Best Times for Sturgeon Fishing the Fraser River BC

This article focuses on this section of the Fraser river

The most productive Sturgeon fishing is just downstream of Chilliwack to Mission and Maple Ridge area. This is in the heart of the Fraser Valley BC. It’s a 40 km section of the Fraser River that’s 60 minutes East of Vancouver, Canada.

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Fraser River Sturgeon fishing season & best times: month by month

Covering the best Sturgeon fishing section on the Fraser River: Chilliwack downstream to Mission – Maple Ridge

January & February

Productive Sturgeon fishing will happen when milder weather rolls in and the water temp goes up by a degree or 2. It’s common for one of these trips to produce 10 – 20 fish!

You can read our Fishing Report to see if conditions are currently right for winter trips.

Lots of 3-6 footers but fish over 6 and 7 feet are also caught during this time. If you’re looking to beat the Winter blues then a January Sturgeon charter will do the trick. The boats have ‘Buddy Heaters’ to keep you warm.

» Read: February 12 Sturgeon Report article.

March Sturgeon Fishing:

By mid March things really start to change. Two key events are merging and Sturgeon are fortunately right in the middle of it.

Firstly, water temperatures are rising and secondly the annual Spring run of Smelts aka Eulachons is entering the Fraser River. This means it’s buffet time for Sturgeon! They have gone the winter with little food so gorging on these high protein, ultra fatty smelts is a absolute welcome and ‘must have’ for them! Having the right bait and fishing precise locations means you will have incredible fishing.

Our Spring Sturgeon Special is in effect for March so it’s a good time to shake off the winter cob webs and enjoy the great outdoor experience of Sturgeon fishing in the Fraser River Valley.

» Read our article on: March Sturgeon Fishing

April Sturgeon Fishing:

A truly incredible fishing experience awaits those who book for April Sturgeon fishing. The Fraser River smelts(Eulachons) are in the river in full force and Sturgeon are going nuts over these highly nutritious treats!

In April 2019 we had 2 lads from England fish with us for 6 consecutive days out of Mission, BC. What they experienced totally shattered anything remotely close to their expectations of perhaps hooking a few over their Fraser River holiday. What they ended up landing was well over 80 Sturgeon in that 6 days. On day 6 they were destroyed. Arms were struggling. Even picking up a celebratory pint would have been a struggle.

» Read about their experience: April Sturgeon Fishing Report

Now is the time to start planning your ultimate BC Sturgeon package!

The remaining Sturgeon months are just below

May Sturgeon Fishing:

The first week of May sees a carry over from April’s incredible Sturgeon fishing. Then things sort of go back to normal. This doesn’t mean it’s a write off by any means. Many of our guests have caught truly massive White Sturgeon in May in the 9 foot class(400-500 lbs). Just don’t expect to hook up every 5 minutes all day long.

» Read: May Sturgeon fishing article about a magnificent 9 footer.

Starting in early May the Fraser River starts it’s annual freshet, aka the spring/early summer snow pack melt. River flows increase in speed and depth. This means we have to adjust to these conditions. So we do and thus find some very nice fish. After all, the sturgeon are still in the river. Even more importantly there’s some massive Sturgeon coming in from the Pacific Ocean in advance of their spawning season(late May to mid July).

May Sturgeon deliver a walloping fight as the water temperature is ideal.

June Sturgeon fishing

The Fraser River is usually still on the rise or cresting in early June due to the snow pack melt within it’s massive watershed. But she usually starts dropping slowly anytime from early to later June.

High water still produces rather large fish. There’s lots of true River Monsters in the Fraser during June. Monster size like 10 foot plus or fish up to 1,000 lbs(500 kg)! The only challenge due to the high water is that many of the beaches we typically use for taking fish to shore are under water. But we certainly try our best to find a convenient spot for a great shore photo.

Numbers of fish caught in June might not be high at times but quality of fish is very impressive. Catching fish every day is normal.

» Read about this: Big June Sturgeon

July Sturgeon Fishing

A great month for hooking up with ass kicking giant White Sturgeon. We think anglers are more attracted to the nice weather or just that it’s summer break for many. But regardless there’s epic fishing.

Expectations for giant White Sturgeon in July are very high on any given day. Fresh river monsters are entering the Fraser River from the Pacific on a daily basis. They are more than happy to munch down on our select irresistible baits. Proper bait is essential if you want any form of success. We know exactly what their weakness is and rest assured we have it on board.

Many of our repeats from Europe and Canada book for July so they can wrestle with Sturgeon in the 8 to 12 foot range. Many 300 – 400 lb Sturgeon are taken every July.

» Read: Top 5 Sturgeon for July 2017

» Read: July 2018 Big Sturgeon Catches

August Sturgeon fishing

August Sturgeon fishing produces some great fishing especially the first 2 weeks and again the last week. Salmon are migrating up stream and whenever this happens we’re going to get some Big fish!

We have hooked and fought for hours some scary big Sturgeon in August. We never got them to the surface but having been a Sturgeon guide for 2 decades I can tell you these fish are well over 12 feet and it’s going to take a miracle to successfully land one.

The Fraser River is in full summer mode now. Water temperatures will be at their highest by mid August. The upside of this is the river is warm enough for swimming. So when we take those big sturgeon to shore for a photo we’ll cool off with a quick swim.

Catching fish every day in August is normal.

» Read this blog article: August Sturgeon Fishing Report

September Sturgeon Fishing

September is a very good month for big Sturgeon. There are many in the 6 to 9 foot range and those giant 10 foot plus are here too. The Fall is traditionally an excellent time for Fraser Sturgeon and the Chinook Salmon run is in full swing. Catching big fish every day is very common.

The Salmon are running strong now so it’s a bonus that we can catch Sturgeon and Salmon on the same day! Book your Fraser River multi day package well in advance for this very popular time.

October Sturgeon fishing

It’s magic time for a ton of feisty energetic White Sturgeon especially in the Mission BC area. Double header 7 footers? Yeah that happens! October is certainly our heaviest month for bookings and should be well planned out to obtain prime dates. October is also prime time for Chum and Coho Salmon fishing.

» Read: October Sturgeon and Salmon fishing report

— You can easily catch Salmon and Sturgeon in the same day for the entire month! —

If you can’t make October then plan for the first 2 weeks of November which provides stellar fishing with very few anglers on the Fraser.

December Sturgeon fishing

It’s truly winter now in Vancouver and Mission, British Columbia. We will see rather good Sturgeon fishing during normal to milder weather patterns that cause water temperatures to bump up slightly. This can trigger some rather fantastic winter Sturgeon fishing. We’ve had many December Sturgeon charters that have produced 10 to 25 fish!

No need to worry about cold weather on our jet boats. They all have powerful ‘Buddy’ heaters that will keep you toasty warm!

Due to unpredictable weather patterns in December it’s best to plan out your charter on shorter notice.

Call us a few days or a week before you want to go and we will let you know if it’s worth going. 1-604-864-5445

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