Fishing the Fraser River: giant sturgeon, the salmon runs, and the plan to catch them

What and where it is

The Fraser is British Columbia's great river, running through the Fraser Valley to the sea at Vancouver. The fishery on this page is the lower, tidal river around Chilliwack: big, powerful water with deep channels, back-eddies and feeding holes that hold ancient white sturgeon. The salmon runs pass through it in season.

The lower Fraser is wide, fast and tidal-influenced even well inland, so the river breathes with the sea: the level and the flow shift on the tide, and the sturgeon hold in the deep holes and the slacker back-eddies out of the main push. Around Chilliwack is the classic sturgeon water, an hour or so east of Vancouver up Highway 1, with Mission just downstream. It is an easy river to reach and a hard one to read, which is why almost everyone fishes it with a guide who knows the holes.

This is a working, glacially fed river, often coloured with rock flour in the melt, so the fish feed on scent and the bait matters more than clear-water finesse. The same channels that carry the sturgeon carry the Pacific salmon runs upstream in their seasons, so a sturgeon trip can overlap a salmon run, but the sturgeon is the reason most visitors come, and the one fish that is reliable through most of the year.

The fish, and where, when and how to catch each

White sturgeon is the reason to go, prehistoric, enormous and catch-and-release only. The Pacific salmon runs (chinook, coho, sockeye, pink, chum) and cutthroat trout layer on top in their seasons, but salmon retention varies year to year with run strength, so treat the salmon as a bonus and check DFO. The cards below give where, when and how for each.

One thing to be clear about. The sturgeon is the trip, and it is catch and release only, every season, all year. The salmon are a bonus that depends entirely on the run and the in-season DFO opening: some years and some weeks you may keep a salmon, many you may not. Plan the trip around the sturgeon, then check the current salmon opening as a bonus, not a guarantee.

I have set the fish out as cards. Read the one you are after, check the through-the-year section for how it lines up with your dates, and follow the rig link to build the method.

How the fishing changes through the year

Sturgeon fish all year, best from March to November, with peaks in April to June and again, the best of all, in September to November. The salmon layer on top in summer and autumn: chinook and the cyclic sockeye and pink runs in summer, coho and chum into the autumn, all governed by the year's DFO opening.

Here is the year in plain terms. The sturgeon dates are a reliable window; treat every salmon date as provisional, set in-season by run strength.

• Winter (the quiet months). Sturgeon fishing is open year round but slower in the cold; the productive season has not started. A trip is possible but the peaks are elsewhere.
• Spring (the first peak, April to June). The sturgeon fishing picks up strongly through spring, one of the two best windows of the year as the fish feed up. This is a prime time to plan a sturgeon trip, before the salmon runs are in.
• Summer (the salmon build). Sturgeon stay good through the productive window. The salmon runs arrive: chinook through the summer, and the cyclic sockeye and pink runs in their big years. Whether you may keep a salmon is the in-season DFO question.
• Autumn (the best of the year, September to November). September and October are widely rated the best of the year for giant sturgeon, and the autumn salmon (coho and chum) are in. This is the window most travellers plan a Fraser trip around.
• Late autumn into winter. The sturgeon fishing tails off as the productive window closes around November and the river cools. Plan for the spring or, better, the autumn peak.

What you can eat (and what you must release)

White sturgeon is catch and release only here. You cannot keep one, ever, and you fish a single barbless hook by law. Do not treat it as a food fish: it is a protected, release-only fishery. Salmon are the eating fish when a run is in and DFO has opened retention, but salmon openings and limits change with run strength, so check the current DFO notice before you keep any salmon.

This matters, so it is worth being exact.

• White sturgeon: catch and release only, no retention, single barbless hook required. Play and release the fish quickly, keep a big sturgeon in the water for unhooking and photos, and never lift a large one by the gills or the tail. The strong tackle is there to shorten the fight, which is what protects the fish. Do not eat sturgeon here, it is a protected, release-only fishery, not a food fish. (Source: gofishbc.com white sturgeon angling guidelines; Province of BC, as of 5 June 2026.)
• Salmon (chinook, sockeye, pink, chum, coho): the fish for the table when a run is in and DFO has opened retention. Salmon retention is governed by in-season DFO openings and limits that change with run strength, and some stocks and weeks are non-retention. Read the current DFO Pacific notice before you keep any salmon. Sockeye in particular are tightly managed and often closed to retention. (Source: DFO Pacific Region, as of 5 June 2026.)
• Cutthroat trout are governed by the BC freshwater regulations; check the current synopsis for size and limits before you keep one.

Respect the fishery. Handle every sturgeon in the water, with wet hands, and release it carefully. Check the current DFO opening before you keep any salmon, and clean your kit between waters so you don't carry anything from one river to the next.

Licences and rules

Two separate licences, and this catches visitors out. To fish for sturgeon you need (1) a BC freshwater fishing licence, bought online through the WILD system, and (2) a White Sturgeon Conservation Licence on top. If you also fish for salmon in this freshwater you need a separate non-tidal salmon conservation stamp (a Province of BC surcharge, bought in WILD, not the federal tidal one). A non-resident annual basic freshwater licence is CAD $91.44 before tax for 2026-27.

Which licence covers what. The Fraser is freshwater here, so the sturgeon and any non-tidal salmon are under the Province of BC freshwater system, not the federal tidal one. That is the opposite of a tidal salt-water salmon trip (for example Campbell River), where you would buy a federal DFO tidal licence instead. Do not buy the tidal licence for a Fraser sturgeon trip, and do not assume a freshwater licence covers tidal salt water. If you book a guide, they will tell you exactly which licences to get.

The two licences you need for sturgeon (Province of BC, bought online through WILD, as of 5 June 2026):

So a non-resident planning a Fraser sturgeon trip buys the BC freshwater licence and the White Sturgeon Conservation Licence as a set. Add the non-tidal salmon conservation stamp only if you also intend to keep salmon from the freshwater river. The White Sturgeon Conservation Licence is the one people forget, and it is required to fish for sturgeon here.

How to get it

• Go to the Province of BC recreational freshwater fishing licence page and create a free Fish & Wildlife ID in the WILD system.
• Buy the BC freshwater fishing licence for your term, and add the White Sturgeon Conservation Licence.
• If you will also keep salmon from the freshwater river, add the non-tidal salmon conservation stamp (the Province of BC surcharge, in WILD). You do not need it if you release all salmon.
• Carry the licences while you fish (paper or on your phone). If you book a guide, confirm with them exactly which licences your trip needs.

The rules that matter

(Source: gofishbc.com white sturgeon angling guidelines; Province of BC; DFO Pacific, as of 5 June 2026.)

• The big caveat on salmon: salmon openings and limits on the Fraser are set in-season by DFO and change with the run, sometimes within the season. Check the current DFO Pacific notice before you go and before you keep any salmon. Treat the runs above as the usual window, not a guarantee of an open season.
• Barbless, single hook is the law for sturgeon, and a good habit for the salmon too. Clean your kit between waters.

Where to fish

This is a guided boat fishery for almost every visitor. The sturgeon hold in the deep channels, back-eddies and feeding holes of the lower, tidal river around Chilliwack, which are local knowledge. A guide anchors you over a known hole. DIY bank fishing exists but is for experienced locals, on a big, powerful river.

The lower Fraser is big, fast and tidal-influenced, and the productive sturgeon water is the deep holes and the slacker back-eddies that a local knows and a visitor does not. That, plus the size of the fish and the gear it takes to land one safely, is why this is a guided fishery. The water around Chilliwack, with Mission downstream, is the classic stretch.

What the water means for method

• The deep channels and feeding holes, fished at anchor: white sturgeon hold on the bottom. The guide anchors over a known hole and you fish the sturgeon rig baited on the bottom. This is the heart of the trip.
• The back-eddies and slacker margins: sturgeon hold out of the main push, and the salmon rest on the run. The same bottom rig works the slacker water; salmon come to drift-fished or float-fished roe and spinners.
• The bars and channel edges on a salmon run: chinook, coho and the cyclic sockeye and pink runs push upstream. Drift-fished or bottom-bounced roe, float-fished roe and spinners work the holding and travelling water, where DFO has opened retention.
• Bank fishing exists for experienced locals who know the holes and the safe access, but for a visitor the river is big and powerful and the holes are hard to find. Fish it from a guide's boat for a first trip.

Bank vs boat, and the time of day

This is a guided boat fishery. From the guide's boat you anchor a deep hole for catch-and-release sturgeon, or work the bars and channels for salmon when a run is open. DIY bank fishing exists for experienced locals only. For a first visit, book a guide: they supply the boat, bait and tackle, and know the holes.

Plain version: the sturgeon is the trip, and it is a guided, anchored, catch-and-release fishery best in the spring and, above all, the autumn peak. The salmon are a bonus when a run is in and DFO has opened retention, fished from the boat or, with lighter tackle, the bank. If you fish your own from the bank, you want local knowledge of the holes and the safe access. For a first visit, book a guide.

The decision table below is the core of the trip. It lives on the cheat sheet too. Read it as: pick your fish, pick where and when, and it gives you the rig.

The guide: book a Fraser sturgeon trip

For almost every visitor this is a guided fishery. The river is big and powerful, the holes are local knowledge, and lifting a giant sturgeon safely needs the right boat and gear, so book a Chilliwack-area sturgeon guide. They supply the boat, bait and tackle, and know the holes. Rates are on request and vary, so book through the operators below.

A guided day is the sensible way to fish the Fraser for sturgeon, and the only realistic way for a first visit. The guide anchors over a known hole, supplies the heavy gear and the bait, handles the big fish safely for a clean release, and tells you exactly which licences you need. DIY bank fishing exists but is for experienced locals who know the river.

Guided sturgeon trips (recommended, and the realistic option for a visitor)

Established Chilliwack-area sturgeon guides include:

• Johnny's Sport Fishing – johnnyssportfishing.com.
• Hooked Up Fishing Adventures – hookedupfishingadventures.ca.
• River Therapy Fishing – rivertherapyfishing.com.
• and others listed at riverfishingbc.com.

Book directly with a licensed Chilliwack-area guide. They supply the boat, bait and tackle, know the holes, handle a giant fish for a safe release, and will tell you exactly which licences your trip needs.

DIY bank fishing

It exists, but the lower Fraser is big, fast and tidal-influenced, the holes are hard to find, and a giant sturgeon is a serious fish to land and release safely from the bank. It is for experienced locals who know the river and the safe access, not a first trip.

Where to stay (and buy a licence locally)

To base yourself near the fishing, Chilliwack is the natural choice: it is the centre of the sturgeon fishery, an hour or so from Vancouver up Highway 1, with hotels, food and tackle, and Mission is just downstream. You buy the BC freshwater licence and the White Sturgeon Conservation Licence online through WILD, and a local tackle shop can help.

Stay near the water

• Chilliwack (BC) – the natural base, the centre of the sturgeon fishery, with hotels and rentals, tackle shops, food and easy river access, an hour or so east of Vancouver.
• Mission (BC) – just downstream on the river, near the CPR Bridge that marks the downstream edge of the White Sturgeon Conservation Licence reach; another handy base.
• Vancouver – if you would rather stay in the city, the fishery is a manageable drive, and many guided trips can collect or meet you.

Buy your licences online through the WILD system (the freshwater licence and the White Sturgeon Conservation Licence, plus the non-tidal salmon stamp if you will keep salmon). A Chilliwack tackle shop is a good moment to ask about the current sturgeon and salmon conditions.

The methods, and the rigs to build them

Two methods cover this river. For sturgeon you anchor a heavy sliding-sinker bottom rig with a single barbless hook, baited with roe, eulachon or lamprey, and release the fish. For salmon, when a run is open, you drift or bottom-bounce roe, float-fish roe or a spinner, or swing a fly for coho. Each links to its build page where one exists.

Map of fish, where and when, to a rig. The build instructions and the knots live on the rig pages, so I link rather than repeat them.

• White sturgeon, anchored on the bottom → sturgeon rig. A heavy sliding sinker on the main line above a strong leader and a single barbless hook, baited with salmon roe, eulachon or lamprey and fished hard on the bottom in a known hole. Catch and release: keep the fish in the water and release it. The page covers the right leader, the barbless hook and the safe handling.
• Salmon (chinook, sockeye, pink, chum), when open → drift / bottom-bounce roe and float-fished roe or a spinner. The Fraser salmon staple, worked through the holding and travelling water; on a guided day the guide rigs it. For any trolled work see the trolling rig. Only where DFO has opened retention.
• Coho and cutthroat on the fly → streamer rig. A streamer swung or stripped for the willing autumn coho and the clear-water cutthroat, a light-tackle change of pace from the sturgeon. A cast-and-worked spinner does the same job on spinning gear.

The knots these need are on the rig pages: the Palomar (the workhorse, for swivels and braid), the snell (the single barbless hook on the sturgeon leader), and the FG knot (the braid-to-mono shock leader on the heavy sturgeon outfit). Each rig page links the knots it uses.

Build your kit (the kit builder and the shopping list)

Pick your fish (sturgeon, salmon) and whether you are on a guided trip or your own boat or bank, and the kit builder trims the list and the rigs to what you actually need. On a guided sturgeon day you bring almost nothing; the boat supplies the heavy tackle and bait. On your own you need a heavy sturgeon outfit, and a light salmon outfit if you fish a run. No brands, no prices.

If you fish a guided trip: you mostly need yourself, your BC freshwater licence and White Sturgeon Conservation Licence (and the non-tidal salmon conservation stamp if you fish a run and intend to keep one), warm and waterproof layers for the river, polarised sunglasses, and a camera for the fish in the water. The boat supplies the heavy rods, reels, terminal tackle and bait. That is the simplest way to fish the Fraser.

That is the list. On a guided sturgeon day you bring almost none of it. On your own, build the heavy sturgeon outfit, add the light salmon outfit only if you fish a run, and buy generic terminal tackle in the right sizes; you do not need a named brand to catch a sturgeon.

A trip checklist

Before you go: pick the spring or, better, the autumn sturgeon peak, buy the BC freshwater licence and the White Sturgeon Conservation Licence (and the non-tidal salmon conservation stamp if you fish a run and want to keep one), check the current DFO salmon opening, book a Chilliwack-area guide, pack for the river, and note that sturgeon is barbless catch-and-release. Then print the cheat sheet.

Do this in order:

1. Pick your dates around the sturgeon peak. Sturgeon fish March to November, best in the April–June and (the best of all) September–November peaks. If a salmon run matters to you, line your dates up with it, and check the current opening.
2. Buy the two licences. The BC freshwater fishing licence (non-resident annual basic CAD $91.44 before tax, 2026-27) and the White Sturgeon Conservation Licence, both through WILD. Add the non-tidal salmon conservation stamp (the Province of BC surcharge, in WILD) only if you intend to keep salmon from the freshwater river. Carry them while you fish.
3. Check the current salmon opening (if you want salmon). Salmon retention is set in-season by DFO Pacific and changes with run strength. Treat the salmon as a bonus and confirm the current opening before you plan a salmon day around it.
4. Book the guide. For a first visit, book a Chilliwack-area sturgeon guide (links above). They supply the boat, bait and heavy tackle, know the holes, and will tell you exactly which licences you need.
5. Pack for the river. Warm waterproof layers, a buoyancy aid in a boat, polarised glasses, a camera. On your own, bring the heavy sturgeon outfit and a light salmon outfit if you fish a run (the shopping list above, trimmed by the kit builder, is your packing list).
6. Note the rules. Sturgeon is catch and release only, single barbless hook, kept in the water. Salmon only where DFO has opened retention. Wet hands, release carefully.
7. Print the cheat sheet and fold it into the box. Get the printable cheat sheet

Common mistakes

The big ones: trying to keep a sturgeon, forgetting the White Sturgeon Conservation Licence, buying the wrong licence (the federal tidal one instead of the BC freshwater pair), assuming the salmon season is open, and underestimating a big, powerful, tidal river. None is hard to avoid once you know.

• Trying to keep a sturgeon. White sturgeon are catch and release only here, no retention, with a single barbless hook required by law. Keep the fish in the water, slip the barbless hook out and release it. It is a protected fish, not a food fish.
• Forgetting the White Sturgeon Conservation Licence. You need it on top of the BC freshwater licence to fish for sturgeon in this watershed. It is the one people forget, and its revenue funds the conservation that keeps the fishery going. Buy it with the freshwater licence in WILD.
• Buying the wrong licence. The Fraser is freshwater here, so you need the BC freshwater licence (plus the sturgeon licence), not the federal DFO tidal licence used for salt-water salmon. Buy the freshwater pair for a sturgeon trip; add the Province of BC non-tidal salmon conservation stamp (in WILD) only if you keep freshwater salmon. That non-tidal stamp is the provincial one, not the federal DFO tidal salmon stamp.
• Assuming the salmon season is open. Salmon retention is set in-season by DFO and changes with run strength; some stocks and weeks are non-retention, and sockeye especially is often closed. Check the current DFO opening before you plan a salmon day, and treat salmon as a bonus.
• Going DIY on the bank for a first trip. The lower Fraser is big, fast and tidal, the holes are local knowledge, and a giant sturgeon is a serious fish to land and release safely. For a first visit, fish it from a guide's boat.
• Manhandling a big fish. Keep a large sturgeon in the water, support it, and never lift it by the gills or the tail. A quick fight on strong tackle and a careful release in the water are what protect a fish that may be older than you.

Frequently asked questions

The questions travelling anglers ask most about the Fraser: what is here, how big the sturgeon get, the catch-and-release rule, the season, the two licences and the prices, the guide, the salmon, the rig, and the kit.