It was their first father-son fishing trip to Chilliwack and they landed one of the biggest dinosaur fish on record.
Paul Jarvis and his dad, Ron Jarvis from Atlanta, Georgia picked the Fraser River in hopes of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Paul, 19, ended up hooking one of the largest white sturgeons known to have been caught on the Fraser.
"In the first few minutes I had it on the line I couldn’t believe the weight and power of the fish.
"I am a big guy and I could barely hold on to the rod let alone begin to reel the fish," he recounted.
He and his dad worked in tandem to reel it in for more than an hour, say guiding officials with Great River Fishing Adventures.
It was more than 11 feet long and 880 lbs, which makes it the fourth giant sturgeon caught in less than two years, said head guide Dean Werk of Great River Fishing.
"It is really exciting to see a fourth monster fish like this within such a short time period. It is proof that our conservation efforts are successful and that this is a sustainable fishery as we have seen increase in population for past two years," said Werk.
The Jarvises were thrilled.
“Managing that fish became a true father and son challenge," added Paul. "As I battled the fish my dad handed me water to keep hydrated and he even held on to my fighting belt and harness.
"When I saw that head come out of the water it was massive.”
The Great River crew scanned the fish and found it had not been previously tagged.
They measured the fish and applied a PITT tag to the left side below the head of the fish for conservation efforts.
They picked the Fraser River on purpose.
Ron Jarvis explains: “When I called an American guide company on the Columbia River in Washington, I asked if you could go to one place for a trip of a lifetime."
He was told the biggest fish were found on the Fraser.
"I knew the trip was going to be great but never thought we’d hook a 900 pound sturgeon!”
jfeinberg@theprogress.com
Twitter.com/chwkjourno