BRITISH COLUMBIA – A fishing trip in Canada led a Maplewood woman to an impressive 11-foot, 4-inch white sturgeon catch that guides believe could be a world record for the largest freshwater fish caught and released by a female angler.
Katharine Eckert caught the massive fish on the morning of June 30 in the Fraser River near Chilliwack in British Columbia.
Fishing company Sturgeon Slayers recently shared several photos and videos of Eckert’s experience, capturing the enormous size of the fish and key moments from a 40-minute effort to reel it in.
Sturgeon Slayers tells FOX 2 that the fish measured at 11 feet, 4 inches in length with an estimated weight of 1,100 to 1,200 pounds. The company considers the catch a potential world record for female anglers, based on available sturgeon fishing databases, though that record has not been independently certified.
Still, Eckert tells FOX 2 it’s unlike any fishing experience she’s ever had before.
“I remember thinking, ‘My gosh, this is really hard,'” said Eckert in a phone call with FOX 2. “Once we got it closer to the boat, seeing it come out of the water a little bit, and realizing, ‘Oh, we have something really incredible,’ … I was in shock, but also grateful for the experience.”
Photo Courtesy: Sturgeon Slayers
For Eckert, the adventure was years in the making, even if she never expected it to result in a potential record-setting catch.
She grew up fishing with her father, often for catfish and bass, but she had never attempted anything on a significantly larger scale.
She’s also long been fascinated with prehistoric-looking fish, so much so that she got a sturgeon tattoo and named her dog Caviar, a reference to a fish’s eggs.
Eckert tells FOX 2 she planned her sturgeon fishing trip after seeing our 2024 story about former St. Louis Blues defenseman Nick Leddy landing a massive fish with Sturgeon Slayers.
“I saw that article and thought, that would be really cool to do sometime,” she said. “Just something different to do on vacation rather than going to the beach or whatever.”
She added, “I like doing outdoorsy stuff, so that was kind of the reason for the trip, just to go out there and try to see something. I had no idea we were going to be catching [a sturgeon] that big.”
Joined by her boyfriend, Justin, and Sturgeon Slayers founder Kevin Estrada, Eckert said it wasn’t until she got into the water alongside the fish that the magnitude of the experience really sank in.
“The pictures don’t really do it justice,” said Eckert. “Being in the presence of something that big in the moment is definitely something I’ll never forget.”
Photo Courtesy: Sturgeon Slayers
Photo Courtesy: Sturgeon Slayers
Photo Courtesy: Sturgeon Slayers
Photo Courtesy: Sturgeon Slayers
Photo Courtesy: Sturgeon Slayers
Photo Courtesy: Sturgeon Slayers
As remarkable as the catch was, Eckert said another aspect of the experience made it even more meaningful.
The fishing trip was centered around conservation and research efforts, with Eckert’s sturgeon tagged before it was released back into the river. The tagging helps researchers monitor the species, better understand the population and support efforts to protect its habitat.
“We were able to tag the fish and measure it, knowing that is going to help this species and the health of the environment. I think that is really important,” she said.
Eckert said her arms were certainly sore the next day, but the experience left her with lasting memories of British Columbia’s scenery and an unforgettable experience of coming face-to-face with such an enormous fish.
“It was a really awesome experience,” she said. “I hope it inspires other people to go sturgeon fishing up there in British Columbia.”
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