Catch of the Daley
A group of accountants from Kamloops will forever be in debt to the Fraser River.
Staff from Daley and Company Chartered Accountants helped reel in an 11-foot-long white sturgeon — estimated to weigh about 1,000 pounds — on a team-building fishing trip near Chilliwack on Friday, Sept. 21.
Fittingly enough, it was managing partner Norm Daley who first hooked the mammoth fish.
“That thing was huge,” Daley said.
“In the first few minutes, I had it on the line. I thought my arms were going to fall off or I would end up in the river.”
After about 15 minutes, Daley handed the rod to a colleague, who returned the favour about 15 minutes later.
Great River Fishing Adventures (GRFA) was leading the expedition and it was guide Jeff Welch who reeled the sizeable sturgeon in after a 50-minute fight.
“There was no way that one person alone was going to get that fish to the boat,” Daley said.
“It was truly a team effort.”
A few of the accountants and tour guides helped tag the fish with a microchip known as a PIT tag, used to aid research and conservation efforts.
Pectoral-fin clippings were also taken for scientific study.
Just two months ago, British tourists Michael and Margaret Snell caught a 12-foot, four-inch sturgeon on the Fraser with GRFA.
That monster weighed about 1,100 pounds.
The adventure fishing company’s owner, Dean Werk, was on the water for both record catches.
“It is really exciting to see another monster fish like this within such a short time period and this second catch is proof that our conservation efforts have been successful and that this is a sustainable fishery,” Werk said.
Daley chalked the trip up as one of the most valuable his firm has ever been on.
“We were looking for an opportunity for a team-building experience,” Daley said.
“This fishing trip brought us all together to celebrate a unique experience.
“It’s something we’ll never forget.”
— With files from Peak Communicators Ltd.
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