Well part two of our back to back weekends of stalking the Fraser River monsters is behind us and everyone left with big smiles. All of us weekend warriors did battle with sturgeon so no sturgeon virgins on either weekend thanks to Dean, Curtis, Davey and Jeff who all did an outstanding  job once again.

Saturday was cool and damp which slowed the fishing down a bit but first timer Chuck warmed up pretty quick with his first ever sturgeon which also turned out to be the weekend big fish at 7′ 1″. Chuck has a new found respect for the power of these fish as did everyone else that did battle with these incredible fish.

Day two started out nice and sunny and the fish were biting. Everyone’s numbers went up and the smiles got bigger, great job Group #2.

And who could forget the two ladies Dawn and Sabrina who love these fish so much they seem to have to give each one their own little kiss.

 Remembering a Great Friend and Fellow Guide

While we were away a great friend of mine and former Get Hooked Fishing Adventures guide Dave Ripley passed away from a very long fight with cancer. Many of you who had the good fortune to have him guide you or just have a chance to talk with him soon found out just what a character he was and that smile on his face was always there. He will be missed by me as well as the rest of the Get Hooked team. I am sure he is in a special spot where the fish are always biting. Please click on the the second picture, it is the Fishermans Oath and about says it all about Uncle Dave as we liked to call him.

2013 Fishing Season is Just Around The Corner

The opening day is May 15th for many lakes in the province. I hope that the ice will be off as still lots on the larger ones in our area. After a long long winter the fish will be a bit slow to start but shouldn’t take long to pick up. Please remember to stay barbless even if the law has changed it will be easier on the fish being released so that they will be there for future generations, thanks.

Remember to keep your hook in the water.

Keith

One Happy Group

Many of you may know Narish as one of Get Hooked’s guides and this past weekend he joined one of our annual groups heading out to Chilliwack BC in search of the mighty sturgeon. You might say they found them by the looks of this 8 Ft. fish. They even managed a triple header to start out day two, I even sent a text to Narish on Sunday and said that today was going to be a special day. All of the group had a great time and they are bringing home some terrific memories. Their guide Dean did an awesome job of making sure they went home happy, mission accomplished. I had a call from Narish and he has friends that did not make the trip that have seen the pictures can’t wait to head out next year. Great job guy’s.

Keith Hesterman’s group was all smile both days they were on the water inspite of the cold windy weather. This was their second year coming out to chase the white ghosts of the Fraser river. Last years trip was enough to bring them back for a second go at these incredible fish. The fish were biting a little slower day one but some good size fish were hooked and two of the group who were sturgeon virgins were no longer part of that club. Day two saw them ready for a new day and what a day it was. Lots of big fish close to 8 ft. and don’t kid yourself the 6 footers are no easy ride either. Close to 30 fish were caught between the three boats. The group wants to thank guides Dave and Curtis for a job well done.

Welcome Aboard

Myself and the rest of the Get Hooked Fishing guides want to extend a warm welcome to Daryl Watters our newest member to the Get Hooked team. Daryl is no new comer to the fishing industry. He has worked with Alberta Fish and Wildlife division for the last 40 years as a fisheries bioligist. He is well known around the province and we feel he will be a great asset to our team. Daryl will officially retire in June 2013.

Program Expanded and Now Rewarded

Last years river walleye data collection was such a huge success and surprised Fish and Wildlife that we have expanded the Data collection. Not only will we be measuring walleye this season we will be marking the fish caught to start to see where they travel. Total numbers of fish are also still a part of this important project undertaken by Get Hooked Fishing Adventures in co-operation with Fish and Wildlife. The F&W team has also had special pins made just for this project that guests will get for helping with the project.

Well myself and group two will be off to BC this weekend to try and surpass the great weekend group one had.

Take care and keep those hooks in the water.

Keith

New this Year

I just wanted to let everyone know that The Fishin’ Hole outdoor show and sale at the Mayfield Inn is no longer happening. Due to construction The Fishin’ Hole has gone back to The Edmonton Boat and Sportsman Show so if you are looking for great gear and great service head on down to the Northlands Expo Centre Mar. 14-17th. Some of my sponsors like Shimano, Power Pro, Jackall Lures, Scotty snd of course The Fishin Hole will all be there. I will be there all 4 days and in the Fishin’ Hole booth. Come on down to check out the latest gear from my sponsors. See you there.

Sturgeon Trip Update 

We have several boats booked for our two weekends in April. There is still room for more people if you decide to come along. Please see last months blog for more details (scroll down). It is always a great time and fun to meet new people, plus it will be green out there.

Helping a Friend

One of our long time corporate clients has asked if I could spread the word about a live and silent action plus dance taking place up in Bonneyville to help benifit his neice Leah. I have attached a link to the site that explains all the awesome stuff up for your bids.

http://huntforleah.shawwebspace.ca/pages

Take care and see you at the show.

Keith

Howdy folks

Well the wheels are in motion and we have already booked a few groups and individuals to join us on our annual Spring Sturgeon trip to Chilliwack BC. Now is your chance to catch that fish of a lifetime. 

The dates we are looking at are April 19- 22 and April 26- 29. I will be on the 26th weekend for sure.

Here is the breakdown for the trip.

• 3 nights hotel at the Coast Inn in Chilliwack
• 2 days all-inclusive guided fishing on the Fraser River
• 3 hot breakfasts
• 2 lunches on fishing days

The cost is :

• 2 people per/boat = $953.00 each plus 5 % GST (No more HST) = $1,000.65 per person.
• 3 people per/boat = $799.00 each plus GST = $838.995 per person.
• 4 people per/boat = $657.00 each plus GST = $689.85 per person.

So if you go as a group or want us to pair you up with others these will be your costs.

Not Included:

• Personal gear example: Rain gear, hat, warm clothing.
• BC fishing license ( we will know where we will fish a few days before we leave so we know which licenses to get)
• Evening meals.
• Airport transfers
• Transportation to Chilliwack. (I will be flying out on WestJet Friday evening of the 26th on flight WS325 and returning on the morning flight WS140 on the 29th. These are both direct flights to and from Edmonton.)
• Guide gratuities.

If you have any interest please contact us sooner then later to avoid missing out on a spot. Call Keith at 780-963-4279, toll free outside of Edmonton 1-866-963-1888 or email keith@gethookedfishing.com.

Cherers

Keith

Crazy Weather!!

Well as we are in the middle of another deep freeze I wanted to let everyone know that we have already started booking for the 2013 season which is early this year but great for the folks that know the dates they want and making sure they get them. Last year was a new record for us at Get Hooked and I want to say thanks to all of our guests for their support. This will be our 19th year in operation and we look forward to providing the same level of service you have come to expect. If you do have any dates in mind please feel free to call me or drop me an email.

2013 Spring Sturgeon Trip 

I have started to plan the annual Spring trip for the Grey Ghosts on the Fraser River. We usually head out late April before everyone gets to busy here at home. Last year saw everyone catch a sturgeon and share a lot of good memories with old and new friends. For the first time we had a lady win for the largest sturgeon. Dawn fought her fish for a good 40 min. and not once did she falter. That fish did not stand a chance. We had several “Sturgeon Virgins” on the two trips we hosted but they went home with some great stories.

The smiles on their faces should say it all. Please let me know if you have any interest in joining us for a great weekend getaway. I will be providing more details soon.

Get Out There For a Little Hard Water Fishing 

I have not iced fish for years as I usually head South but not this year so I thought I would give her a go. I love to just be out there and if I catch a fish it is a bonus. Well my first day out turned into just that. We caught fish right off the start and had a fairly steady day of bites and hook ups. I watched a flag fly and ran over to the tip up to set the hook, I didn’t expect such a solid set then big run by the fish. When her head crossed the hole the first time we were stunned at the size. I was able to get her through on the first pull which was nice, quick picture and back in. She weighed in at 23 lbs., awesome from a small lake 1/2 a mile from my home. If you get a chance and have not done it for a while give it a go again, I have been out a few more times and enjoyed the day. It is a great way to spend time with family and friends.

Well our 2012 fishing season has come to an end and what a season it was. Given that the weather was poor to start we finshed it with a bang making it our busiest year to date. I would like to thank all of you who booked with us this season and especially those that booked more then one trip it tells us we must be doing something right and we will continue to offer the best service we can.

Lake Wabamun Monsters

This lake produced some of the most incredible pike for our guests this season and it was very consistant. I am happy to report that I don’t think anyone went home without a smile on their face after a day on this trophy pike fishery. The largest pike was 43in. with a close to 20 in. girth but there were plenty of other fish very close in size. If you want to book a trip for these monsters the best time is middle of June till early August and start getting in shape now as they are line rippers not logs. Please click on pictures to enlarge.

These are just a few of the many big pike caught this summer.

Lac Ste Anne and Jackfish Lake Walleye

Both these lake produced well for us again this year. Things did get a little scary on Lac Ste Anne as the water temperatures reached 85.5 degrees one day which can be very deadly to fish populations. A couple of days of rain brought the temp. down and everything was good again. We still continue to limit our fishing on Jackfish Lake to week days in June and early July due to the boat traffic this lake now has. I and I am sure many other fisherman wish that the big ski boats would show more respect for the smaller watercraft that are fishing. We had a geat day with the OJ Pipeline crew on Lac Ste Anne with lots of laughs and some pretty good fishing. Jackfish lake is still producing some very nice walleye as well.

The River 

What can I say other then we thought we were never going to get on the river this season what with all the rain and mountain run off. It wasn’t till Aug. 18th that we finally got on it that is close to a month behind when we are usually on it. It took a little while for things to pick up but over all we did well this season. As many of our guests know they helped us collect data on walleye for Fish and Wildlife as well as numbers of fish caught. I can now tell you we boated a total of 2,851 fish between Aug. 18 and Oct. 28th. The SRD was very pleased with the data you helped collect so a big thank you to you all. The biggest pike caught was a 41 in.brute and had guest Dave Bussey working hard to get the fish in and on an ultra light to boot. Stephanie Krause was a very close second with a 40 in. pike and she also caught a good looking 25 in. walleye that made her and her Dad’s day one they will not soon forget. Big walleye were around the 31 and 30 in. range and the smile on the faces of those that caught them told the story. Glen from Kemway Construction said it was his biggest fish ever and boy he was excited even almost knocked me overboard, LOL. Many people fished as family’s on the river this year and opened the eyes of their kids to what a wonderful place they have in there own backyard.

Here are a few more great fish.

In all it was another great year and with all of us practicing ”Catch and Release” it will ensure that we have these fish here for many years to come. Once again a big “THANKS” from all of us to you. We are now taking bookings for the 2013 season so remember to get them in early to avoid disappointment. Have a great winter everyone and see you again in 2013.

“Remember to keep your hook in the water”.

Keith

Well Summer is almost over and the time of year when many of you like to get out fishing is fast approaching. We finished off our lake season with some great pike, all I can say is that if you have not tried it with us you should. The picture you see here is a 42′ long and 17″ around monster we picked up as the last fish of the day. Between coaching this young fisherman, staying out of the reeds and keeping the waves from coming over the bow it was a busy time in my boat.

We are now back on the river after a very long wait, longest in my 18 years of guiding but we are so happy to be back on it. The fishing has been not bad and we are burning up bait on the many goldeye in the river. Some very nice ones being caught as well as some very healthy walleye. Throw in pike, sauger and a very fat sucker and you have a very nice mixture. The icing on the cake has to be catching our third Brown Trout in the last two years. Crazy to go 16 years and never catching any and then get three in less then a year. This may be a great brown fishery one day.

We are pleased to be collecting walleye data for the SRD this year and we are getting our guests involved with it as well. It gives them a chance to be part of helping make sure that the right data is being collected for our fishing future. So far our guests have enjoyed being part of the project.

September and October dates are filling up. The following dates are still open in Sept. They are the 4-6th, 10,11,13,17,19,24-26th and 30th. In October there are more open dates but the 3,6,9,11,12,15,19,20 are booked up so far. You can call us to see if there are any single boats available but so far as large groups we only have the dates posted as open.

Hope that helps with the latest update and we look forward to seeing you on the water this Fall.

“Remember to keep your hook in the water”

Keith

Dates ar

Well after 18 years of slow July’s we had our best ever this year and it was thanks to the many of you who came out to see what the lake part of our season was all about. I don’t think anyone went home disappointed after catching some giant pike or good numbers of walleye there were many smiles on our guests faces. It was also awesome to see how many folks were new to fishing and wanted to see what it was all about, many of them are “HOOKED” now.

This past week Gordon from Calgary caught his fish of a lifetime with a 41 inch long and 15 inch around northern pike, as well his grandson and Gordon caught 8 pike over 33 inches that day. Randy in his boat with guests John and Kim from Texas caught 8 fish as well over 33 inches in a half day. They were even looking at real estate after their trip.

Even though we have not been on the river for sometime now we are hoping we will be soon. In my 18 years of guiding the North Saskatchewan river I have never seen it this high or muddy this late in the season. We are praying that the rain storms that drop inches and not millimetres stop soon.

OJ Pipelines Trip a Huge Hit

We had the chance to host OJ Pipelines for a day on the water in early July. They had a great crew of 17 guys out and everyone had a lot of laughs and caught fish at the same time. Paul Stuckless Cooperative Safety Manager at OJ Pipelines had this to say about their day with us.

“On behalf of O.J. Pipelines’ management I’d like to thank Keith and the guides from Get Hooked Fishing Adventures for an excellent day on the water. You run a class act!

Our guys from all across the country are still talking about how impressed they were to have fishing this good…this close to Edmonton

We’ll definitely be back”

We hope that others companies will join our growing list of satisfied corporate clients.

Congratulations to Randy Bertrand

I am pleased announce that our head guide Randy Bertrand who is the past Economic Development Manager for the Town of Devon and a Tourism Leader has been named Travel Alberta’s Alto Ambassador of the Year. This is a very highly recognized achievement in the Tourism Industry. Many of you that have had Randy as your guide know what an excellent person he is.

New Fisher People Are “Getting Hooked”

We have noticed an increase in the amount of new people trying out fishing for the first time this year, and they love it. Karen and her three daughters travelled to Alberta to enjoy the Calgary Stampede, the Rockies and fish with us at Get Hooked. Ahmad and his family and Martin Baclig’s family are all now officially fisher people.

Why Wait For Fall Do It Now 

September and October dates are booking up. I have the following dates open. September 4-6, 9-13, 15-19 and 24-28 are all open still and some limited space for the other dates. In Oct. it is open except for the 3,9,11,12,19 and 20th which are all booked up. please avoid disappointment by calling now and booking your Fall trip when fishing goes crazy.

Take care and keep your hook in the water.

Keith

Well things certainly have heated up fishing wise on the many of the lakes we fish in the local area while we wait for the river to settle down. It won’t be till the end of July by the looks of things and still lots of run off to come off the mountains.

June started out slowly as everything was about two weeks behind and the water was slow warming up but as the month wore on it picked up for large pike in Wabamun and the walleye action in Lac Ste Anne is crazy right now. Guest Bryce was all thumbs up with his nice 37 in. pike that had him holding on for dear life as it took one run after another. Brian here from Ireland with pal’s Mark and Berry boated a giant 39.5 in. fish before heading to the airport. He had some great memories of fishing in Alberta to take home. There have been many days of pike fishing that had at least 3-9 big pike caught creating a air of excitement in the boats waiting for the next one to hit and run.

If you are interested in getting out there in for a great day of fishing fun let us know and we will take care of you all the way.

Remember to keep your hook in the water.

Keith

Well it is officially fishing season and the fish are biting.

With the water temperatures starting to warm up and the spring spawn now over the fish will start to feed heavy after a long winter. Just over two weeks ago the water temps. were in the low 40′s and fishing was slow and in the river walleye were still leaking having not quite finished their spawn. But last week our numbers in both the river and lake increased considerably. The river is out fishing the lake for now but this will all change as we still do not have any sign of the mountain melt and it is late this year.

The river is yielding goldeye in pretty good numbers but they are as many of you know bait stealer’s and can sometimes frustrate even the best angler. At the very least you will be getting bites. The walleye bite is very soft and they don’t seem to commit to it but that is changing every week and the numbers are on the up swing. The odd pike is being caught but no monsters so far. This spring we had an unusual bite happen. We might get a Burbot or two in the Spring but this year it was crazy for them. This is a good sign as both Pike and Walleye feed on them.

Great Early Summer Lake Action

As for lake fishing it continues to get better and better. Three weeks ago Fish and Wildlife milked walleye in Lac Ste Anne and sent the fertilized eggs to the Cold Lake hatchery. They harvested 10 million eggs and 7 million hatched. They are releasing 6,500,000 fry and 5000,000 fingerling’s into Lake Wabumun. They hope to one day return this gem of a lake into the world class walleye fishery it once was. With the water temperatures climbing the pike are becoming a lot more aggressive. We had a half day trip with Mark from Australia and he boated 20 fish and two where in the high 30 in. range. If you have not fished this lake before give it a try you won’t regret it.

Time to Book That Fishing Trip

If you have any fishing dates in mind please give us a call sooner then later to avoid disappointment. With the weather getting warmer the phone has been ringing with bookings. If you want a Fall spot please have it booked by no later then the end of the month as it sells out every year and after last years great fishing we are sure that it will only improve more.

Take care and hope to see you this season. Remember to keep your hook in the water (: )

Keith