Sturgeons –BC’s Very Own River Monsters

© Othmar Vohringer

Sturgeons are truly unique creatures believed to be on earth in their present form for the last 200 million years, the end of the Triassic period, ranking them among the most ancient animals to inhabit earth. There are 25 different species of sturgeons around the globe from China to Russia, Europe and North America. North America is home to the species “White Sturgeon” which also happens to be the only sturgeon species listed LC (least concern), whereas all other species are either listed as “critically endangered”, “endangered”, “threatened” or “vulnerable”.

The white sturgeon is North America’s largest fresh water fish that can reach an age of over 150 years and weigh as much as 816 kg (1,700 lb) and reach a size of 6.1 m (20 ft.) The largest sturgeon ever caught on record weighed 498.9 kg (1,100 lb.) and measured 3.76 (12 ft. 4 inches)

An important reason why the white sturgeon is doing so well here is British Columbia is because sturgeon fishing is big business. Annually thousands of anglers from around the world and across Canada come to British Columbia to pursue this prehistoric river monster. Anglers going for a sturgeon must use barbless hooks that do not harm the animal and it must be released again. Sturgeon anglers also must obtain a special sturgeon conservation licence costing eight dollars per day for British Columbians and 15 dollars per day for all non-residents. The money from this fee goes in its entirety to sturgeon conservation.

It was last year when a friend asked me “Have ever gone sturgeon fishing?” To his utter surprise I answered “No!” which led him to comment “How can that be, thousands of anglers pay top dollar to travel to BC to fish sturgeon and you practically live in the middle of the action.” That got me to thinking that as an angler and a hunter I probably owed it to myself to at least try sturgeon fishing once in my lifetime and began to give some serious consideration and planning on catching a BC river monster. It just so happened that I knew somebody to ask for advice on sturgeon fishing and he was most helpful and even offered to assist me on the trip.

Originally I set the sturgeon fishing date to coincide with the annual sturgeon fishing derby held in Lillooet, but a change in work schedule nullified that idea, which turned out to be a very good thing. I rescheduled the fishing trip for the last weekend of August; that way I could share this unique experience with my brother who was visiting us from Switzerland and with my wife. On Sunday, August 31st, we met my sturgeon expert friend and followed him to his secret sturgeon fishing place. The weather was mixed with light rain and sun periods, just perfect for some good fishing, although at times heavy winds made it difficult to cast far enough out into the deep water of the mighty Fraser River, where big sturgeons swim. After several hours of watching for the tell-tale twitch on the rod tip it finally happened: “Fish on!!” My sturgeon expert friend Clay hooked the fish and asked “Who wants to real the beast in?” We quickly decided that this honour should belong to the guest and so my brother had the task of getting the sturgeon on land and have the pictures taken. It was not a big fish by any means, maybe 4ft at most, but it was the first BC river monster that I ever have seen close-up and touched with my own hands.

I am thankful for everything Clay did in assisting us on the trip with his advice and tips. It was for sure one of the best outdoor experiences I had in many years and best of all I was able to share it with my wife Heidi and my brother Roland and it doesn’t get any better than that.

Image caption: My brother, visiting from Switzerland, posing with a four foot sturgeon caught in the Fraser River near Lillooet.

Fathers Day Is Family Fishing Day

© By Othmar Vohringer

On Sunday June 19, the Nicola Valley Fish & Game Club hosted their annual Family Fishing Day at the kid’s pond located between Kentucky and Alleyne Lakes. The family Fishing Day was instituted twelve years ago by the Family Fishing Society to promote the angling sport to a young and new generation.

This year’s event was special in the regard that it honoured the memory of Bill Otway, past president of Family Fishing Society and champion of fishing and hunting rights for the citizens of BC and Canada. This past year Bill was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Angler Hall of Fame in recognition of his unparalleled efforts and achievements on behalf of all Canadian outdoor enthusiasts. Honouring Bill by declaring the Family Fishing Day in his memory was a fitting tribute not only because of what he has done for all of us but also because in many ways he was like a father, tirelessly looking out for the hunters and sport anglers rights and the best interests for wildlife.

Adams River Sockeye Salmon Run

© By Othmar Vohringer

This year British Columbia had the biggest sockeye salmon return in over 80 years. It is estimated that over 30 million sockeye returned into the Fraser River and migrated to the streams where they were born. My wife suggested we see the salmon migration, which she had seen many years before on the Fraser. This year was obviously the best time to make the trip out to the Adams River and observe the spectacle. On arrival at Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park we realized that thousands of others had got the same idea. The place was crowded with people viewing the endless red band of fish swimming upriver. I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life and I am still in awe. Observing these fish and how they struggle upstream against a strong current and then fighting their way to the smaller side rivers and creeks, almost literally climbing over boulders just to get back to the precise spot in the river where they where born is an awe inspiring sight that is hard to put into words.

Here are a few images from that eventful day.

Pictured are biologists and volunteers who have been hard at work for days counting, examining and tagging sockeye salmon. The dark red band in the water are thousands of sockeye salmon swimming upstream to their place of birth.

Wave after wave of sockeye salmon makes their way upriver and from there into the smaller rivers and creeks. By the time these fish arrive at the Adams River they have changed their appearance drastically.

From the large Adams River the sockeye swim into the smaller and shallow rivers and creeks, still fighting and pushing against each other with their last strength to do their business at the exact spot where they where born many years ago.

Two salmon waiting patiently at the mouth of a creek until a spot in the breeding area becomes available. To the side of them dead salmon float downstream. All along the rivers and creeks the shore is littered with thousands of salmon that paid the ultimate price to guarantee the continuation of their species. The stench of dead fish can be smelled from far away. On arrival a man advised us "Just follow the smell and you will find the fish." He was not kidding. Vendors sold breathing masks and did brisk business.

When the sockeye arrive on the spot they were born they waste no time and begin to form a shallow nest by clearing the gravel with their tails. The female hurriedly lays her eggs while the male guards her and the nest. Shortly after this they die.


At the end of the journey: A male (top) and female (bottom) for comparison. Looking at these two fish I couldn't help wondering if such a radical mutation is painful for the fish. I learned from a biologist that the fish not only change their general appearance but also the skeleton, teeth, skin and organs and that this process happens in a few short days- not weeks, months or even years.

All along the river are information displays, such as this biologist giving informative seminars about sockeye salmon. I am not that knowledgeable about salmon in particular so for me this was a very interesting weekend during which I learned a lot about salmon and their habitat and why it is important that we protect these things. As often is the case, if you protect one species and its habitat many others including humans will benefit from it too.


For more information about salmon and salmon conservation visit the website of the Adams River Salmon Society

To see more pictures head over the blog my wife writes. Great pictures and story.

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This blog post has been brought to you by Othmar Vohringer Outdoors

Tags: Adams River BC, Adams River Salmon Society, Sockeye Salmon Run, Fish, Salmon, Sockeye

The Pink Salmon Are Back

Last weekend we celebrated Labor Day. That meant three days no working. Such occasions are good times to relax from every day stress with a fishing rod in the hand on a lake or river. I am fortunate in that our home is in the middle of a great fishing area. The timing was perfect because September of each odd year marks the return of the pink salmon to the Fraser River. An estimated 20 million pinks move from the ocean into the Fraser. The pink salmon is the smallest of the salmons due to his short live span of only two years. But what this fish lacks in size it makes more than up with its aggressiveness, which makes the pink a good game fish for entry level salmon fishers.

This was my very first time going specifically after salmon but it was definitely not my last time. My wife accompanied me on the trips to the Fraser River to take pictures of the beautiful surroundings. I hooked several fish of various sizes but I also hooked my wife on fishing. Having my wife voicing an interest in fishing made the trip even more special to me and I am looking forward to head out on my next fishing trip with my new fishing partner.
















The first day we arrived right at dawn. This part of the Fraser River is tidal water. When we arrived the tide just started to come in. Pink salmon use the tides reversed current to swim upstream.





























Ten minutes into the fishing and I landed my first fish. My wife to a picture against the upcoming sun creating this silhouette, I like this picture and how it turned out. In the background you can see some heavy rain clouds coming up on the horizon. About an hour later these clouds where above us and started promptly to leak. But it takes more than a little rain to scare a fisher away, especially if he has the first catch of the day in the cooler box. Where there is one fish there must be more.












Despite a little rain I kept casting the lure as far out as I could. This one of many hundred casts in the three days of fishing frenzy.




























This is the result of tireless fishing in weater that could not make its mind up what it wanted. A few minutes sunshine was followed by rain and then sunshine again. Each day I limited out and thanks to the salmon run and my efforts the freezer is half full with delicious salmon waiting to be smoked or grilled.

This particular fish is not a pink salmon. As mentioned above I am a novice to salmon fishing and my species identification has not fully developed yet. Having said that I am not 100% sure what salmon this is. It could be a small coho or a sockeye. Pink salmon have a spots on their tails and this one has none. Perhaps one of the many fishers that read my blog can tell me what kind on salmon this particular one is.

The salmon run gets right now into the full swing and I will be back on the Fraser River almost every day of next week. We only live about a ten minute drive from the tidal portion of the Fraser River and if I go right after work I can walk to my spot in five minutes.

On this trip I used the following equipment.















The 7’ Ulgly Stick rod from Shakespeare with a medium action was perfect for the task. Loaded with 10 pound Stern transparent monofilament line made it a perfect salmon outfit.













On this occasion I field tested salmon spoons from the Canadian company Gibbs. Salmons like the colors pink, red and chartreuse. On this trip the solid pink and pink with white worked best. But as any salmon fisher will tell you, the preference of colors can change from one body of water to the next and from one week to the next.














All my rods are stored and transported in one of these Guide Series rod cases from Plano.













This is one of the neatest fishing tackle boxes I came across in a long time. The Flambeau Quick Draw box. It’s small size perfect for a short trip, but don’t be fooled by the size. This tackle box comes with plenty of storage space to keep all your lures and tools you need for a full day of fishing.

Tags: Fraser River, Pink Salmon, Fishing, British Columbia, Fishing Tackle

World Record Rainbow Trout

The Trophy Trout Guide reports of a new world record rainbow trout weighing a staggering 43.6 pounds that came from Lake Diefenbacker. Adam Konrad, the lucky fisherman, has granted Trophy Trout Guide the exclusive rights to report the full story and to the use of the pictures. Not wanting to infringe on their exclusive rights you will have to visit the Trophy Trout Guide website to read the full story and view the amazing pictures. It is claimed that this fish breaks a 35-year standing world record.

Tags: World Record Trout, Trophy Trout Guide, Fishing, Lake Diefenbacker, Adam Konrad

Scouting new fishing waters

Yesterday, Sunday, my wife and I drove to the Fraser River near Chilliwack, British Columbia to scout that portion of the river for future fishing trips. Trough the grapevine we heard that this area holds lots of fish, among them salmon for which BC is world famous, and cutthroat trout. The weather was cold, overcast and at times drizzly rain, this did not hinder the natural beauty of the area. Yes, I am in love with British Columbia and will readily admit that after all my international travels I have not seen a more beautiful place yet. We walked along the riverbank searching the water surface with binoculars for changes in the current giving an indication of the structure below the water surface. I found plenty of good and promising features that look promissing to hold trout. Lots of submerged trees, big rocks and other underwater features that trout like. I definitely will be back there on a warmer day when the cutthroats rise, with my fishing rod and an assortment of lures.

It is said that 2007 is a good pink salmon year here in BC. This became quickly obvious when we walked the shoreline of the Fraser River, which was littered with thousands of salmon skulls and skeletons the air still saturated with the smell of rotting fish. It's a cruel joke of nature that these fish have to swim thousands of miles to their birthplace, encountering all sorts of life threatening encounters along the way, including the abundant numbers of hungry grizzly bears we have here in BC, until they reach the exact spot where they where born to give life to a new generation of salmon and then die.

With so many rivers and lakes, full of fish in all sizes and shapes, British Columbia is not only the ideal place for fishers but also the bald eagle. Indeed BC is the North American capitol of bald eagles. Seeing on any given day five to ten of these majestic birds sitting high in the trees or gliding seemingly weightless trough the air is not uncommon here in the Lower Mainland, even in the big cities such as Vancouver.

All in all we have had a very good weekend that we spent out in the great outdoors. My wife, an accomplished photographer found many pleasing subject to photograph and I found a new promising fishing place that I definitely will visit again. I am looking already forward to the coming weekend when the largest hunting and fishing show here in BC opens the doors for three days over the weekend.

Bald Eagle Photo courtesy of Artemis Graphics and Design

Tags: Fishing, Wildlife, British Columbia, Salmon, Cutthroat Trout, Fraser River, Chilliwack BC, Bald Eagle