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B.C. family recounts 91Ƶexperience of a lifetime91Ƶ catching huge sturgeon

It took them more than two hours to reel in the 10.2 ft white sturgeon that weighed 522 pounds
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The Brown family of Chilliwack with one of the largest sturgeon caught so far this season on the Fraser at 10.2 feet.

The pandemic may have cancelled vacation fishing plans for countless tourists, but one family managed to embark on a uniquely B.C. fishing adventure on the Fraser River.

91ƵWe had an amazing experience yesterday,91Ƶ Ashley Brown recounts in an email, about the massive white sturgeon that she and her family of five caught, helped tag, and released.

With so many people91Ƶs travel and vacation plans being postponed, the Chilliwack family opted to make a day of catch-and-release sturgeon fishing on the mighty Fraser, and to support local business.

They ended up having the 91Ƶexperience of a lifetime91Ƶ on July 17, Brown said when the family went out on the river with guide Brandon Wootton of Mainlanders Sportfishing.

It took more than two hours, and the sturgeon measured 10.2 feet, with a 4.2 foot girth, weighing 522 pounds.

91ƵAnd we got to tag her!91Ƶ Brown wrote.

The largest ever recorded locally was 11 feet four inches, and estimated to be more than 100 years old.

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This was was the biggest and most spectacular fish of the season for the local guiding outfit.

91ƵIt91Ƶs crazy to think there are fish that big in the river in our backyard that still may have never been caught in their lifetime,91Ƶ Brown said.

Brown said she appreciated the 91Ƶsupportive, knowledgeable and encouraging91Ƶ approach that Wooton offered.

91ƵWe felt 100 per cent safe and comfortable out there and had the most memorable experience ever, right in our own backyard.91Ƶ

The Fraser River Sturgeon acoustic tagging program started in 1999 by the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society, to monitor and help make recommendations on habitat and sturgeon population restoration.

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jfeinberg@theprogress.com



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Jennifer Feinberg

About the Author: Jennifer Feinberg

I have been a Chilliwack Progress reporter for 20+ years, covering city hall, Indigenous, business, and climate change stories.
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