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Fraser River Canyon Prehistoric Sturgeon Fishing | Fish'n Canada
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Apr 15, 2025
This episode has Ang & Pete meeting up with their buddies Roy and Scott from Cooper tire. They head to the Fraser River in the province of British Columbia to “attempt” a battle with a rare living dinosaur, the Sturgeon. If that’s not enough they’re trying to tame these huge beasts in the raging water of the Fraser River Canyon. Don't forget to leave a COMMENT and give us a LIKE if you enjoyed what you saw. SUBSCRIBE for new videos and episodes released weekly! CONNECT WITH US WEBSITE: http://fishncanada.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/FishnCanada/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/fishncanadaofficial/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/angeloviolafnc/ One of Canada's longest-running fishing shows, Fish'n Canada travels from coast to coast in search of trophy fishing opportunities. First started by brothers Angelo and Reno Viola in 1986, The Fish’n Canada Show has been on the air for over 30 years. Today, Angelo is joined by lifelong fishing buddy, Pete Bowman, and the pair continue to travel across Canada educating anglers using the experience they’ve gained over the years #Fishing
View Video Transcript
0:00
This is epic
0:10
If we can't catch a fish today, my career might just be over
0:15
Well, it looks like we have no excuses today, my friend. This is it. This is the ultimate of fishing right here
0:23
What a tank You did it That's how you wrestle them in by the way
0:33
In case you were wondering The Fish in Canada show Brought to you in part by
0:40
Ram trucks Nothing works harder than a ram Stearns Trusted on the water since 1952
0:47
Mercury Outboards Number one on the water and Outdoor Canada, Canada's only national fishing and hunting magazine
1:00
If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. And that's exactly what we're going to do
1:06
Today's episode is about trying to break the 10-foot sturgeon barrier that we set for ourselves years ago
1:13
I'm talking about the biggest freshwater fish in North America, the giant white sturgeon
1:20
Hooking into one of these dinosaurs is one thing, but landing one, that's a whole different kettle of fish
1:26
They're designed to spool you. We're heading to the only place in Canada, maybe in the world, where you stand a better than average chance to accomplish this feat
1:36
The mighty Fraser River in beautiful British Columbia. Headquarters for this journey is our home away from home, above and beyond
1:44
This magnificent mansion is perched in the beautiful British Columbian mountainside with a captivating view of the Fraser Valley nestled below
1:53
The perfect place to start and finish each day of our Fraser River adventure
1:58
Believe me, it doesn't get any better than this, folks. We know this is going to be a daunting task
2:07
After all, only a fortunate few souls have ever come face to face with a legitimate 10-footer
2:12
Joining us today are good friends and avid anglers, Roy Arms, CEO of Cooper Tires, and Scott Jamison, Director of Product Management
2:20
As is customary in the fast-paced life of such high-profile executives, time is always of the essence
2:26
So, to help with the tight schedule, the Cooper Challenger 200 is going to be the transportation of choice for this trip
2:32
Who are we to say no? Aside from heading up one of the largest tire companies in the world, Roy is an extremely avid outdoorsman and passionate angler
2:41
In fact, when he's not taking care of business in the boardroom, you're likely to find him on the business end of a fishing rod
2:48
He'll be a nice addition to our sturgeon wrangling team. Scott, while he's a relative newcomer to big game fishing, but has taken to it like honey on dry toast, he could be the difference maker on this trip
3:03
Hunting down a giant white sturgeon can't be done without experience and expertise
3:08
So we once again hook up with Vic Caro, sturgeon and river guide extraordinaire
3:13
and well-known jet boat expert. He's going to run us from hope to hell's gate
3:18
about as far up the Fraser as you can go without staring death straight in the eye
3:22
They don't call it hell's gate for nothing. Vic has very special gear for sturgeon fishing
3:29
Nine-foot rods rated at 130 pounds and level wind reels with a lever drag rated at 28 pounds
3:34
He uses 250 pound test braided line with 100 pound test fluorocarbon leaders
3:42
Terminal tackle is typically a 10 to 20 ounce weight with a big piece of meat on a hook cast downstream of the anchored boat
3:48
The very fast current spreads the scent of the bait downstream until the fish picks it up
3:58
So this is what's on the menu today. We have a smorgasbord
4:02
We have uh, we have sockeye heads and pink heads. Yummy! And that's a nice fresh sockeye head right there
4:10
Some beautiful pre-cut belly strips. Match the hatch, you know like the old fly fishing thing, right
4:15
Single chum eggs. And then we have some lamprey eel. Which is a staple meal up here for these fish
4:23
Do you cut that up when you do it? Well you know, it depends on how big a fish you want
4:28
You know how big a fish we want. You don't need to ask that anymore
4:32
So we got that there, and we got this here. Well, it looks like we have no excuses today, my friend
4:37
If we can't catch a fish today, my career might just be over. You know what they say What do they say Vic It an eight sturgeon trip There six hours of boredom and two hours of chaos
4:53
You probably wrote the book on that, didn't you? Pretty much. That'll do it, Roy
4:58
Woo-hoo! Yeah! Roy deals with fishing in the same manner he does his business, always one step ahead of the competition
5:16
Now, once I set the hook and I can determine how big the fish is, if it's not the right one, I need to pass it on to somebody
5:23
I'll take the little one. I told you I'll take the fluff today. I'll take the little one. All right. I love fishing and the opportunity to get out here, particularly just getting out in the outdoors
5:31
and getting into places like this in Western Canada, in this case, British Columbia
5:35
it's even more than the fishing. The scenery here is just fantastic. The people have been great
5:40
I'll tell you, this is just absolutely fantastic. Our team at Cooper put together a game plan for marketing and building the brand
5:51
and building products that really suit this market. Oh, beautiful boy! We've been able to double the size of business that we've got here in Camden
5:58
and double our market share. We're growing much faster, one of the fastest growing areas that we've got in our company globally
6:04
Give him to somebody else. Look at him go. Big game fish
6:13
Now that he's got the girly belt on, he's tough. So we're going to weigh anchor on this to try and get this fish closer to the beach
6:22
right over there, and we'll probably end up beaching it right on shore. Because you can't handle these big fish, there's no way you can handle them at the boat
6:30
What's your hand on here? Dive after him! By the way, can I get the next one too
6:40
No, no, no. I want to see Scotty here. After getting a taste of this spectacular fishing
6:48
on British Columbia's Fraser River, we're heading back upstream to try it all over again
6:54
Vic's expertise in handling the jet boat is the only reason we caught that fish
6:59
because the current is crazy, and it's all you can do to keep that fish on the line
7:05
Now it's Scott's turn to experience this incredible battle. No, don't set it
7:12
Don't set it. Just let him run. Just let him run. Now reel down
7:16
Reel down. Reel down. Yep. Keep it tight. Just like that. That's the bend we want
7:22
And you can't stop it. When he runs, just let us know that he's running
7:26
Now reel down. Reel down. Reel, reel, reel, reel, reel. Quick, quick
7:34
Whatever you can gain on this against is an inch or two every now and then
7:40
You got her, you got her, buddy. Nice, Vic
7:53
You are so exhaustive. How was the adrenaline that you pumped through your body
8:00
I didn't think I was going to get it done. I got these rods here, Vic, so I'll just have to bring her as much as I can
8:10
What do you think boys? Angela and I can move out and you and Roy can let her go
8:22
We're stuck. We're stuck in the muck. Oh yeah, oh yeah. You just let her go Scotty and there she goes
8:33
Bye bye. Still turn around. Woo! Yeah! We got two over six
8:44
If you put them together, that's 12. But now we've got to get one that'll match us here
8:51
What a great fight that was, man. I thought it was a 10-footer
9:03
We're on the Fraser River in British Columbia in search of a 10-foot monster sturgeon
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Scott's fight took us two and a half miles downstream. So we're headed back up towards the famous Hell's Gate
9:16
What's that, boy? So far, the Fraser hasn't given us our 10-foot sturgeon
9:27
Buddy that a big fish To give Roy and Scott a bit of a break Ange and I are going to take the next couple of fish My fish was a stocky brute that constantly winched his way towards the bottom
9:38
While Ange's fish is a long, lean jumping machine that loves getting air
9:44
Both our fish will tell tall tales about for a long time, but still not our big ten
9:49
Coming up! Oh yeah! That's jumping week! Oh, that was great
9:59
Thank you very much. See ya. Nice. That's how you wrestle them in, by the way, in case you were wondering
10:11
Oh, he's snapping it. Don't touch. Attaboy, don't touch. Don't touch. Don't touch
10:16
He's on it now. He's on it. He's a jerk. Let's get the lines in
10:20
Get the lines in. Go, Roy. Roy, go. Lines in. Here, two
10:27
He's in the middle, Vic. He's in the middle. He's in the middle
10:31
Let the clock off the back of the ball. Kick his butt, Roy
10:37
Come on, buddy. Straight below the back there, Vic. You're good. I didn't want to be embarrassed, and I didn't want to embarrass the guy and embarrass you
10:45
guys by losing this fish, knowing it was a big one once it broke water
10:49
Coming up, coming up, coming up, coming up. Here we go. Oh, yes
10:53
The thing on my mind was, okay, how do you control a big fish like this
10:58
Did you see the size of that? Wow. Good fish, Roy. Good fish, buddy
11:09
What a fight, man. What a fight. Keep him up high, buddy. That's a fatty, eh
11:14
Oh, man, that's fat. Oh, what a tank. Right arms, you did it
11:23
This fight took us over an hour, so we've got to move quickly. Vic's doing a check on the dorsal fin to see if this monster's been tagged before
11:32
It hasn't, so we'll inject the tag in order to accurately track this magnificent creature
11:38
Roy's fish was indeed a monster at just over 8 feet and almost 300 pounds
11:44
Biggest fish I've ever caught. But not close enough to what we want. Oh, sorry boys, that thing I cannot hold on to
11:52
We need to get moving. We're running out of time. That 10-foot dream is starting to fade
11:57
We're going to give her all we got and make a run all the way to Hell's Gate
12:09
Today's hot spot is a Fraser River Canyon Sturgeon holding area in the province of British Columbia
12:14
The waypoint on your screen will get you right there. This particular area is about two-thirds of the way from the town of Hope to Hell's Gate
12:23
It's a crazy ride to get there and only experienced boaters should ever attempt it
12:28
Anchoring upstream to this hotspot and dropping heavily weighted baits with both circle and j-hooks is the best presentation
12:35
Rod holders are a must in order to keep your bait still, as well as giving the crew a great view of the rod tip when a bite occurs
12:43
When a sturgeon finally takes the bait, well, hang on. For more hot spots like this one, go to FishinCanada.com
12:57
Okay, hang on, you guys. In 1808, Simon Fraser, the first great explorer of British Columbia
13:03
called this place the Gates of Hell because any attempt to canoe it meant certain depth
13:10
The towering rock walls on either side plunged toward each other, forcing waters through a passage only 35 meters wide
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For centuries, the narrow passage has been a popular fishing ground for Aboriginal communities in the area
13:26
European settlers also began to congregate there in the summer months to fish
13:30
because salmon would pause here before making their run through the rapids
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on their way to the spawning grounds. And that, my friends, is the end of our journey
13:54
That is Hell's Gate on the Fraser River. And high water has got more water going through it than over Niagara Falls, believe it or not
14:00
Two million gallons. 200 million gallons. Thank you. Per minute. Per minute
14:05
Crazy. We decided to move the boat back down to a couple of holes that didn produce fish on the way up We going to give this one last shot Hit Scotty up Look out Oh he underneath boys
14:24
Yeah, he's going. Whoa! He's got here. Giant. Grab, grab, grab. He's right
14:30
He's almost below the boat. Just back a bit. This fish doesn't even know he's hooked up yet
14:36
No, he did that one jump and run and that's it. Keep the bowl like this. Like that, like that, like that, like that
14:42
Just hold on buddy, you just hold on. It's a big fish, boys
14:46
Oh, this is a monster. This is a good one, isn't it
14:50
This is a fish we've been graded for about a decade, I'm positive. We haven't seen it yet, but based on what Scotty's going through, this thing has got to be a monster
14:58
Back up real fast. Got it. Okay, this is going to be interesting
15:03
What we're going to do, we've got to pull this fish down over these rapids
15:07
And Vic said it's going to be like a rodeo. Yeah, yeah, it's going to be smooth
15:42
Great job, Scotty. I'm going to hold him right there. Give yourself a break
15:50
Let him tire more. There's no question in my mind. I see this fish come out of the water not once, but three times
15:57
and it's way bigger than Roy's eight-footer. We're finally going to break the 10-foot curse
16:02
Scott is literally having a vein-popping battle with this fish, hanging on for his fishing life
16:10
Oh, no! Go, go, go! He's off, guys! No way. Did he hit the frag
16:17
No, he's off. Broke the line. Broke the line. Oh, my God
16:23
We saw him. We saw him. We did everything we were supposed to do, right
16:27
We did everything you were supposed to do. We saw him several times. That was a huge fish
16:33
Just broke the braid. 250-pound test braid. Wow. Wow. This was the fish for sure. All the more reason to make plans for next year and yet another shot at the elusive 10-footer
16:54
To get to today's unbelievable fishing location, we first boarded the corporate jet in Toronto and flew to Abbotsford, BC
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We then drove north on Road 11 and turned east on Highway 7
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Next, we went north on Stave Lake Street and finally arrived at our luxurious accommodations above and beyond
17:14
To meet Vic at his boat, we then traveled east on 7 to the boat launch on the Fraser River in the town of Hope
17:21
From there, it was straight up the canyon all the way to Hell's Gate
17:31
On today's KLP, we're going to feature L for location. Nowhere else on the planet are white sturgeon more prevalent than in British Columbia's Fraser River
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But it's been somewhat of a roller coaster ride throughout time. Although white sturgeon can tolerate both fresh and salt water, they only spawn in freshwater
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Because of this, the future of the sturgeon on this magnificent waterway is entirely dependent on the continued health of the river ecosystem
18:03
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, white sturgeon in the lower freezer were nearly driven to extinction by commercial fishing
18:11
Luckily, a much-needed ban on the over-harvesting as well as strict sport fishing regulations were implemented
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and the remaining white sturgeon population have been fighting to recover and steadily repopulating for over 100 years
18:26
The Fish in Canada Show, brought to you in part by Sale, the Canadian Outdoors Superstore
18:35
Coleman, the outdoor company. Cooper Tires, life's a road trip, come on, let's go
18:42
And Prince Craft Boats, dominate the water
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