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Three Albertans land BԪַmonsterBԪַ sturgeon in B.C.BԪַs Fraser River

For angler who landed the exceptionally large sturgeon it was an BԪַincredible dream come trueBԪַ
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Calgary resident Terry Jacobson (right) with his friends, Alex Kirk and Tom Kirk, with massive sturgeon they caught in the Fraser River near Chilliwack. (Sturgeon Hunter)

For the three Albertans fishing in the Fraser River, it was the biggest white sturgeon they had ever set eyes on.

It only took about 10 minutes from dropping anchor in the river near Chilliwack until they felt a bite.

Calgary resident Terry Jacobson said landing the huge sturgeon on Tuesday was an BԪַincredible dreamBԪַ come true.

BԪַIBԪַve fished my whole life and never hooked anything that enormous,BԪַ Jacobson told The Progress.

He and a couple of buddies were on a guided fishing trip with , when the fish rocketed right out of the water behind the boat.

BԪַI said, BԪַOh my god, itBԪַs a monster,BԪַBԪַ Jacobson recounted. They got a good look at it when it breeched the water.

The sturgeon measured 11 feet long, with a girth of 62 inches around, estimated to weight about 800 pounds.

Jacobson had been on many catch-and-release sturgeon trips with Sturgeon Hunter before, and this time, he was determined to bring in one of the very biggest of the big ones, with buddies, Tom Kirk, and Alex Kirk.

He said he was excited about the prospect, especially after Kaye told him he was BԪַabsolutely destinedBԪַ to catch it. He started believing it after everything went a little haywire, and the fish was still on the line.

Sturgeon Hunter guiding company owner Steve Kaye said he had to pull out BԪַevery trick in the bookBԪַ to land the fish.

BԪַIt was a once in a lifetime fish BԪַ there is no other way to describe it.BԪַ

And it was quite the chore getting it to shore. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. A reel broke. The line got snagged. Then it got caught on a log jam.

Kaye said at one point he had to cut the line and retie it to a new reel and rod. With any two of those incidents typically it would have been game over.

BԪַIt was one of the biggest sturgeon I ever saw,BԪַ Kaye told The Progress.

He figures heBԪַs caught a whopping 15,000 sturgeon in his career as a guide for over 25 years.

BԪַA very small percentage are this size,BԪַ Kaye said. BԪַWe very rarely hook them, and when we do hook them, we very rarely land them.BԪַ

An 11-foot fish is BԪַspecial,BԪַ and Kaye himself has caught one that was 11.2 feet. They catch lots of 8-footers, but most are 5.5. to 7.5 feet. But 11 feet is exceptional.

BԪַThis fish was exceptionally bulky,BԪַ he said. The only thicker one heBԪַs ever seen was at the end of salmon season. Not at the outset of the season like this.

The care and attention taken to revive the fish and make sure it was handled properly before releasing it back into the water was also admirable, and reassuring, Jacobson added.

BԪַEverything was so well done, so nice, it couldnBԪַt have been better.BԪַ

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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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