STS Guiding Service's Matt Schaap landed this 11ft 1in long white sturgeon on October 25th, 2008 (Photo: Vic Carrao).

MISSION, British Columbia – October 27, 2008 – Every angler dreams of catching ‘the big one.’ Saturday, October 25, 2008 was a dream-come-true for STS Guiding Service’s Matt Schaap and his guests, as they hooked and landed the largest sturgeon to be caught on the Fraser River by a sport angler in 2008 (pictured below). The 11-foot one-inch (337.82 cm) long sturgeon had a huge 58 inch (148 cm) girth and was caught in Mission, British Columbia’s Hatzic Bench. The sturgeon took over an hour to land.

Vic Carrao is the owner of Mission-based STS Guiding Service, and called the catch “XXX. Autumn on the Fraser River is without a doubt some of the best fishing you will experience anywhere in North America.” And there’s good news for anglers everywhere who are hoping to visit the Fraser River to try their luck at hooking the big one: sturgeon fishing in British Columbia is catch and release only, so this 11-foot-plus prehistoric beast is still out there.

There are two times of year when sturgeon fishing in British Columbia reaches its best: the first is in the spring, which brings the annual migration of the Eulichans (small bait fish) to the Fraser River to spawn. Food in winter is scarce so when the Eulichans arrive the sturgeon are eager to feed. In the springtime, it’s not uncommon to hook 15 to 20 fish in a 6 hour trip. The second peak period is autumn, between mid September to late November, when the largest salmon migrations occur. This is also when some of the best salmon fishing occurs, so visitors can often fish for both salmon and sturgeon on the same day.

STS Guiding Service offers many fishing vacations including full and 1/2 day salmon as well as full and 1/2 day sturgeon trips. STS Guiding has been among the leaders in sturgeon fishing on the Fraser River and Harrison Rivers for many years.

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