VANCOUVER It took Rod Toth and the four men he was guiding nearly three hours to wrestle a mammoth, 300-kilogram sturgeon to the shores of B.C.s Fraser River, and only then did they realize the size of the giant fish they were chasing.
I really didnt know until the end, but after about an hour and a half, I said, guys, weve got something special on here, says Toth, 40, who runs Bent Rods Guiding and Fishing Co. in Chilliwack, B.C.
They can actually pull the boat around the river.
It was a beautiful day last week for a fishing trip on the Fraser, says Toth, and the four men in the boat were all out-of-towners, three of them tackling the river for the first time.
They baited their first hook of the day with a piece of salmon, and quickly had a bite.
It actually felt like it hooked up on bottom at first, and then slowly it started to move and off it went, says Toth.
The men took turns trying to reel up the giant fish, pulling the sturgeon close to the surface only to have it dart back down to the bottom. That went on for two hours, 45 minutes.
We were all tired, says Toth. Its painstaking with that big a fish. It goes on and on.
When we got it, we had three guys grabbing its mouth and one fellow grabbed its fins and kept it so it could breath water, so we very slowly took it to shore.
It wasnt until then that Toth and his group were able to get a good look at the prehistoric beast, which at three metres long and 1.4 metres around was the largest fish Toth has ever caught.
Two other guides who happened to be watching from the beach also helped bring the fish into shallow water, tag it and release it back into the river.
Toth set a personal record, and for the four men on the tour two from Vernon, B.C., and two from Calgary its a heck of a fishing tale to bring home.
For a guide, youre always waiting for that fish, so for me its just excitement, says Toth.
Three of the guys, the first sturgeon theyd ever seen in their life was a mammoth. Now when they book again, Ive got my work cut out for me.
B.C. fishing guide hooks 300-kilogram sturgeon on Fraser River
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Published on
September 3, 2008
- Published on January 3, 2010
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The Canadian Press ~ The News
VANCOUVER It took Rod Toth and the four men he was guiding nearly three hours to wrestle a mammoth, 300-kilogram sturgeon to the shores of B.C.s Fraser River, and only then did they realize the size of the giant fish they were chasing.
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Comments
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- Peter
- - January 18, 2010 at 11:30:35
I've searched through Google for pictures of this sturgeon and found absolutely nothing on this 300kg monster.
You would figure one of these guys would have a camera, especially the guide because they usually take pictures for you as part of charter trips.
Could this be a hoax or just be some BS story they've all fabricated?
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