Back to the badlands we go.
Once again, we embarked on our annual Sturgeon fishing trip to the South Saskatchewan River last weekend. I had spent weeks preparing and planning for this four-day quest, making sure I had everything for our trek east. We camp along the river so its vital that you pack all the essentials and arrive prepared. Last year we arrived later in May, which was not good for the fishing. They open the dam on the May long weekend, which made the water levels way high and fast. This year we wanted to catch it right on opening day, when the water was low, enabling us to access more of the river system. I triple checked my gear and off we headed Friday, May the 7th at noon.
Tony and his friend Paul arrived at my house at 11:30AM. We stacked up the gear in Tony’s truck and off we went to pick up the jet boat. After the three-hour drive southeast, we disembarked at the boat lunch with high hopes and decent weather conditions. The sky was cloudy but no rain in the forecast for the day. We filled the gear into the boat and down the river we went, enthusiastic and hopeful. We arrived at a spot we called “Juno Beach” back in 2019. We pulled up on the beach and I had said, “welcome to Juno Beach boys” and the name stuck. This year, we wanted to get here early, before the water tables rose too high making this spot inaccessible. This year the water levels were even lower than in 2019, enabling us to fish this fantastic stretch of river. At first, we set up camp on the beach, but after the wind picked up, we thought it more advisable to relocate up higher on the bank, which would offer us more sanctuary from the wind. We had plenty of time to set up, as the river system was not open for fishing until midnight, May the 8th. We fired up the camp stove, cooking up some deadly hamburgers for the first meal of the trip. Afterwards, we headed down to the shoreline and rigged up our rods before it got dark. Waiting until midnight to launch the bait into the river was tough, but we chatted around the fire to pass the time before we could fish at the strike of 12AM.
Night One.
After impatiently waiting for two hours, for the clock to strike midnight, the agonizing wait was finally over. I had baited my hooks up using my light that was beside my lawn chair, wrapping two worms on the bottom hook and one on the top. It was finally 12AM and we simultaneously fired our worms out into the darkness. The gruelling wait was over, and the fishing had begun. Tony had brought glow sticks for us, which we strap to the rod tips with small zip ties, making it easier to detect bites at night. It was not long before the worms had entered the river, Paul had bites and set the hook into a fantastic Redhorse Sucker, which are abundant in this river system. Not the species we were targeting, but a great start, nonetheless. “On the board” I yell out to Paul, congratulating him on a good start. I was sitting close to my rod, on an angle to detect the slightest bite, as the wind had picked up at this point. I wanted to make darn sure I picked up on even the slightest bite, as sometimes these fish only suck up the worms, making it hard to see they are biting.
Fish On
About forty-five minutes after twelve, my rod started moving and I could clearly see I was getting “love”. I slowly got out of my chair and picked up my rod, making sure I felt the weight of the fish; the fish still chomping the worms before I set the hook. As I reeled in the slack line after picking up the rod out of its holder, I felt a strong bite and quickly set the hook into the fish. As soon as the fish was onboard, I knew I had a Sturgeon, a big one at that. Feeling that initial weight is what I describe as, “setting the hook into a bus”. The fish went on an immediate reel screaming run taking me for a serious ride into the night. He headed for deeper water in the middle of the river, and all I could do was hang on tightly for the ride. I yelled at Tony to help me stating “Oh yeah baby, that’s what we are here for”. After several reel screaming runs in total darkness, and some wild rolls, the fish was tired enough to reel in closer to shore. By this time, Tony was already out in the river waiting to assist my catch. We could see that the fish was wrapped up in the line, which is kind of scary, as the fish can roll and snap the line on the Sturgeon rig, breaking the rig and breaking your heart. Tony acted quickly and unwrapped the fish, permitting me to reel in this amazing fifty-inch Lake Sturgeon. We do not weigh these fish, and we hardly have them out of the water for long, but I would guess this beast was pushing fifty pounds or more. An amazing first fish for me, and a memory I will cherish for life. Huge thanks to Tony for the perfect aid on this bruiser!
After comprehending what I had just caught, I sat back down in my chair and re-baited my hook, sending it back out into roughly the same location in the river I had made my first cast. In the pitch black of night, you really have no idea where the bait is landing in the river. What seemed like fifteen minutes that passed, I could see my rod was getting love! Once again, I gently picked up the rod making sure the fish was there, and wham-o, my second fish of the trip was onboard, this time a 30 inch “baby”. A quick picture and I sent him off back into the river to grow bigger for next year. What an astounding start to the trip! Both Paul and Tony congratulated me on two stunning fish. We are all supportive of each other and there is no room for jealously amongst us. I will simply not fish with those kinds of anglers! I rebaited and off into the darkness my worms went once again. As I sat down, I said to Tony, “If that’s the only two fish I am going to get all weekend, I am super happy”. The “fish God’s” had bigger plans for me however!
I put two worms back on the bottom hook, cause after all, it was working so “why fix it if it’s not broken” right? Another long cast upriver and my bait settled on the bottom perfectly once again. The five once pyramid weight was impeccable for the low water levels. I sinched my line up and placed my rod back into the holder as this party was just getting started. By now it was 1:30AM and I was starting to get sleepy. That is normally way past this old man’s bedtime! It was getting hard to concentrate on my rod tip, but the orange glow stick on my rod was soon moving again. No time for sleeping at the wheel, as this next fish would test me big time. My rod popped up hard, getting me up out of my seat abruptly; this fish was hungry and there was no playing around. I set the hook hard, and it was on. I yelled loudly again, “TONY”. Immediately this fish was peeling line, testing what strength and stamina I had left in my tank. Some fish do not put up much of a fight but this one put up nine, line peeling runs which probably lasted ten to fifteen minutes. Forty-five inches in length but strong, so stupid strong. We had been fishing for just over an hour, and I had three epic Sturgeon. Big huge respect to Tony for helping me with each fish I landed. It was getting late, and I was getting very exhausted, so I decided to head back up to the tent and retire for the night. What an amazing start it was!
The First Day
After a cold windy sleep in the tent, we awoke to forty kilometer an hour winds and rain. I had a difficult time getting out of my warm sleeping bad Saturday morning. Once I finally shook off the cobwebs, I got out of the tent and fired up the camp coffee on the old Coleman stove. There is just something about camp coffee that cannot be beat! Perhaps it was the rain and cold that made it taste that much better Saturday morning. I slept in till 9:30AM, as the forecast was not in our favor. I was dog tired from all the work put in on Friday. Tony and Paul were already up, on the beach fishing. It was not long after the coffee was ready, that they decided to come up for breakfast and a warm cup of joe. We filled our bellies with eggs, bacon and sausages before going back into our tents to take refuge from the pelting rain and strong winds that had kicked up. We chatted and waited for the wind to die down a little before going back to the beach and going for a ride in the jet boat to evade the wind and resume fishing.
We loaded up the rods, bait and chairs and headed off to the other side of the river where the wind was being blocked from the high hoodoo hills. After setting up shop there, we fired the bait down into the river, pulled up our hoods on the rain gear and waited patiently for the next fish. It was not long before Tony got action on his worms, landing this great Sturgeon pictured below.
I also was able to land a small fish in this stretch of river as well. We stayed for a few hours and moved again to another spot above where we were camped. Switching locations like this can often be fruitful, as there are many fish in this river. I never really like to stay in one spot too long, as other places in the river can be more productive. Off we went to a new spot which proved to be productive, getting us a few fish including a big one that jumped on Tony, spitting his hook. We stayed here until well past dinner, returning to camp at 7:30PM. I fired up the stove and prepared us steak, baby potatoes and corn on the cob with all the fixings. An epic feast for three hungry fishermen was appropriate. After our feast for kings, we returned to the beach and resumed fishing, which proved to be not very profitable. Tony and I had felt the low pressure that came in Saturday morning had turned the fish off somewhat. Often, when the water temps go down, it will turn the fish off from feeding! After several hours of fishing with no bites, a large fire was in order. Paul prepared the wood and got the fire going for us. I left my chair beside the river and decided to dry out my coat, which was soaking wet beside the fire. Its amazing what a campfire will do for the spirits when its cold! It was not long after I warmed up, I was off to bed for the night. I took me a long time to warm up after getting into the sleeping bag, as I was wet and cold all day. I was smart and brought a fleece blanket with me on the trip which proved to be a lifesaver for me at night. I wrapped the blanket around my torso and my head, keeping the warmth from escaping into the cold, crisp night air. That blanket was detrimental both Saturday and Sunday night, as overnight temperatures dropped below zero both nights.
Day Two
After getting a decent rest Saturday evening, despite my air mattress popping overnight, leaving me sleeping on hard ground, I awoke to breaking clouds and snappy cool air. I was cold but there was camp coffee awaiting as I fired up the stove to make us all coffee. Lucky Tony had brought a spare air mattress, or I would have been sleeping on the ground Sunday night. Smart move Tony, very smart move! Once again, we feasted on breakfast before heading back down to fish. At this point in the trip, Paul had yet to catch a Sturgeon. Both Tony and I were cheering for Paul the whole day, with not much action for him the entire day. I managed to catch a Goldeye and a Redhorse sucker but no Sturgeon. It was not till after dark, that Paul finally got to feel the power and strength of his very first Sturgeon. A bucket list fish was finally in his hands, making both Tony and I super happy for him. After congratulating Paul, it was time to retire to bed once again.
The Final Day
After freezing the night away, despite clear skies and watching falling stars and satellites fly over before bed, I awoke to sunshine and warm sunny weather. Figures it would warm up on our last half day. I wanted to wake early, as I had to leave at noon and be back in Calgary for 5PM, as I had a guided fishing trip Tuesday. We all fished for a few hours in the morning without any bites. It was time to pack up and head back to the boat launch unfortunately. I loaded all my camp gear into my truck at noon Monday, and departed the boat launch back for Calgary. Tony and Paul had a few hours to shore fish, so they decided to stay a little longer and see if they could get a few more fish, but it was just not meant to be. Another fantastic trip was history!
The memories made and the fish caught once again will be cherished for a lifetime. My only regret was I could not stay another four days! These fish are captivating and will always draw me back every year. I feel we are blessed to have these species of fish here in Alberta, a mere three-hour drive from my doorstep. Huge thanks to Tony and Paul for the laughs, the great food and the amazing fish. It was a total blast, and I absolutely cannot wait to do it once again. I highly recommend targeting these amazing creatures, so if you ever get the chance, jump at it and do it!
The Gear
The gear used on our trip is as follows.
- Ugly Stick Catfish rod, 8foot MH 2 piece.
- Penn Battle series II 5000 spinning reels
- Power Pro 50lb Moss green braid
- 50lb Sturgeon rigs with 5 and 6oz pyramid weights (tied by Mr. Tony C.)
- Jumbo Dew worms (60 pack trays)
*One thing to note about the worms. Its best to have a designated bait cooler with you on your trip. Keeping the worms cool with ice in the cooler will prolong the worms when you are fishing multiple days*
~Mike
