 after returning from FRFL I posted the report back at Fish-Hawk to online friends. Before I knew it, there was interest from a few to plan a new trip. Speaking with FRFL's owner and operator Frank Staiger the man was all too accommodating of my requests for a 2007 group to fish the Fraser.
Nearly 3 years had to go by in the meantime. The process of organizing and promoting was... needless to say... interesting. It didn't come without a few road bumps, but in the end worked out perfectly for a group of seven committed and eager anglers. I will be sure right now to thank Simon, Dean, Chris, Diane, Hoss and Scotty for taking the chance by trusting my word, standing by and sticking with the plan, and finally joining me on what was a truly remarkable experience for us all. Thanks guys and Di.
Anyway, getting to BC was getting to BC and come sunday evening August 26th the seven of us rested our feet under the majestic views of mountains bordering the Fraser River valley.
The lucky gang of seven easily moulded into a solid and respectful group. It was quickly realized that all of us were in for a great time. The lodge is a stunning world class facility, the beers on tap are mint, the food... as I remembered... amazing, the staff all smiles, the atmosphere rich. Fishing being the only uncontrollable variable, without it, everything makes the grade the minute you arrive.
Simon, Dean, Chris, Me, Hoss, Diane and Scotty.
After a dinner of corn & potato chowder, skewered bison with breaded carmalized onions, a cucumber-tomato-strawberry-feta-shrimp salad, the best ribs and double baked potatoes ever, and finally chocolate volcano cake with the fullest of bellies we retired for the night.
Wiping the cobwebs from our eyes next morning, bison and anglers grazed before at least the anglers made out to fish our first day for sturgeon. The launch a 5 minute walk from our rooms we were in the jetboats in no time.
Didn't take too long at all really, only 30+ months.
Feeeeeeesh ON!!!
There is no fresh water fish by comparison. Anyone who has fished sturgeon can attest to their unparalleled strength. These fish can dog like lakers, peel like salmon, headshake like steroidal eyes but best of all leap like... like sturgeon.
A number of first and great fish were caught on day one by the group. My order in this report may get a little mixed but the jist of it is, they were caught.
Chris with his first... a 48 incher.
Dean with 69 inches of great white. Monster tugger. Dean had lost a fish of 8+ feet early one morning after a long and tiring battle. Fish jumped and spit the single barbless hook right at him.
Scotty with a runt... his long lost brother. Haha... dig.
Hossticle finds a nut bigger than his own.
Diane gives hugs to her second fish. She caught the smallest sturgeon ever day one then makes up for it with this 6 footer.
My first fish ties my personal best at 6 feet. Had to be the hulk and pick this bratty b-terd up for the ensuing body slam back into the depths from which it came.
End of day one back at the lodge we all had a bite to eat. The bison had grass while we enjoyed a buffet of traditional open smoked salmon, bear kabobs, jumbo garlic shrimp, ribeye steaks, corn on the cob and peach cobbler. After that it was into the chairs to digest what an amazing day it had all been.
Next morning our friends were up and out of bed. We found them through the fog to say "see ya" before heading back out for more sturgeonionees.
When the fog cleared the sturgeonionees found us too. Tap, tap, tap on the tip.
ALL HE!! BROKE LOOSE. (actually, it broke loose for some of us for the next two days. I'll keep this report rolling with the pics in fast forward)
Simon with a seasoned trigger finger perfected the sturgeon jump shots. They were easily the best action shots of the trip. Kudos dood.
This time, fish jumping and thrashing were not so easily lost. Our Super 7 won the lotto. Here's some of the winnings.
The Scotty Rocket.
Simon with a phat 81" Cadillac.
Simon launches this torpedo back into reproduction anutha day.
Picked up a PB 73" of my own.
Then, Diane unleashes her beast(s) charming all onlookers and from the back of the jet passionately drives 130 pound test of fury into the shallow runway. A 90" beautiful beeyotch of a lady white sturg taps that tar mat exhausted from it's day in the ring with Diane. Our lady takes top honors and wins the championship belt with this victory.
But it wasn't over yet. We had some eating to do back at the lodge......... garlic scallops wrapped in smoked sockeye with maple nut sauce, skewered shrimp caesar salad, baked halibut, shrimp and scallop crab cakes, oysters, salmon chowder and a few other delectables, it wasn't MacDonalds that's for sure.
A wilderness fishing trip deep into the mountains up the Pitt River was in the plans. Our herd was ready, as per usual.
A jet boat up the Pitt wasn't in the cards as the water's were just too low. Our guide Harry had a back up plan though, and so once crossing Pitt Lake we took to his vehicle and made our way up the areas logging roads.
The Pitt River area was breathtaking. Dolly varden, bull and cutthroat trout and sockeye were up in the pools eating and mating. Scotty and I ended up walking about 6km of the river just because. Everyone caught some smaller fish but the season was just not ripe for the Pitt. We were between runs of salmon with the exception of the non-biting sockeye. Well, non-biting except for one Chris tempted.
Even though the fishing proved tough, I don't think there could be any worse places on earth to deal with that.
Later, back at the lodge it was steaks and spuds... but I think you can imagine how perfect those steaks and spuds were done.
To sleep under the setting sun.
Our last day of fishing was our fun day of fishing. The salmon on the Fraser had acutally been closed to angling all week but finally opened on our last day. So, as a complete group we together took to some bar fishing for chinooks.
The fishing didn't disappoint, and neither did the company. In fact, we all nailed a salmon of our own with Scotty getting his in the final minutes to fully and completely finish the day.
Lost my shoe, then this fish too. Haha.
A great day.
Back at the lodge the chef had prepared lamb for us. I had made the request a few days earlier and was sure glad I did. Another great meal by our gracious hosts at FRFL.
The following morning early, we said our goodbye.
There are some things in life if you don't do you will regret it later on, and so for many a diehard anglers, not catching a sturgeon will certainly be one of those things. Thanks to the 2007 BC Gang, Frank and Fraser River Lodge for our great experience.
This was a different kind of trip. Back in 2004 after returning from FRFL I posted the report back at Fish-Hawk to online friends. Before I knew it, there was interest from a few to plan a new trip. Speaking with FRFL's owner and operator Frank Staiger the man was all too accommodating of my requests for a 2007 group to fish the Fraser.
Nearly 3 years had to go by in the meantime. The process of organizing and promoting was... needless to say... interesting. It didn't come without a few road bumps, but in the end worked out perfectly for a group of seven committed and eager anglers. I will be sure right now to thank Simon, Dean, Chris, Diane, Hoss and Scotty for taking the chance by trusting my word, standing by and sticking with the plan, and finally joining me on what was a truly remarkable experience for us all. Thanks guys and Di.
Anyway, getting to BC was getting to BC and come sunday evening August 26th the seven of us rested our feet under the majestic views of mountains bordering the Fraser River valley.
The lucky gang of seven easily moulded into a solid and respectful group. It was quickly realized that all of us were in for a great time. The lodge is a stunning world class facility, the beers on tap are mint, the food... as I remembered... amazing, the staff all smiles, the atmosphere rich. Fishing being the only uncontrollable variable, without it, everything makes the grade the minute you arrive.
Simon, Dean, Chris, Me, Hoss, Diane and Scotty.
After a dinner of corn & potato chowder, skewered bison with breaded carmalized onions, a cucumber-tomato-strawberry-feta-shrimp salad, the best ribs and double baked potatoes ever, and finally chocolate volcano cake with the fullest of bellies we retired for the night.
Wiping the cobwebs from our eyes next morning, bison and anglers grazed before at least the anglers made out to fish our first day for sturgeon. The launch a 5 minute walk from our rooms we were in the jetboats in no time.
Didn't take too long at all really, only 30+ months.
Feeeeeeesh ON!!!
There is no fresh water fish by comparison. Anyone who has fished sturgeon can attest to their unparalleled strength. These fish can dog like lakers, peel like salmon, headshake like steroidal eyes but best of all leap like... like sturgeon.
A number of first and great fish were caught on day one by the group. My order in this report may get a little mixed but the jist of it is, they were caught.
Chris with his first... a 48 incher.
Dean with 69 inches of great white. Monster tugger. Dean had lost a fish of 8+ feet early one morning after a long and tiring battle. Fish jumped and spit the single barbless hook right at him.
Scotty with a runt... his long lost brother. Haha... dig.
Hossticle finds a nut bigger than his own.
Diane gives hugs to her second fish. She caught the smallest sturgeon ever day one then makes up for it with this 6 footer.
My first fish ties my personal best at 6 feet. Had to be the hulk and pick this bratty b-terd up for the ensuing body slam back into the depths from which it came.
End of day one back at the lodge we all had a bite to eat. The bison had grass while we enjoyed a buffet of traditional open smoked salmon, bear kabobs, jumbo garlic shrimp, ribeye steaks, corn on the cob and peach cobbler. After that it was into the chairs to digest what an amazing day it had all been.
Next morning our friends were up and out of bed. We found them through the fog to say "see ya" before heading back out for more sturgeonionees.
When the fog cleared the sturgeonionees found us too. Tap, tap, tap on the tip.
ALL HE!! BROKE LOOSE. (actually, it broke loose for some of us for the next two days. I'll keep this report rolling with the pics in fast forward)
Simon with a seasoned trigger finger perfected the sturgeon jump shots. They were easily the best action shots of the trip. Kudos dood.
This time, fish jumping and thrashing were not so easily lost. Our Super 7 won the lotto. Here's some of the winnings.
The Scotty Rocket.
Simon with a phat 81" Cadillac.
Simon launches this torpedo back into reproduction anutha day.
Picked up a PB 73" of my own.
Then, Diane unleashes her beast(s) charming all onlookers and from the back of the jet passionately drives 130 pound test of fury into the shallow runway. A 90" beautiful beeyotch of a lady white sturg taps that tar mat exhausted from it's day in the ring with Diane. Our lady takes top honors and wins the championship belt with this victory.
But it wasn't over yet. We had some eating to do back at the lodge......... garlic scallops wrapped in smoked sockeye with maple nut sauce, skewered shrimp caesar salad, baked halibut, shrimp and scallop crab cakes, oysters, salmon chowder and a few other delectables, it wasn't MacDonalds that's for sure.
A wilderness fishing trip deep into the mountains up the Pitt River was in the plans. Our herd was ready, as per usual.
A jet boat up the Pitt wasn't in the cards as the water's were just too low. Our guide Harry had a back up plan though, and so once crossing Pitt Lake we took to his vehicle and made our way up the areas logging roads.
The Pitt River area was breathtaking. Dolly varden, bull and cutthroat trout and sockeye were up in the pools eating and mating. Scotty and I ended up walking about 6km of the river just because. Everyone caught some smaller fish but the season was just not ripe for the Pitt. We were between runs of salmon with the exception of the non-biting sockeye. Well, non-biting except for one Chris tempted.
Even though the fishing proved tough, I don't think there could be any worse places on earth to deal with that.
Later, back at the lodge it was steaks and spuds... but I think you can imagine how perfect those steaks and spuds were done.
To sleep under the setting sun.
Our last day of fishing was our fun day of fishing. The salmon on the Fraser had acutally been closed to angling all week but finally opened on our last day. So, as a complete group we together took to some bar fishing for chinooks.
The fishing didn't disappoint, and neither did the company. In fact, we all nailed a salmon of our own with Scotty getting his in the final minutes to fully and completely finish the day.
Lost my shoe, then this fish too. Haha.
A great day.
Back at the lodge the chef had prepared lamb for us. I had made the request a few days earlier and was sure glad I did. Another great meal by our gracious hosts at FRFL.
The following morning early, we said our goodbye.
There are some things in life if you don't do you will regret it later on, and so for many a diehard anglers, not catching a sturgeon will certainly be one of those things. Thanks to the 2007 BC Gang, Frank and Fraser River Lodge for our great experience.
It sure was fun..saving again now..countdown for 3 years..
Taking some time here and there to write though... More should come over the winter.