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[fishingbuddha]

Any tips on good places to sturgeon fish this weekend. was thinking pitt river mouth or mission bridge.

[alan701]

2 weeks ago I went exploring east of mission bridge and I saw people fighting sturgeons/spring from boats every time I went. Sturgeon hole is there so it must be nice (Haven't tried it yet)

[missionmike]

 I was wondering about sturgeon bait, I know the guides pick up bloated sockeye as they drift down the river and use the parts as bait. I seen some sockeye floating down the Harrison last week and was wondering if it would be legal to use them considering there was no opening this year.

[Sandman]

I was wondering about sturgeon bait, I know the guides pick up bloated sockeye as they drift down the river and use the parts as bait. I seen some sockeye floating down the Harrison last week and was wondering if it would be legal to use them considering there was no opening this year.

It is technically not legal to use them even if there IS an opening as you would have to snag or net one to use it.  Don't let anyone see you do it.  And to make it effective you want to take an old salmon and leave it in an old cooler sitting in the sun for a few days.  This stink bait will leave a scent trail long enough of any sturgeon within a mile to catch a whif of it.

[buckjr]

It is technically not legal to use them even if there IS an opening as you would have to snag or net one to use it.  Don't let anyone see you do it. 

 Sorry but this is an inaccurate statement.

As taken form the freshwater fishing regulations:

 Fin fish… the use of fin fish (dead or alive)
or parts of fin fish other than roe is
prohibited throughout the province, with
the following exception: You may use
the head of fin fish or the headless body of
fin fish as bait, only:
(a) when sport fishing for sturgeon in Fraser
River (Region 2 only), or

[Rodney]

Sorry but this is an inaccurate statement.

As taken form the freshwater fishing regulations:

 Fin fish… the use of fin fish (dead or alive)
or parts of fin fish other than roe is
prohibited throughout the province, with
the following exception: You may use
the head of fin fish or the headless body of
fin fish as bait, only:
(a) when sport fishing for sturgeon in Fraser
River (Region 2 only), or

I think Sandman is not questioning the legality of the use of fin fish as bait for sturgeon, but the possession of salmon carcasses for bait.

[Sandman]

I think Sandman is not questioning the legality of the use of fin fish as bait for sturgeon, but the possession of salmon carcasses for bait.

Yes, but more particularly I was referring to the snagging or netting of one to use as bait.  If you catch and kill a salmon (legally, during an opening) and use part of it for bait (salmon bellies for example), then it is perfectly legal.  Since it is illegal to catch a salmon (it does not say to catch a live salmon) by any means other than by "angling" (unless you have a commercial license of course), then you cannot net one, nor can you intentionally snag one.  Again, this is the letter of the law and I am sure it was never meant to keep people from using old dead fish for bait, but you can not assume a CO wont ticket you for it.

[Bently]

 I don't think there's a CO out there that would fine you for having an old floater in your boat {no matter how you got it} that your obviously using for bait. I could see it if it were a fresh salmon your chopping up, but not some floater.

[Sandman]

And you are welcome to test that theory.

[Rantalot]

well i know someone last year that got a warning for going over the possesion limit because he had a floater on board after getting his limit sockeye flossing.

[missionmike]

Thanks guys, all points of this discussion make sense. I was at the mouth of the Harrison yesterday chucking blades and a guide slid his boat in close to mine to grab a bloated fish. I asked him about it and he said that he has never been hassled for it.

Did see one sturgeon hooked at the bridge.

[buckjr]

I understand what your saying however, it makes sense that someone picking up a floating carcass of a dead fish would not need to snag the fish with a rod and reel, or use a net net of any sort to obtain it. It is very easily done with your hands. Or who is to say it wasn't obtained from the shoreline, or the carcass was obtained from a previous year and frozen to be used at a later date. None of these would be considered angling and thus not illegal.

Nothing in the freshwater fishing regulations indicates you cannot utilise a dead partially decaying fish as bait, if obtained in a legal manner despite there not being an opening for that species.  If it is left to interpretation, only one can assume common sense would prevail.  If questioned by a fisheries officer and they provide accurate answers to the questions there wouldn't be an issue. At no time have any laws been broken.

Some of the statement made have been very much misleadling. Ultimately, individuals who plan on fishing sturgeon need to educated themselves and understand all the legalities of what they are doing. The responsibility is theirs to know the answers if being questioned by fisheries officers.  

Good luck!

[Blue_Fox]

I've seen people catch HUGE sturgeon on a floating dock somewhere in the Lower Mainland (Richmond???) on the Fraser River on YOUTUBE.

Does anyone here know the exact location of the dock?

[Sandman]

I understand what your saying however, it makes sense that someone picking up a floating carcass of a dead fish would not need to snag the fish with a rod and reel, or use a net net of any sort to obtain it. It is very easily done with your hands. Or who is to say it wasn't obtained from the shoreline, or the carcass was obtained from a previous year and frozen to be used at a later date. None of these would be considered angling and thus not illegal.

Nothing in the freshwater fishing regulations indicates you cannot utilise a dead partially decaying fish as bait, if obtained in a legal manner despite there not being an opening for that species.  If it is left to interpretation, only one can assume common sense would prevail.  If questioned by a fisheries officer and they provide accurate answers to the questions there wouldn't be an issue. At no time have any laws been broken.

Some of the statement made have been very much misleadling. Ultimately, individuals who plan on fishing sturgeon need to educated themselves and understand all the legalities of what they are doing. The responsibility is theirs to know the answers if being questioned by fisheries officers.   

Good luck!

If you read my posts you will see that I am clearly talking about a CO seeing you grab the floater,  so none of those other scenarios are relevant as I was not talking about anything else. It is perfectly legal to use the salmon bellies of a fish you caught legally, (or is it?). If you cannot have a fish in your possession if it cannot be identified (no head or tail)?  And if you think it is easy to grab a floater floating past you on the Harrison with your bare hands have a go, it is not as easy as you may think.  Tricky to even intercept it at close range to snag or net, I had a hard enough time grabbing my hat that had flown off once, and it wasn't a 10 pound stinky salmon.

[Copper Koski]

Last year I was using stink bait when I was checked by a CO. I had two floaters in the boat, one was mush the other not quite as bad. The CO's were friendly, but were not happy that we did not have a salmon tag, and were in possesion of salmon. No fines were given but they made us release one of the floaters, and after a few minutes of begging they let us keep the the mushy carcass.