A big fish tale: Calgary men catch 800-pound sturgeon

Three men from Calgary caught a fish that was thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis big.

Like, really, astonishingly, very big. 

Terry Jacobson, Tom Kirk and Alex Kirk were on the Fraser River near Chilliwack, B.C., guided by Steve Kaye from Sturgeon Hunter, when they hooked a fish that seems like something out of the Paleolithic Age. 

Jacobson told The Homestretch that it didn't take long after they hit the water on Tuesday for the fish wrestling to begin. 

"[Kaye] took us out, got anchored up and about 10 minutes later we had a bite and we looked up and this giant sturgeon came flying up behind the boat about 50 feet," he said. "Just straight out of the water like a rocket. It was insane."

'An incredible battle'

Jacobson figures he and his two friends fought with the hooked fish for about eight kilometres down the river before all was said and done. 

"It was like trying to hold on to a freight train," said Jacobson. "It was an incredible battle, to be honest with you."

Finally the crew managed to get the fish into shallower water, where it calmed down and they were able to get up close to it. 

"Then we just got out of the boat and kind of babied her, popped the hook out and managed to take some nice snapshots," said Jacobson.

11-feet long, 800 lb. 

The official measurement? Jacobson says it was 11 feet (3.3 metres) in length and five feet (1.5 metres) in girth. Kaye, he says, estimated the weight at a whopping 800 pounds (360 kilograms). 

Jacobson said they took their time to make sure the fish was alert and OK before it was released back into the flowing river. 

"About 20 minutes to make sure she was really good to go, she turned around and she swam out of our hands for the next guy to catch," said Jacobson. "Good luck."

As for how Jacobson is going to top the catch, he's not so sure. 

"But I guess there's always a bigger fish out there," he said.