Sturgeon fishing in B.C is world famous.
The Fraser river is the largest river in the Province. It is the last river in the world that has a freely migrating population of sturgeon . They are able to accesses the ocean and utilize the river unimpeded. Fraser sturgeon are all wild origin fish with natural reproduction occurring within the Fraser. We have sturgeon in the upper, mid and lower river sections. The upper and mid river sections are closed to sturgeon angling to preserve the uniqueness of the fish that reside in those areas. The lower river population is regulated by a robust catch and release fishery that ensures the preservation of these mighty giants. There is a healthy population that enables recreational angling opportunity.
Swiftwater guiding participates in various conservation programs and also contribute to local habitat and sportfishing advocacy groups. We currently participate in the sturgeon tagging program and provide useful catch and release data to the sturgeon conservation society. We believe it is important to provide good reliable scientific data to enable proper management. We involve all guests in the process and educate them to the best of our knowledge about the species. This is imperative to the well being of sturgeon and the hardships these fish often undergo.
Swiftwater guiding has been providing sturgeon based tourism since 2000. We strive to provide a unique, educational and conservation based approach to our fishing adventures. The main section of river that we guide within is from the Fraser canyon to the mouth near Steveston. We are a full time guiding operator that provides adventures year round.
When is the best time to fish for sturgeon?
Winter sturgeon fishing is often fantastic, While we do not guide full time for sturgeon during the winter because of our steelhead fishing, it can be a great time on the water. WE would book adventures on a short term basis so we can see how the weather unfolds. If we have good conditions it can be a great day on the water with lots of action. It is a time of year that we really focus on tagging juvenile sturgeon and provide important tagging data.
Spring sturgeon fishing is when everything starts to happen. The water starts to warm up, the fishes metabolism gets going and they start to actively hunt for food. This can be one of the best times of the year to go. The weather plays a bit of a challenge because it cant decide if it wants to cling to winter still but the fish are eager.
Summer Sturgeon fishing is one of the most enjoyable times of the year. Long warm days, good weather and consistent action makes summer time an easy choice. During the summer sturgeon can be very predictable due to the food source they are keying in on. These summer fish eat salmon primarily. This is a great time of the year to go if you prefer hot weather on a boat.
fall Sturgeon fishing is one of our busiest times of the year, We are actively salmon fishing and subsequently fishing sturgeon. This is the time of the year that sturgeon feed as heavily as possible to get ready for winter. Our fall fishery leads well into November and some years as late as December. The fishing really depends on how the temperature affects the river. If we have a cold early fall it can be over by the third week of November. If we have an Indian summer it can lead way into December
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