Why Fisherman Caught Massive 10-Foot Sturgeon in Fraser River

March 4, 2025 TruthUSA

British Columbia’s mighty Fraser River twists its way down from the highest Rocky Mountains to the sea near Vancouver. Named by early explorers seeking new trade routes in the 19th century, the Athabaskan tribes called the river “Elhdaqox,” which in the Tsilhqot’in language means “sturgeon.”

Where the Fraser Valley opens into a wide canyon before dumping into the Pacific Ocean, fishing guides like Kevin Estrada capitalize on this still-pristine river’s robust population of prehistoric bottom feeders. The name of the Chilliwack-based operation he runs, Sturgeon Slayers, is misleading, because Estrada, 42, a former NHL draftee, is bent on conservation, tagging the fish he catches for recreation and then releasing them.

At 8 a.m. every morning, he is already on the water, taking clients upriver to the likeliest spots he figures the gargantuan sturgeon that have made the Fraser famous will be lurking. This has been his line of work for the past 17 years.

There are no dams on the river, he says, which means it’s bustling with food and connects with the ocean, making the Fraser a Mecca for some of the world’s largest sturgeon. Famous clients—including pro hockey players, YouTubers, and clothing line CEOs—constantly arrive at the doors of Sturgeon Slayers to escape their hectic and busy lives and reconnect their primordial selves with mother nature.

(Left) Nick Leddy caught a huge sturgeon, but this one was dwarfed by the 10-footer he caught on the last day of his trip; (Right) Nick Leddy (L) and Kevin Estrada on a recent sturgeon fishing excursion on the Fraser River. (Courtesy of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sturgeonslayers/">Kevin Estrada</a>) — (Left) Nick Leddy caught a huge sturgeon, but this one was dwarfed by the 10-footer he caught on the last day of his trip; (Right) Nick Leddy (L) and Kevin Estrada on a recent sturgeon fishing excursion on the Fraser River. Courtesy of Kevin Estrada

St. Louis Blues defenceman Nick Leddy fishes for sturgeon with Estrada semi-annually. On the final day of his recent four-day tour, Estrada told him to expect clouds and rain, while noting however that the changing precipitation held promise.

“The first three days, we got beautiful sunshine,“ Estrada told The Epoch Times. ”I told him, ‘If we’re going to get a big fish on one of these days, it’s going to be the last day. I got a feeling about the weather.’”

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