B.C. buddies catch 300-kg sturgeon on their 1st time out, then promptly let it go
'I had muscles hurting that I didn't even know existed,' Steve Ecklund says of reeling in the massive fish
Not only did Steve Ecklund and Mark Boise get lucky their first time sturgeon fishing — they reeled in a beast as long as a U-haul truck and as heavy as a vending machine.
It took the pair nearly two hours to haul in the century-old sturgeon, which was 3.1 metres long, weighed 318 kilograms and had a girth of 1.4 metres.
"I use the reference of Jaws. You know, when it came out of the water, it was remarkable to actually see what we had on the end of the line," Ecklund told As It Happens guest host Tom Harrington.
"I had muscles hurting that I didn't even know existed."
After they'd photographed and tagged their catch, the duo released the federally protected species back into the river.
A very close encounter — with both fish and friend
Ecklund and Boise were fishing in the Fraser River in Lillooet, B.C., with the fishing expedition company River Monster Adventures over Father's Day weekend, when they felt the giant sturgeon bite.
The next two hours were a test of endurance, and match of strength between them and the fish.
The fish, Ecklund admitted, almost won, dragging them roughly two kilometres as they fought to reel it in.
"You're shaking. You can't feel your arms anymore. It's just all you can do to hang on," he said. "And I looked at [Boise] and, joking, I said, 'I wonder if we could cut the line without the guides seeing?' Because we were so exhausted."
He says whole thing brought him and his buddy closer together — literally.
"There was a lot of close contact there, because I was wrapped around him and in front of him and behind him and you name it, you know, just kind of grabbing on that rod," Ecklund said with a chuckle. "It was the most awkward two hours I've ever spent with a good buddy of mine."
110 years old, and never before caught
In an email, River Monster Adventures said the fish was the biggest surgeon the company has ever seen.
"This is possibly the biggest sturgeon caught in the Upper Main Land," said Kelsey Livingston, a spokesperson for the company.
Ecklund can certainly believe it.
"Taking the measurements and trying to even hold him for a picture, you get to really feel the girth on this thing," he said. "There's no way you could get your arms around it. I mean, it was the biggest thing I've ever seen."
River Monster Adventures estimates the fish was about 110 years old. The fishing guides couldn't find any evidence it had ever been tagged before, indicating this is the first time it's been caught in its century-long existence.
White sturgeons can live to be more than 150 years old and grow as long as six metres, according to the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society.
River Monster Adventures guides Nick McCabe and Tyler Speed tagged, measured and photographed the fish, then promptly released it back into the water, in compliance with the federal Species at Risk Act.
"It was really neat to watch them go through all that and collect data … to sustain that population," Ecklund said. "The more information we have, the better off we can deal with the species and help it survive long term."
Ecklund, who is from Alberta, has plenty of experience outdoors and hosts a hunting show called The Edge. But this was his first time sturgeon fishing, and his first time fishing the Fraser River.
"Now I just walk around with my chest puffed out saying, you know, I'm a multi-outdoorsman. I guess I can do it all and land all the big ones," he said with a laugh.
Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview with Steve Ecklund produced by Paul MacInnis.
