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The River Rat Web Page
A bad day fishing is better than a good day working!!
December 10, 2001
The Old River
Rat on the American
River
I'm glad to be an American!!
God Bless the USA!!!
Take a look at our Family Fishing trip
to Baja!……. Click Here
Take a look, my nephew went to Baja and
caught a big one!……Click Here
December
10 - Haven't updated the site because I haven't gone fishing due to the weather
and water conditions. Hopefully things stabilize soon and I'll start going out
again. Jack Bishop did go out over the weekend. He went to his boat at Antioch and didn't have
any luck. He did sent me the picture below which I thought I should share. If
you do not know what a Mitten Crab is, this is one. The aren't ver big, about
6-8 inches in total diameter including their legs. They are very aggressive and
take a good look at their pinchers, the are tough and appear to be made like
the root of a tooth, Thick porcelain on the outside and a small hollow shaft
down the middle. If they get a hold of you, watch out because the pinchers
don't break easy. Jack said he had over a dozen on and got about 8 of them to
the boat. In past years, we would get one or two to the boat but not 8. Looks
like we are going to have real problems using bait for either Stripers or
Sturgeon this year.
November
23 - Went to Brannen
Island and met my nephew
Dave and his stepson Michael. We started by moving out of Three Mile Slough and
into the Sacramento River at the point of Decker Island. We went about 300,
maybe 400 yards and Dave had a fish on, a 13 inch Striper. We trolled a little
farther and we got another on about 20 inches. Then we got one about 23 inches.
Then the wind came up and we decided to go to cover and bait fish for a while.
We went into Three Mile Sough, found a nice area with some cover and started to
fish. It was just before the top of the tide and for about two hours we did
real well. We landed about 10 Stripers, three were keepers and just had a great
time. By the way, we had NO problem with Mitten Crabs. I was told they would
not let your bait alone but they really didn't bother us at all. At any rate,
we had a good day, got some fish, got out of the wind and apparently missed the
rain and real wind by about 24 hours.
November
19 - I'll bet you thought I was going back to the Dredger, no matter what I
said. If that was your bet, it was wrong. This morning I went out to the Port of Sacramento for Stripers. Went out two
hours before high tide and left two hours after high tide. Glen and I trolled
broken back lures. We used a lure I got from Universal Telescopic, the P-Line
Predator and a Broken Back Rebel. At the end of the day, the score was 3/0. The
Predator hooked and landed three fish, one 20", one 21" and one
24". In addition, it also attracted two hits that did not stick. The Rebel
got one hit and that was just as we started to pull our lines in to go home but
NO fish. Stay tuned to see how the Predator works after two or three more
outings. I will keep you posted.
November
15 - Went out this morning with Jack and his son Jack. We fished the Dredgers,
Clay Banks and the Island but didn't land a
thing. The did have 4 fish on but didn't land either of them. There were a lot
of dead fish floating in the river and the river is really starting to smell.
Guess this was the last trip for Salmon for the year. Looks like it is time to
switch to Stripers. My next trip will be to the port
to try and determine how to fish it. If someone is familiar with the port and
is willing to tell me any secrets, please email me and let me know what you
can. Need to know when to fish, where to fish, what to use, how to use it and
anything else you might feel is important. I have provided information all year
long and now I am asking for some help. What ever you can do will be
appreciated.
November
14 - Took my nephew out this morning, need I say any more? Fish'n Dan did have
some luck. He and Ray Eagleton of Sonora
had two nice fish, a hen about 25 pounds (below) and a buck. In addition, one
other boat had two fish. Really not much action. Looks like the run is coming
to a conclusion. Really not a good year but I will try at least one more time,
tomorrow. Check out the action then.
November
13 - Thought I would try again this morning even though the weather was not
suppose to be to good. Guess I should not have been so concerned with the
weather and more concerned with the fish cooperating. Got on the water early (4:00) and got off early (8:00). Plus, I didn't get a bite. The
only fish I know of was Bob Peters, he landed three, one nice hen about 21
pounds and two red bucks. He was still fishing when I left so maybe he got
more. I didn't even see fish in caught or hanging in the Sacramento.
November
12 - Well, some of you might think I'm nuts but I can assure you I am
completely sane. I woke up this morning at about 3 am and there was no wind and it was not raining so, I
thought I would go to the river. Got to Discovery Park,
the gate was locked and Joe was waiting. Finally about 4:15 am we got in. Went directly to the fallen
tree, go my stuff ready and started my first troll up stream. Went all the way
up to the flat and just before the snag, my rod loaded up. After about 5
minutes I landed a fairly clean but dark buck about 25 pounds. I put my line
back in the water and trolled all the way to the resort (trailer park). Turned
around and started down. Got just past the same snag on the flat and again my
rod loaded up. This time a big RED buck about 35 pounds. Fished another half
hour and the wind started so just a little before 6 am I pulled things in and went home. At this point, we
are in the middle of a storm. The wind is gusting to over 35 miles per hour and
it is raining cats and dogs. Good thing I got off the river.
November
9 - Had another DYNAMYTE day today. I was suppose to have company but due to
unforeseen circumstances, he didn't make it. Started out at 4:00 am at the fallen tree. Went just past
Earl's hole and my rod loaded up. Landed a small Jack. Then put my line back in
the water and got to the Clay Banks and was talking to Bob Peters and my rod
went off again, another Jack. Then the sun started to come up and I put on one
of Uncle Larry's lures. Didn't go 100 feet
and had another one on, this time a 15 pound buck. Made another pass and
changed to the Pink & Pearl Uncle Larry's
spinner. Went down about 200 yards and had another one on, a buck about 17
pounds. Then traded to the secrete weapon, and landed one more buck about 15 pounds.
That’s right, 5 fish in the boat today. In addition, Bob Peters landed 3 nice
fish, Daren Houx landed one nice fish, see below and there were a few others
caught. Not a bad day all around.
November
8 - Today was one of those you wish would be everyday. I didn't do anything
different but the results were great thanks to Uncle Larry. Hooked 5 landed 3
and had the best results with Uncle Larry's Lures,
Green & White and Pink & Pearl. For some reason they just could not
miss. Really wish I knew why. The morning started off with a bang. I started
trolling lower in the Dredger than I normally do and when I got to the top of
Earls Hole, I got my first fish, a 25 pound buck. Then when I got to he snag in
the middle of the flat between the Dredger and the Clay Banks, I got another, a
20 pound buck. Then some time passed and I changed from glow in the dark to
regular lures and hooked and lost one. Then at the deepest part of the hole
above the clay banks I hooked and landed a beautiful 13 to 14 pound hen. Then I
hooked and lost one more, this time it got around my trolling motor and broke
off and took my one and only Uncle Larry's Special, hand crafted lure. I also
had two more bites but they did not stick. Not a bad day, just hope tomorrow is
half as good. There were other fish caught, Uncle Larry had one or two, Bob
from Sonora
had two and two other boats had one each. I understand all the males from the
town of Sonora
were on the river today and the women must have had a sewing guild meeting.
They were 4 Sonora
boats on the river but they really didn't hurt the fish very much!!
November
7 - Took Kenny Johnson out this morning. We went up to the usual place, through
real thick, low fog, to the Dredger and started to fish. After passing the
fallen tree, we hooked and landed a nice 24 pound hen. We fished for the rest
of the morning and didn't get another bite. Fishing wasn't bad but the FOG!!
was terrible. Hope this was not a sign for the future but you know it is about
time for the fog to start. Lets just hope it is time for the rain as well! We
need all we can get.
November
6 - Went out this morning with the intention of trying GetsIts. I used them
from 4:00 am until about 6:30 am without a bite. Strange, the
other guys have been getting 5 to 7
fish a day on them but not me! Only saw about 4 fish caught, so I guess it is
starting to wind down. Lots of fish jumping but also lots of RED fish. Fished
spinners and flatfish until about 8:30,
then started home. If the wind dies down, I will try again tomorrow.
November
5 - Went out this morning about 4:00 am
and was looking forward to a great day. For a change, it was!!! I put my secret
spinner on and trolled for about 45 minutes without a bump. Then I decided to
change to a flatfish and within 50 feet was moving out to the center of the
river fighting a fish. This one was about 13 pounds and I put her back. Made
another pass without a hit and then my rod loaded up again. This time an 18
pound hen. She was bleeding so I kept her. Made a few mor passes, changed my
flatfish to regain the smell and no sooner did I put it in the water and I had
another one on. This time a 14 pound hen. She started to bleed from the gills
as I was trying to dislodge the hook so I had to keep her. Now, it was 5:50 am and I was cleaning up to go
home. Not a bad morning, HA!!!
November
2 - Took Rich Rider out for an early morning of fishing. We were at the hole
and fishing by 4:10 am. By
just about 4:30, Rich was
fighting our first fish. He fought it for about 20 minutes and finally landed a
buck about 30 pounds. Then there was a lull. We went back and forth for some
time and finally we got another one. This time he was able to handle the fish
with ease, a 15 pound buck. We had one other hit but that was it. The sun came
up and it seems when that happens the fish stop biting. We fished for about
another hour, cleaned the fish we had, went down to the Sacramento made one troll with no luck and
went on home. Good Job Rich!!
November
1 - Took my nephew David out this morning and only got one bite. I had the fish
on for a few minutes but I wanted to practice my long line release and it
worked just fine. He fought for a while and then just came unpinned. There were
a few other fish caught, Fred and his clients had three and Bob Peters got two
and there was another boat, a white Star Craft that had two at the very bottom
end of the Dredger and after we passed them they got one more. That was it at
the Dredger. Now, Amigo got a beautiful 30pounder (actually 29.8) in the Sacramento River. There were LOTS of fish in both areas
but they just didn't want to bite. Till try again tomorrow.
October
31 - Went up to the Dredger this morning. Fishing was slow. I got a nice buck
that weighed 25 pounds, Danny got two fish but don't know how big, Uncle Larry
got one at the Dredger about 24 pounds and one in the Sacramento about 28
pounds, Bear got one about 35 pounds and Don Peters got one abut 18 pounds. I
believe that was it, not much action but it sure was a beautiful day after the
rain yesterday and NO FOG!!!
October
30 – Didn’t go out today. The weather was just too bad when I woke up at 3am. It was windy and raining so I
thought it would be best just to go back to bed and enjoy the relaxation. Looks
like tomorrow is suppose to be the same and if so, I will not got out tomorrow
either.
October
29 – Went out this morning and when I got to the Dredger, Cliff had just landed
his second fish and was packing up to go home. I thought I was going to have a
great day and started to troll from my usual spot. After about an hour I hooked
a buck about 15 pounds but he was red and slimy so I released him. This
happened two more times before I decided to go home. There were a lot of fish
jumping but they all looked dark. I hope this is not the beginning of the end.
October
26 - Took my good friend George out this morning and to show you what a good
friend he is, I even let him catch the first fish and the last fish. We got to
the Dredger in the dark and he proceeded to hook and land a nice 12 pound hen
before I even knew what was happening. Then the fun began, he hooked another
one and as usual for people who fish with me, he practiced his long line
release. Then after letting him get a good start, I hooked up and landed an 8
pound buck. Now, George was not satisfied to just catch an equal number of
fish, even though he had an additional fish on, he had to show off and hook and
land another one, a 7 pound buck. What a guy!! We had a good time and he even
offered to let me take him out again.
October
25 - Went out this morning with Jack Bishop and John and Angelo Pucci, the
"P" in PLine. We got on the river at about 4:30 am and started fishing about 4:45 am. It wasn't 10 minutes and we
had one on. Angelo had the hot rod and he landed a 14 pound hen. It wasn't
twenty minutes later, and we had another one on, this time a 12 pound hen. Then
we got another one on and John attempted, successfully I may add, his long line
release. Boy he is good at that. Well, we fished until sun up and then moved up
river but didn't get another fish. Finally we started down river to go home and
John got another one on. He fought the fish for about 40 minutes, got it up to
the boat and again practices his long line release. We had a great time and
they went home with 2 nice fish.
October
24 - Boy, I bet I screwed up today. The weather report said we were going to
have winds 30+ miles per hour so I got up this morning and checked for wind
before hooking up the boat. At 3 am
it was WINDY so, I went back to bed. Now it is 6 am and the wind has died down and it is beautiful I
should have gone fishing but too late now to go to the river, at least for me.
I'll bet they had fish jumping in the boats. Anyway, no report today but just
wait until tomorrow.
October
23 - Went to the river with my nephew and his stepson Micahel. Yesterday I
killed then, today we didn't get a bite. There were some fish caught but it
just was not in the cards for us. Below is a picture of Guy with his 35 pounder
caught in the Sacramento.
As I said, some fish were caught.
October
22 - Decided to do something different this morning, go fishing. Went to Discovery Park, put the boat in and started out
for a morning of fishing. Got to the hole and started my 1st troll
and felt lucky but not a touch. Trolled down stream and again nothing. Then
started up stream again and my rod doubled over, I set the hook and the fight
was on. This fish was STRONG! I couldn't control him. He was up stream and down
stream. He was jumping on the surface and then dove for the bottom. After about
15 minutes I finally got him up so I could see him and he was as silver and
bright as a silver dollar. I got him to the boat and put him in the net and I
thought he could be the biggest fish of the year for me. I moved back over into
the slot and started trolling again. About two passes, I was looking for the
bottom and had my reel in free spool when my line started to rip out. Like a
dummy I put my thumb on the reel and burnt it. I started cranking, set the
hook, the fish made two runs and was gone. What a shame. Then I started another
pass and got another fish on. This time I set the hook three times, moved to
the middle of the river and again had a major fight. This fish was a twin to
the first fish. As I was taking ht fish out of the net, I looked down stream
and there were about 12 boats and they were all converging on the area where I
had caught the fish. I decided to go up stream and get away from the other
boats. I fished until sun up before I got another hit. This time it was a nice
buck a few pounds lighter than the first two. I got two other hits but nothing
stuck so I decided to go home. Not a bad day, three fish, 36.4 pounds, 33.8
pounds and one about 28 pounds. I weighed the 36 and the 34 but guestimated the
28. Below I am weighing the 36 at home. You won't see a brighter fish for the
rest of the year and this is a buck!!!!
October
19 - Jack and I went out this morning. We went to the lower Dredger and had no
luck but Uncle Larry got two while we agonized over what to do. After a little
more than an hour without a hit, we decided to move up stream. We started our first
pass and my rod loaded up. It felt like a big fish but we never saw it. It was
on for enough time for Jack to put his rod away, grab the net and get ready,
then it came unpinned. We made another pass up and one down and on the next
pass up my rod loaded up again. This time we landed a nice 15 pound Hen, just a
beautiful fish. Then we continued to troll. By the way, I was using a glow in
the dark secret weapon. The sun came up without any other action and by 8:00 am we started down stream, not
getting anything else all the way to the dock.
October
18 - Left the house this morning at 3:30
am and got to Discovery
Park only to find the
gate still locked. While waiting for the Ranger, I got the boat ready and was
prepared to make a fast get away form the dock. The gate was opened and about 9
of us made a mad dash for the boat ramp. I was up river and fishing at about 4:20 am. I fished the area around the
clay banks until 6 am and I
didn't get a bite. The only fish I even heard of was caught by Dave and was
about 8 pounds. I decided to go up river and fish the Island.
I got there and started to make my first pass using a flatfish and guess what?
FISH ON! After a few minutes I landed a beautiful 23.4 pound hen. She still had
scales so I kept her. Then I proceeded to finish my first pass up stream and
nothing else. Turned around and started down and guess what? FISH ON! This time
I was just below the Island in that deep water
and what a fight. Finally I landed a buck in the 28 to 30 pound range. He was
also very clean but I put him back. I fished that area until about 8:30 am without any other action, All
the while watching fish on the fish finder and watching them jump all around
me. I started down stream to go home and put on my daylight secret weapon. I
trolled down the flat and over to the Dock area and was about 3/4 the way to
the power wires when my rod doubled. Another buck about 20 pounds. Could this
happen again? Went under the bridge and started trolling the deep area below
the bridge. On my finder, there were 4 or 5 nice marks and I hoped one would
cooperate. As they got to the middle of the screen, guess what? You are right,
FISH ON! This time a nice clean buck about 14 pounds. I put him in a bag and
went home, it was already after 9:00 am.
Not a bad day, two on flatfish and two on the secret weapon. Below is a picture
of the first fish I got this morning, isn't she beautiful?
October
17 - Went out this morning with Kenny and Jack. Little did they know, I had a
secret weapon. Yesterday while I was putting my boat on the trailer, Joe
Martucci was also in the parking lot. He had caught a number of fish lately on
double bladed spinners. I gave him some static and he gave me a dual bladed
Silvertron and a glow in the dark double bladed Silvertron. He said that he had
not tried the glow in the dark in the American River
but it really worked on the Sacramento.
I didn't tell Jack and Kenny that I had these killer spinners. We got up to the
lower Dredger and I slipped out the secret stuff and told them I was sorry I
was going to get fish while they watched but sometimes you have to do these
things. I was only kidding because I hadn't caught a fish on a spinner all
year. Well, I put my line in the water, just so happened that Joe Martucci was
right behind us, we went about 30 feet before my rod loaded up. I set the hook
and moved the boat out into the middle of the river not to interfere with the
other fisherman. After a few minutes, I landed a 14 pound buck. After putting
him on a stringer, I made a loop and started the same troll. Again, not more
then 50 or so feet, I had another hit. I set the hook once, then again and on
the thrid set, the fish was gone. Never the less, that was not even one full
pass and we had one fish. We moved about another 50 to 75 feet and my rod
loaded again. This time I set the hook and it stuck. We again moved out into
the river and landed a 22 pound buck. Joe, those spinners do work in the
American as well as the Sacramento
and they are no longer secret stuff. Well, we fished the rest of the day
without another hit but it was still a good day. When we left, Danny had two,
Jim Howes had one, Uncle Larry had one, Amigo had one, Joe Martucci had one and
Chuck and his wife had two. The American produced a few fish early but it sure
died and the Sacramento
produced a few fish much later in the morning.
October
16 - Went out with my nephew Dave this morning and it started out like gang
busters. On each of the first three passes, he hooked up. Now landing the fish
was another story. I really didn't realize it but, I think he is the master of
the "long line release". The first two fish he released by the long
line method. The first one was at the boat and he initiated the release, the
second one was a much bigger fish, by feel we did not see the fish, and again
he initiated the long line release. Then on the third fish, he gave me a chance
to net it. It was a clean fresh 8 pounder. Now, the rest of the morning was
just a boat ride. We didn't get another bite in either the American River
or the Sacramento.
October
15 - Went to the lower Dredger this morning. Not a lot of action but a lot of
boats. At one point I counted 22 sets of lights. The sum total of fish that I
counted or anyone told me about equaled 4. I got one about 14 pounds, Uncle
Larry and Gregg had two fish, one about 10 and I did not see the other and Bear
got one about 15 pounds. That was the extent of the action up the American. In
the Sacramento
it was also slow. I talked to Kenny and Amigo and they said that they saw about
6 fish caught, neither of them got anything. There had to be 50 or more boats
in the Sacramento,
so the odds were not very good.
October
14 - I don't fish on the weekends but Toni's friend and her husband fish when
ever they can. Below are two pictures, one from Fridays catch and one from
today's catch. From left to right, Friday they got this 48 pounder and today,
Saturday, they got this 46 pounder and by the way she also got a 20 pounder and
a 25 pounder to boot. Great job Jeannette and Roy Kline!!
October
12 - Went back to my same old place today and fishing was great but catching
was sparse. There were about 12 boats at the lower Dredger and Clay Banks and
only one fish, a 22.1 pound buck was taken by yours truly. I also lost a nice
one. Every one that I talked to had NO fish and had NO bites. When I got to the
dock, about 9:00 am, Uncle
Larry was taking his boat out and he hadn't seen a fish caught either. Even the
people fishing the Sacramento
were complaining because it was so slow. Guess I should be happy with one fish
and one lost but it really should be much better than this right now. I have
not seen it this slow in mid October for more than 10 years.
October
11 - Jack Bishop and I went out this morning. No, it was not like yesterday. In
fact, we fished until 8:00 am
and didn't see or hear of a fish being caught. That is until we did it. We were
trolling along side of the guide, Steelie Dan's Hook on Guide Service, and I
told Jack, "wouldn't it be nice if we could hook a fish right under his
boat?" We laughed for a minute and sure enough my rod went off. After
playing the fish for abut 10 minutes, we landed a 21 pound buck. The only fish
we saw caught all morning. What a difference a day makes!!!
October
10 - Jim Howes and I went out this morning and what a morning it was, that is
until 5:30 am. We went to
the lower Dredger and made one pass without a hit. Then on the second pass, the
third pass and the forth pass, we landed fish. At 5:30 am, we had landed a 9 pounder, a 14 pounder and a 15
pounder. Only one more fish for a limit. Now, you may be asking yourself, what
is different about today compared to the last two days. The answer is simple, I
had a clean red shirt and I was able to wear it. As indicated previously, that
is my lucky shirt. I have not missed when wearing it. At any rate, we fished
the Dredger until about 9:00
but couldn't get one more to stick. We had four or five hits but not stickers.
Now, while we were trying to get our forth fish, Uncle Larry got two fish, Don
got two fish, Al got one, someone I didn't know landed a big one. Uncle Larry
said it was 43 pounds and last but not least is the picture below, which really
doesn't do the fish justice, JD with a 40 pounder that took him over 40 minutes
to land. Well, at 9:00 we
went down to the Sacramento
and decided to make one pass. We trolled down and were on our way back up, just
about at the mouth of the American, when I told Jim we had about 40 yards to
go, we were going to pull in and go up a little ways and then got home. I
barely got the words out of my mouth when Jim's rod loaded up and he landed an
8 pounder, which filled our limit. Not a bad day after the last two skunks.
October
9 - Took my nephew Dave out again today. Sorry to say, this was the first time
in two years that I have taken him out and we got SKUNKED. Guess he wasn't
paying attention. I did have one on for a few minutes but he jumped and out
came the flatfish. That constituted the action for the day. We went down to the
Sacramento River and we did not see a fish
caught trolling. A few were caught jigging but none that we say legally caught.
October
8 - Went out this morning and things were SLOW. Fished the lower Dredger and
nothing so I went up stream. Fished the Dock and the Island
with no luck so I started back down stream. Got to the lower Dredger and Cliff
had three fish, Don had two fish, two other boats had one fish each and two
boats had nothing. Then I was sorry I left. Went to the mouth and there wasn't
much going on there either. The people I talked to said it had been real slow.
Didn't see a fish hanging when I came by all the jiggers. I left at 8:30 so something might have happened
after I left. I am waiting for some pictures of a catch from Friday. You won't
believe your eyes.
October
5 - Went out this morning feeling like I was going to have a great day. When I
left I was sure the fish were going to be jumping in the boat but after about 5
hours on the water without a bite, I guess I was incorrect. There really wasn't
a lot of fish caught in the American River, Bob Peters caught one, Uncle Larry
did it again on his Pink and Pearl Spinner, he is killing them on that
color combination, and I saw two other fish hanging. On the Sacramento
River there were a few fish caught, Bob Peters caught a 24 pounder
there as well, but it has really slowed down. Now for exciting part. George
Sarkisian had a friend visiting from Chicago
and Jim Siemens took them out. Val caught a beautiful 18 pounder. He got the
hit, set the hook, played the fish and landed it by himself. This was a first
for Val. Below is a picture of Val And George holding the 18 pounder and a 24
pounder.
October
4 - Took Jack Bishop and Ken Johnson out this morning. Started fishing about
4:30 am and Kenny had the first fish in the boat by 4:50, a 14.6 pound hen. Then we waited about a
half hour, had two or three bumps before Jack landed a 17.8 pound hen. Last but
and least, it was my turn and sure enough, before the sun came up I landed a
14.2 pound buck. Three fish in the boat, one for each of us, the sun was not up
yet, what a start for the day. That was the start and the finish. We fished
until almost 10 am and
didn't land another fish but not a bad day!
October
3 - To sum up the days activities, one word says it all SKUNKED!!!!! Now for
the rest of the story. There was only one fish caught in the Dredger. Uncle
Larry got a beautiful 28 pound hen. Uncle Larry also got a 12 pounder at the
mouth of the American
River and finally he went
up to the marina and using his Pink and Pearl Spinner, got a 32 pound
Hen. Amigo got one nice buck, about 25 pounds and Kenny got three nice fish
from 15 to 29 pounds, all in the Sacramento River
between the mouth of the American and the tower. The bite was not hot, not as
good as yesterday but some fish were caught. Will try again tomorrow.
October
2 - Took my nephew Dave out this morning and went directly to the lower
Dredger, fished it, then the Clay Banks, then the Island, then the Dock, then
the Clay Banks again and NO FISH. We must have seen 20 or more boats and we did
not see a fish caught and we didn't get a bite. At that point Dave told me he
had filled his cooler with ice, which he never does and got two bags to boot.
Now you know I am not superstitious but you DO NOT change your routine when it
is successful and ours has been. I just don't know about some people. I was
wearing my red shirt because I have not missed getting fish when I wear it and
I even gave him the flatfish that has not missed once this year. At any rate,
it was getting late so I decided to go to the Sacramento and try there. We got to the mouth
and there were at least 150 boats from the mouth to the I Street Bridge.
We made one pass down stream with no luck and started up when I looked at my
watch and told Dave he had 20 minutes until we had to leave. At that point, he
said, in a quite voice, "Uncle John I got one on". I looked up and
sure enough his rod was doubled and he was fishing the fish. He landed a nice
24.7 pound hen. It was 9 o'clock
and we had to go so we gutted the fish, put it in a bag and left for the dock.
Nice job Dave, you saved the day, we have not gotten ------- yet!!!
October
1 - Got on the water about 4:15 am
and went up to the Clay Banks. As I approached, Marty and Bud had one on. I put
my line in the water and trolled up and made the turn. About that time, I
passed Marty and Bud and they said they had 3 fish. As I passed them, my rod
loaded up and I had a major fight on my hands. I fought the fish for about 10
minutes before getting him up to the boat and what a fish. I was a 30+ pound
buck, the biggest fish I have had all season. I released him and made a few
more passes but didn't see another fish caught. Then I left for the Island. I made a few passes and Bob Peters came up. On
his was down on his first pass, he hooked and landed a beauty. Then it was
nothing again for about an hour. Bob left and as he was going down stream my
rod loaded up. Within an hour I had landed four more fish, two about 7 or 8
pounds, one about 20 and one about 16. I released each on them and then could
not get another bite. On my way down, I saw Uncle Larry at the lower Dredger
and he had three on the stringer and had lost two. Danny had at least two, also
at the lower Dredger. Then at the mouth, Kenny had two, Amigo had one, Joe
Martucci had one and Indian Charlie had one. It really was not a bad day.
September
28 - George I and Glen went to the Port for the first time today. We trolled
for stripers and had minimal luck. George got 3, 1 of which was a keeper. Glen
got one keeper and I didn't get a hit at all. Guess this is the same as Salmon,
you have to put in your time before you start to get anything. Will try again
in a week or so.
September
27 - Bob Morrison and I went out this morning to see what the fishing god would
bring. We started at the lower Dredger and got one about 7 pounds. The action
was really slow, only one other fish that we knew of and a lot of boats started
coming in so I decided to move up stream. We went up to the Island
and had a ball. We landed two more, lost two and had two other good hits but
they did not stick. Bob ended the day a happy camper. The fish were 7.2 pounds,
14.6 pounds and 17.7 pounds. Not a bad day Bob!!
September
26 - Got to the gate this morning before the Park Ranger. He opened the gate at
about 4:15 am and I went
directly to the ramp, launched the boat and was on my way. I fished the lower
Dredger and the Clay Banks for about an hour and a half with now luck. Uncle
Larry was there as well and his luck was the same as mine. I decided to go to
the Island. Fished there until almost sun up
and still not even a touch. Then went down to the dock and made two passes in
the dark and then change to a gold and orange K14. Now, that made a difference.
I didn't go 50 feet and I had one on. I landed a 16.6 pound hen. Put her on the
stringer, rewrapped the K14 and started again. Made one pass up stream and on
the way down got another one. This was a buck about 19 pounds and I put him
back. Stayed there until about 7:30
and then started down stream. Didn't get another hit all morning. When I got to
the mouth, Uncle Larry told me there were a number of fish caught trolling in
the Sacramento.
At the dock, Amigo and Kenny were there. Kenny had two and Amigo had two.
September
25 - Took my nephew Dave out on the River this morning. We got there early and
were the only boat in our immediate area. We made one pass and I told Dave we
were coming to one of the Honey Holes and sure enough, his rod loaded up. He
landed a nice 12.4 pound hen. Then Danny Layne of Fish'n Dan's Guide Service
and one of his clients came along and it seemed that each time we would catch a
fish, they would catch a fish. And the fish were progressively getting bigger.
Finally after about 3 hours on the river we both had limits. Dave and I had four
fish, equaling 70 pounds. One 26.2, one 24.3, one 7.1 and one 12.4 pounds. Now
Danny and his client, Mike Gilliam of Twain Hart, got the prize. Mike landed a
36.7 pound buck. They also got one 17.7, one 8.3 and one 9.4 pounds or 72.1
pounds. What a great day for both of us and we didn't have to fight the crowds.
At any time, there were no more than three boats in the area. From left to
right, Dave, yours truly, Mike.
___
___
September
24 - Went to my old stomping grounds, the Clay Banks and started fishing around
4:15 am. I made two passes
before another fisherman arrived, Uncle Larry. I didn't get a bite but he went
right through my trolling pattern and guess what, a fish. He hooked and landed
an 18 pounder, while I couldn't get a bite. I made about three more passes and
finally got what I was looking for. I was talking to John Martucci and my rod
went off. This fish was not very cooperative. He just didn't want to come to
the boat. After drifting down river about 200 yards I finally got him to the
net, a 23.2 pound buck. I had one other bite but it didn't stick and that was
it. Bob Peters got one about 15 pounds and they were the only fish I saw in the
entire lower Dredger all morning.
September
21 - Went out this morning hoping to catch just one fish but as luck would have
it, NOT EVEN A BITE. Fished from 3:45
am until just about 9 am
and had nothing. Only saw one person catch a fish, Uncle Larry and he was a
hog. He got three nice fish the biggest about 28 pounds while the rest of us
watched. Guess I had my string of luck and I hope next week will be a good one.
September
20 - As usual, this morning I went out to try my luck. Went up the Clay Banks
and started fishing at 3:45 am.
I put on my favorite glow in the dark flatfish and started up. I didn't go 50
feet and I had a fish on . At first it seemed to be a jack but as it got closer
to the boat it started to fight harder. I landed it and it was a beautiful buck
about 18 pounds and I put it back. I got things back in order and started down
stream, you guessed it, another fish on. This time it started to fight right
away. After a few minutes, I landed a chrome bright hen about 14 pounds and put
her back as well. I thought this was going to be my best day of the year. I
fished the Clay Banks for about another hour with no luck so I moved to the Island. Fished it for about an hour and a half with no
luck and moved to the Dock. Fished it for an hour with no luck and decided to
move to the Sacramento River. Fished it until 9:30 and decided to go home. Couldn't
even get one bite after 4:30 am.
September
19 - Went out again this morning. Fished all the spots in the lower Dredger
before light as well as the area around the Island
and no luck. When the sun came up I changed to a spinner and in the first pass
got hung up and lost it. Then I put on the good old standby, silver with a
green bill flatfish. That’s what it took, as soon as I changed, I got a 12.7
pound hen. That was the only bite of the day.
September
18 - Took Andrew Hayes out this morning. We have been out 4 times in the past
and he has never caught a Salmon in my boat. He put on a flatfish, NO wrap, NO
scent. I asked him if he wanted a wrap or some shrimp butter but he declined.
Never the less, I was dedicated to getting him one today. We started out at the
lower Dredger and the first hit was on my rod. A quick fight and I landed an
8.3 pound hen. I was disappointed that he didn't catch it but I was not about
to quit. We fished for about another half hour and then decided to go up to the
Island. We got up to the Island
and it was still dark so we put glow in the dark lures back in the water.
Finally the sun came up and we still had not got another hit. I told Andrew to
put some shrimp butter on his a flat fish because I knew he would do better if
he was attempting to attract a fish using all three senses, sight, sound and
smell. He picked a purple flatfish with a hot tail and did put some shrimp
butter on the bill. About 30 minutes later he set the hook and fought and
landed an 18.4 pound buck. It made my day. We tried to catch another fish for
about another hour and a half with no luck, so we went home. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!
September
17 - Got on the river early and fished hard for a long time. Fished the lower
Dredger, the upper Dredger and the Island
without any luck in the dark. Changed to Silver and Green Flatfish when the sun
came up and made a few passes at the Island.
There were fish there but they had lock jaw. After about 5 passes, I finally
got a hit, set the hook and really had a fight on my hands. It took about 10
minutes to get the fish in and when I did, I was disappointed. I thought it
would be about 30 pounds but it was only 18.5 pounds. Never the less, it sure
was fun to have a fish that size fight so hard. I fished about another two
hours but not other luck. When I got to the dock, I was told that two other
fish were caught in the lower Dredger and about 5 fish were snagged at the
mouth.
September
14 - YAHOO!!! Went out this morning to try my luck again. Got to the dock at
about 4:30 am and went
directly to the Lower Dredger. Made a few passes without any luck, then I saw
Grant trolling up stream and I was going down. As we passed, my line got slack,
kind of like I lost my lure. Then I felt a slight tug and I set the hook and
set it again. At that point I guess I upset the fish and he took off. He make
three long hard runs and came about half way back each time. Then he seemed to
give up and came right to the boat. I got the net and started to guide him into
it and he really didn't like that. He took off again but this time only about
20 feet. He did this a couple more times and I finally got him into the net, a
18.4 pound buck. I changed flatfish, got back into my trolling pattern and put
my line out. About 4 passes later I came up to another boat and just as we
exchanged greetings, my rod loaded up. I hollered "fish on", because
we were not more than 5 feet apart and he pulled in his line and lifted his
motor. Boy I appreciated that. The fish took off toward shore and made an
immediate U turn and ran right under his boat and out to the middle of the
river. I put my motor in gear and went out into the middle with him so that
others could fish without worrying about my fish. I have to tell you, these
fish are hot. This one made two or three long runs and then came to the boat
but would not let me net her. I would get her in position and she would dive. I
got lined up again and she would run out. The only thing to do was to wait
until she laid on her side and floated to the top and finally she did. I put
the net under her and she was mine, a 14.2 pound hen. She was really spent and
I tried to revive her so I could put her back and keep fishing but she must
have had too big an adrenaline rush and she was not responding. At that point,
I put her in the box with the buck and started home at about 5:50 am.
September
13 - As I primised yesterday, I went to the American River
this morning. I got on the water at 5
am and went directly up to the Lower Dredger. Made two passes
without even marking one fish on the finder, then just as I started over the
hump at the top of the hole, it happened. I got a hit, set the hook and the
fight was on. I fought the fish for about 5 minutes and got it to the boat
twice, only to have him make another run. Then I got him to the boat one more
time and he spit the hook right at me and went on his way. My thought was
"at least I finally got a hit". Then I fished until light and changed
from glow in the dark lures to silver and green. Made about two passes at the
clay banks and got another hit. This time the fish pulled right out into the
middle of the river and was so hot that I really could not control it. She made
about two more runs and I got her to the boat and into the net. A beautiful,
silver hen 13.8 pounds. Finally the first fish of the season. Then I started
trolling down river and at the willows, got another hit. Set the hook and
landed a 5 pound jack, put him back and that was it for the day. I fished until
about 9:30 am without
another bite. Needless to say, I was a happy fisherman. Three fish on, two
landed and broke the ice. Tomorrow is another day!!!
September
12 - Jim and Jack went down to Isleton yesterday and got a few stripers but
they also say about 20 salmon caught and saw many, many jumping in the area.
Based on their report, I went to Discovery
Park and fished the Sacramento River, WRONG!! When I got to the boat ramp, I
saw Dan and he said he was going to go up the American River.
This was great because if he fished the American and I fished the Sacramento we would have
all the bases covered. The only problem was, Dan got three nice fish in the
American and I didn't get a bite in the Sacramento.
In addition, I only saw two fish caught and there were about 25 boats in the
area. You are right, tomorrow I go to the American.
September
10 - Got word yesterday that the fish had arrived at Verona, so this morning Jim,
Jack and I went to Verona, rod in one hand and net in the other. Marvin and
Tinsel had caught 9 fish over the weekend and today was going to be our turn,
or was it? We got on the river at "dark o'clock" and fished until 10 am. Jack caught a catfish about
6" long on a flatfish and neither Jim or I even got a nibble. Guess the
fish have not arrived at Verona
after all. Will go to Discovery
Park on Wednesday.
September
8 - Couldn't catch a Salmon so thought I would try something else. Was invited
on a business trip with my nephew Dave. We went out of Moss Landing on the
Kuhuna for a day of Albacore fishing. The name of the boat was enough to scare
me from the beginning and it didn't let me down. When we got to the fishing
grounds and put the lines in the water, it wasn't three minutes until those
exciting words were shouted "FISH ON". When I looked over at the
rods, three rods in succession started to bend, my rod being one. Not to bore
you with the details but the other two fish were landed and I was still
fighting my fish. It just wouldn't come back up to the surface and finally, the
line broke!!! How could that happen? It was 80# test and the drag was set so
that the fish could take it if he wanted it but "my fish was lost".
Our initial impression was that fishing was going to be great but it was
actually somewhat slow. They landed 5 fish from 22# to a little over 35. Take a
look below for the catch. Dave Caught two, Michael caught two and Ewa caught
one. Naturally a lady beats me!!!
September
7 - Went to Verona
with Bob Peters. Thought this might change my luck and it did, but not for the
better. We tried anchoring and drowning flat fish, trolling flat fish, spinners
and spoons, as well as back trolling for a mile or so. All without any luck. I
had my first take down in two months but it did not stick. I guess that is a
start.
September
6 - Went to Discovery
Park and tried again. I
did not get a bite but, it was much more promising than normal. I saw two fish
caught right out in the middle of the Sacramento,
one caught just below the tower in the deep hole and two caught in the mouth of
the American River. Now, that is a change but still
nowhere near where it should be.
August
30 - Got up about 3:30 am
and got things ready to go. This was another of those days when I felt the luck
just oozing out of my pores. I got dressed, got the boat loaded and took off.
It was beautiful when I left my house but when I got to the boat ramp, it
seemed a little windy, never the less, I got things ready and proceeded to put
the boat in the water. As I started backing the boat down into the water, it
started to slide sideways off the trailer. The wind was catching it and was
blowing it sideways even before it was entirely in the water. I stopped for a
minute, took a look at the situation, contemplated what I should be done and
decided to go home. I pulled the truck up to the landing, put everything away,
put the bra on the boat, so she would not be flapping in the breeze, and went
home. Now, I won't have another chance until next Thursday, September 6. If I
hear of anything going on in the mean time, I will post it, otherwise look for
my report on the 6th. Guess the luck that was oozing was BAD!
August
28 - Well, I hate to sound like a broken CD but today was another day just like
the others. Got up early, felt good about the days fishing but NO FISH! Went to
the American River because Jim and Dick have been
going to the Feather with the same luck. Thought I at least would get a bite
but no such occurrence. Guess I need to do something different but I don't know
what. If you have any suggestions please pass them on. At this point I feel
like I have missed something but cannot put my boat on it. Will try again on
Thursday or Friday.
August
22 - Well tried again. This time I went to the American River
and went directly to the Dredger holes. Guess I should have stayed home.
Another day SKUNKED!! Guess this year is going to be bad from start to finish.
Didn't even get a bite. On my way out, talked to the guys at the mouth of the
river and they said there were two or three fish caught but all were snagged by
jiggers. NO fish were caught trolling.
August
21 - Jim and his neighbor went to Verona
and their luck was the same as mine has been. They didn't get a bite. They saw
about 22 boats and only one fish caught and another fish was caught according
to the Fish and Game. That's about one fish per 22 rods, assuming 2 people in
each boat. Not so good!!
August
20 - Got back from Pennsylvania
on the 17th and didn't have a chance to go fishing until today. Got
Jim and Jack and went to the Feather River
because I was told it had the only Salmon around. NOT!!! When we got to the
parking lot in Marysville there were already about 14 vehicles, this was at 5am. I thought, "self there are
fish here or there would not be so many vehicles so early". WRONG!!! Went
down the river in the dark and fished from about 5:30am until almost 10am.
No runs, no hits and no errors, something has to happen to have an error. We
saw about 25 to 30 boats and only saw two fish and both were snagged by
jiggers. I know this is not a good report but maybe Wednesday will be better.
July
25 - After a great trip to Baja I thought my luck had changed so I got up early
and went down to Discovery Park for a morning of catching. Unfortunately, my
luck had not changed and I didn't even get a bite. I talked to five other
fishermen and none of them had a bite either. In addition, they have been
fishing both the Sacramento
and the American Rivers for the last week and have not
seen a fish. I also talked to Jim Siemens and he said that he had been fishing
the mouth of the Feather with the same results, NO FISH! Checked out Barbara's
Web Site, Bob's Bait, and there is very little going on down there. She said that
there were two Sturgeon and a 45 pound Striper caught last week but that was
the extent of the action. Guess I am early, late, it's too warm, too cold,
water is too high, too low, or something, I just don't know. This is just a
strange year and I hope it gets better. I will not quit trying so stay
tuned!!!!
July
11 & 13 - Will combine these two days because the results were the same,
although on the 13th, Friday the 13th by the way, I had
company, Jim Siemens. Went out both days at around 4:30am and fished until about 8:30am. Fished the lower and upper
Dredger and each day got NO runs, NO hits and NO errors. There is something
wrong though because each day there were lots of fish on the finder in at least
two spots, at the dock and just below the island. We watched them but could not
get them to hit.
July
9 - Jim, Jack, Sharon and the bunch chartered the New Keisa and went out on the
Bay. They tried for Halibut all morning and just got 3 fish in the 10 to 12
pound range. Then they decided to catch some fish and started fishing for
stripers. In about 45 minutes the boat limited out, 28 stripers between 8 and
14 pounds. Although the Halibut bite was not hot, the stripers sure were. Below
is a picture of Jack with his two stripers and a Halibut, as well as a picture
of Jim and Sharon with their catch.
July
6 - Went out early this morning to try to get that all elusive first salmon.
Started about 4:15am and
fished until just about 9:00am.
Didn't even get a bite. I did mark some fish (salmon?) at the Upper Dredger but
couldn't get them to cooperate. All was not lost though, I did sit very quietly
and watch 3 deer, two does and a buck on the side of the river. That's what
makes the American
River so interesting. You
see all kinds of wild life and you are in downtown Sacramento.
June
27 - Went back to Discovery
Park to try again. Got
there a dark o'clock and started fishing immediately. Fished until 9:15am and NO FISH. Not even anything
to report except I got another flat tire on my boat trailer, which almost
ruined my day.
June
25 - I thought today was going to be the day. I left my house at 3:30am and went to Discovery Park.
I put the boat in the water and was at the lower Dredger Hole by 4:15am. I wrapped a flatfish and
started fishing. I didn't go 100 yards and my rod loaded up, I set the hook but
no one home. I thought this was going to be a great day. I checked my lure and
flashed it again and started to go up stream. I went past the first hump, then
past the fallen tree, then past my honey hole, then up the long flat and
finally marked a couple of fish at the bottom of the Clay Banks. I just kept
going to the top of the Clay Banks and turned around at the 5MPH sign. I came
down past the deep hole and had a short tug, then the rod loaded up again but
it felt like a snag. Then the line started to go to the middle of the river, NO
SNAG! I played the fish and got it up to the boat, a beautiful, bright Salmon
about 10 to 12 pounds. I reached for my net and set it down on the edge of the
boat and the fish started to run. He went left, then right and then I felt the
flatfish wobble and I knew I had lost him. What a shit thing to happen on the
first Salmon of the season. I felt like throwing my rod after him, but I
didn't. As I thought about what had happened, I had no one to blame but myself.
I broke the cardinal rule, SET, I SAID SET, YES SET THE HOOK STUPID!!!! I broke
the first rule of Salmon fishing, I didn't set the hook and I paid. The score, one run, two hits, one error.
June
19 - Thought I was going to be smart and get a salmon today so I got up at
3:00am, got my coffee, some rolls, my fishing stuff, hooked up the boat and
took off for Verona.
Was on the water just at legal fishing time, lit the flatfish and sat down to
wait for my first salmon of the year. It was warm even at 4:30am. After about 15 minutes I re-lit the
flatfish and continued to do so until the sun came up. Then I switched from a
glow in the dark to my favorite silver and green. I put a nice fresh sardine
wrap on it and put it in the water. The flow was 1700 cfps and the water
temperature was 77 degrees, neither one a plus when you're fishing for salmon
but I still had that good old feeling. About 6:30am, I refilled my coffee cup and ate my rolls. All the
time just staring at my rod tip, I was sure it was going to go off. Now, it
really started to get warm. The sun started coming over the trees and was on
the water and It was warming both the water and me. Finally around 8:30am I decided it was just to hot
and I started for the dock. When I got to the dock, John, the caretaker, came
up and wanted to know how I did and I explained that I just went out for a boat
ride and was using rubber hooks anyway because I didn't want to hurt the fish.
At that point it was already 84 degrees out and it was time to get into the
truck, put on the air conditioner and get home in my cool house. No runs, No
hits, No tight lines.
June
12 - I was having withdrawals after not fishing for almost a week. I had to
have some work done to the truck and had new brakes, seals and bearings put on
the boat trailer. So, this morning I went down to Discovery Park
for two reasons. First the take a short ride to check out the brakes and second
to try to find some fish because I am taking a friend and his son fishing on
Thursday. I fished the mouth of the American, just below the tower, at the
steps and just above the I Street
Bridge and only got 5 tiny stripers and one 12 inch catfish. Hope the pickens are better on Thursday.
June
6 - My good friend George went out with Jim and Jack this morning. They went to
Folsom Lake and tried trolling for some trout
and salmon. I talked to then while they were on the water about 8:30 and they already had landed 5
fish, the biggest being a salmon about 3.5 pounds. The fished a few more hours
and landed another 6 fish and lost 2 more. Then they decided to call it a day,
and not a bad one at that. Below is a picture of George with his catch.
June
4 - Couldn't resist, had to get out and see if things had changed. First, the
water temperature at Discovery
Park was 62 degrees in
both the American and the Sacramento.
Second, I had that feeling, "going to get fish today". Got on the
river about 5:15am and
started to troll and trolled and trolled. Nope, no fish trolling but, I saw a
bunch of fish on the finder in a couple of specific areas and they were bigger
than shad so, went above them and dropped an anchor. The fish seemed to be
waiting for me. Not there for more than 5 minutes and I had one on. Didn't seem
like a bad one but not a big one either. Got it to the boat and it was a little
over 19". Threw it back and repeated the same action and timing about 15
times with fish being anywhere from 14" to 20". Then finally the rod
took a big bounce and I had a better fish on. Pulled in a 5.2 pounder, one of
the best stripers I've got all year. Isn't that Sad? Well fished for about
another hour and a half and could not catch anything bigger than 5 pounds. Had
lots in the 17" to 22" range. Anyway, it was fun and there was some
action, although small. It appears that the fish are starting down stream. They
are bright shinny but THIN! Hope they stick around until school is out so
Anthony can have some fun.
May
31 - Jim, Jack and Darren went out to Folsom Lake
this morning and did some trolling. As Jack puts it, "we lost as many as
we landed". They fished for about 3 hours and landed 6 fish, including a
double with both fish caught on Jim's rod. Below is Jim playing his double,
Darren netting both fish and Darren with the fish for the day.
----- 
-----
May
29 - Went to the Feather River and put in just
below the Afterbay. Sometimes you forget just how beautiful it is to be on a river
alone with only nature to communicate with. You know, the Feather is really a
beautiful river and I always feel like I have interrupted something special
when I start my engine to get from one place to another. I got on the river
about 6am and was the only
boat on the river for about three hours. The weather was just beautiful, not
hot but warm and the water was clear enough to see about 3.5 feet down. I
fished for Salmon but the water was too slow to back troll and a little too
fast to troll. I guess I could have dropped an anchor but it was just great to
watch the beaver, the otters and the birds as they went about their business.
Didn't catch a fish, nor did I see one caught but it was a great morning on the
water. It is on days like this when I am thankful to have everything I have and
be able to spend my time doing the things that are most important.
May
25 - Went to Verona
this morning. Thought I would try to get a rogue Salmon or a few Stripers. Was
on the river about 4:30am
and put out a glow in the dark flat fish for two hours without a touch. Then
moved down into the Sacramento
and dunked some bait. Yes, about 3.5 pounds of it. I couldn't keep the little
guys off the hook. Finally about 9:30
I pulled anchor and went home. Got about 20 stripers from 8" to 19".
Couldn't break the 19" mark. Well, that is it until after the long
weekend. Next week will try the upper Feather around the after bay.
May
23 - Got a new reel so I wanted to try it out, a Shimono 1500 line counter.
Went to the mouth of the American
River and trolled it for
about a half hour but not luck. Changed the setup and started to troll up
stream. Trolled up to the black bridge and not a touch. Dropped the anchor and
tried for some shad but not luck with shad. Did get a 19" striper on my
shad jig. Then trolled all the way back down river. Actually I trolled almost
10 miles and NOT A BITE. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? Maybe I
should just hang the striper gear up and start fishing the Feather
River for salmon. This has been the worst year yet but I know it
will be better.
May
18 - Went to Discovery
Park this morning and
planned to fish from 5am to 8am. When I got to the parking lot
there were two vehicles and one of them was in the process of loading a boat
and leaving. I went to the mouth of the American and started to troll the
channel from the bottom of the sandy beach to the snag above the wing damn.
After a couple of passes, I had a heavy strike but it didn't stick. Made a few
more passes and got another strike right in the same spot, just below the buoy.
Then on the next pass, got a strike, it stuck, a 20 inch striper. About that
time, those two ornamentals in the yellow fiberglass boat pulled up and where
do you think they dropped their anchor? Right, right at the buoy but about 10
feet into the trolling channel. Needless to say that was upsetting, I finally
got a fish, I think they say me land it, and now I cannot get back to the
"honey hole". On the first pass by them, one of them asked if I had
any fish. I replied, "yes, I just landed one right about where you
anchored. There was no comment. I made a few more passed, getting as close to
the hole as I could but not luck. Then, on the next pass, one of them hooked a
shad. I was almost alongside their boat when second guy started to holler at me
to move out of the way because his friend had a fish and he did not want to
loose it. What did I say? I told them they were stupid bastards for anchoring
there. They knew I was trolling that area and they saw me land a fish but
anchored right in my path anyway and now "you want ME to move, BULL SHIT!!
You have no manners and deserve to be treated in the same way." You know
how I get excited some times. And you know they did not say another word and
no, they did not move. I also did not see them catch another fish.
May
14 - Went to Discovery
Park and up the American River to try for some Shad. According to
the Fish Sniffer and the S.F. Chronicle, the Shad were all over the place. NOT
SO! Jack, Jim and I fished for three hours and didn't get a bite. We saw one
other boat land three of them but that was it. Guess they are just getting
started. Could be the temperature of the water, 61 degrees.
April
29 - Went with Breadstick to the Delta and fished in the area where the
Mokelumne and the San Joaquin come together.
We finally did something right. Although Jim caught the most, the biggest and
the best, together we did catch 10 stripers from 16" to 9 pounds. Take a
look below at the picture of Breadstick and his catch, the ones he kept, a 7
and 9 pounder. Great job Breadstick!!
April
26 - Boy, I must be a masochist. I went down to Discovery Park
again today but today was different. I got there about 6am and trolled from the ramp up and through
the Corp of Engineers hole. NOT A BITE. Then I went to the other side of the
I80 bridge and dunked some sardines and NOT A BITE. Then I went down to the
area across from the Virgin Sturgeon and finally got something to smell my
bait. I got two small stripers and about 7 catfish, one of them was 22 inches.
If it were a striper, it would have been legal. That was it. I got off the
river about 9:15am and was
SKUNKED AGAIN!!!
April
24 - Thought I had it dialed in, so went back to Discovery. Today was not a
good day. Went out about 6am
and fished until 9am and DID
NOT get a bite. Hardly got a rattle. I could have used just one piece of bait
all morning. Talked to a few other guys and they didn't have anything either.
When I got back to my truck, I had a card on my windshield . Knew something was
wrong and when I looked at my trailer, the right rear had been hit. At least
the person who hit it had the courtesy to leave a note, that doesn't always
happen as we all know. Thank You to him!!!! There are still some honest people
out there.
April
23 - Went to Discovery
Park this morning.
Anchored at the mouth of the American and fished for a while with no luck. Then
I decided to move down stream and when I went to move my bait, I had a hard
hit. Landed a nice 11.9 pound striper. Fished the mouth a little longer, fished
the steps and fished just above the Tower
Bridge but not even
another bite. Talked to some of the other guys as I was leaving and they did
not see another fish. Hope the females would get here, it sure would be nice to
have some action for a change. Jim Siemens went to Steamboat yesterday and
again today. Yesterday he got a 7 pounder and an 8 pounder and today he got a 5
pounder and a 7 pounder. All were caught trolling broken backs.
April
18 - jack Bishop and I went to Verona
to try for some Stripers. The water was LOW!!!. We went into the mouth of the
Feather and the water was anywhere from 0 to 4 feet. Yes, zero. We could not
find a hole anywhere in the first two miles of the river. We fished just below
the mouth and just below the dock system. Didn't do a thing at the mouth but
caught a few small ones, a couple catfish and a sacramento pike, that was it.
April
13 - Boy, it's been a while but today Jack, Jim and I went to the Sacramento River in the Iselton area to try for some
stripers. Jack just didn't have any consideration at all! Just as we were
trolling up to the Isleton
Bridge, his rod loaded
up. It appeared to be a nice fish but after a few minutes it came unpinned.
When he pulled the line in, no lure and the snap was spread and bent wide open.
Ok, one of four things, a big, big fish; Jack was too strong for the snap he
was using, too much pressure was applied or cheap snaps. I'll leave the answer
to your imagination. Then after putting on a good gear, he proceeded to land
two more fish, one about 5 pounds and another eight pluys pounds. Kind of rude
if you ask me. We were in my boat and he wouldn't even let me get a bite. He
also hogged the fish from Jim. The score today, Jack 2, fish 1.
April
5 - Went back to Discovery
Park this morning. Got
there at about 7:30am and
went directly up river to the area above the I80 bridge. Fished at three houses
for about 2 hours and got three fish from 16 to 20 inches. Then I started
moving. I went up river to the bend and got another little guy. Then started
back down stream and stopped at the bridge, nothing. Then to the flat across
from the second marina, nothing. Then to the area across from the Virgin
Sturgeon and got three more but again nothing bigger than 21 inches. Then it
was noon and time to go
home. I got to the parking lot and as I was cleaning my boat, it seemed that
everyone wanted to talk. I talked to a number of fishermen as they pulled out
and only found one guy that had a keeper. Everyone else was tired of fishing
and wanted to start catching. Guess that will happen in time but not this week.
April
4 - Went to Discovery
Park with Bread Stick. We
fished from sun up to about 1pm
and only got two stripers, one about 4 pounds and the other about 3 pounds. Not
a real good day. Looks like the fish have not moved it yet and that means we
still have something to look forward to. I'll keep you posted as things change.
March
30 - Went to Discovery
Park again today to see
if anything had changed. Well, for me NO! I got a few little bites and landed a
10 incher and a Sacramento Pike. Jim, Jack and Darren also went to Discovery
and for a while we fished next to each other. Darren got two nice keepers. One
about 7 pounds and the other about 5. Jim landed one about 18 inches and Jack
got a couple that were too small to talk about.
March
28 - Well, another day on the water but not much luck. This morning I took a
friend's son down to Hog Back to try for some stripers. He wasn't much help, I
had to do all the catching. I say ALL, but I really mean, we only got one bite
and it was a 22 inch fish. We didn't see another fish caught but one guy said
he had one small one. When is this thing going to turn? Guess I need to take
someone else if I am going to change my luck.
March
26 - Went to Discovery
Park again and had about
the same luck. None. There were about 15 to 18 boats and I didn't see one fish.
I talked to about everyone of them and they all had the same story. Maybe
yesterday's rain has something to do with it, I don't know. Hope tomorrow is
beteer.
March
23 - Dick and Jim went to Hog Back to try for some stripers. BOY DID THEY! They
fished from about 7am to
about 11am and landed 9
keepers, the largest being about 12 pounds. Now, that is a day fishing!!!
March
22 - Went back to Discovery
Park today. I know the
striper fishing is about to break and I would like to catch a big one before
anyone knows they are there. I fished from about 7am until 10am
and got two small fish. One was about 15 inches but the other was 21 inches.
Not bad, my first striper that could have been kept this year, threw him back
I'm looking for big MO!! Maybe next week. In addition, there were three fish
caught on jigs in the mouth of the American
River and at least three
keepers caught in front of the sandy beach. Bill and Herbie went up river but I
didn't see them return so I don't know how they did. They must have got some
fish up stream earlier or they would not have gone up. They usually fish the
TeePee.
March
21 - Went to Discovery
Park this morning to try
for some stripers. Again, it looked promising because of the number of vehicles
and trailers in the parking lot. I went to the mouth of the American and
dropped my anchor but didn't get a bite. Then I moved to the TeePee with two
other boats. Each of those boats had one fish, small but never the less
keepers. I fished for about an hour and then I started to get some small hits.
Finally, one fish just couldn't leave my bait alone and I landed a beautiful,
bright Steelhead about 4 pounds. About twenty minutes later, it started again
and I landed another Steelhead about 5 pounds. I had to release both fish
because I was in the Sacramento River but, I
finally got a fish. I talked to a few other guys and they have been getting a
fish about every other day and they said it seemed to be getting better. Grant
told me he got a 25 pounder last week up the Sacramento. I will be going back out tomorrow
and will let you know what I did.
March
19 - I went out to Verona
this morning to try my luck. When I got there, I was optimistic because there
were about 6 vehicles in the parking lot and another one was coming in after
me. By the time I got my boat in the water, there were three more vehicles
getting ready to launch. Usually, where there are boats, there are fish so I
was somewhat excited. I thought I had found the honey hole. No such luck. By
9am, there were more than 15 boats in the area and only two small stripers, the
biggest being about 20 inches. I fished until 10am and left without a bite. Seems like the story of my
life this year but it will bet better.
March
16 - Jack Bishop took some of his associates from Shakespeare out for Sturgeon
at Antioch and as luck would have it, Jim Franklin landed this 52.5 inch 46
pound beauty. This was his first sturgeon and he was absolutely thrilled, I
would be too. I can't even get a bite.
March
13 - Jim and I went to Knights Landing this morning to see if the Sturgeon were
there. We got there about 7am,
were the only ones in the parking lot and had a feeling that we were going to
do real well. We fished three different spots. We only saw one other boat
fishing, that should tell you something and when we got back to the parking
lot, there was only one car in addition to ours there. Skunked again. Not even
a bite. Honest I do catch fish sometimes.
March
8 - Heard that some stripers were caught at the mouth of the Feather last week
so I thought I would take a ride and see what I could do. Went to Verona and
the river was so high, dirty and full of junk, like trees, stumps, brush etc.,
that I thought it would be best to move on. I went to Discovery Park
and checked it out but it too was in real bad shape. I don't know why all the
heavy debris but I just didn't want to take a chance of missing something and
getting a tree or something caught around the anchor. Went home for breakfast
without putting the boat in the water.
March
1 - Nice day so I went to Discovery
Park for a few hours.
When I got there, there were 4 cars and trailers in the parking lot so I
thought things must be picking up. Went to the mouth and there was one boat,
Gene Marzolf. He had landed two stripers. One about 8 pounds that he kept and
he released on much smaller. I thought this might be OK. Well, I fished for
about 20 minutes and Morgan pulled in. He started trolling up stream and he got
one, also about 8 pounds. I fished there for about another half hour with no
luck then moved down stream and I moved again, and again. No runs, no hits, no
errors for me. Guess I'll have to wait for another day. The good news is
someone got fish.
February
27- Jack took Missy to his boat in Antioch.
They fished the San Joaquin
River around West Isle.
Jack didn't do much but Missy got the nice 8 pound striper. Sorry Jack!
February
27 - Tried to beat the odds today but lost. Jim Siemens and I went out to Brannan Island to try for some Sturgeon. When we
left home, it was beautiful. The sun was coming up and there was no wind to
speak of. When we got to Isleton, it was still beautiful so we bought bait at
Bob's. When we passed the Rio
Vista Bridge,
the wind started to blow and we thought we might be in trouble. Well, we were.
The wind had to be blowing 20+ miles an hour by the time we got out to Light 20
and all it did was get windier. We moved three times to see if we could get out
of the wind but no luck so we pulled the boat and went home.
February
15 - Glen and I went to Rio Vista
this morning. Sorry to say, we fished for almost 6 hours and only got two
stripers about 7 inches each and one small Flounder. Guess the salt water is
still high in the river. When we got to the dock, we were greeted by the Fish
and Game and they made us feel better, they hadn't counted a fish all day. So
there it is, SKUNKED again.
February
4 - Kurt Bishop went out for Sturgeon at Antioch
this morning. He seems to be the only one catching keepers and he did it again
today. Take a look at this beauty!
February 1 - Went to Discovery Park
this morning. What a beautiful day. The sun was out, the sky was blue and it
was warm as toast, that is except for the water, 44 degrees. Fished from about 7:30 am until almost noon and no runs, no hits, no errors.
I could have gotten by with one piece of bait. Not even a rattle. Will keep on
trying!!
January 30 - Went to Rio
Vista this morning. The weather appeared to be
OK when I left my house but was a little breezy when I got to Brannan Island.
Since I drove all the way down and was alone, I didn't want to turn around so I
decided to go out and give it a try. I anchored just off Light 20 at the mouth
of Three Mile Slough in the Sacramento
River. The wind just kept getting stronger. Thank God I was
fishing an out going tide and the wind was from the North. I fished from about 7:30 am until about 12 noon and didn't even get a bite.
Even though the wind was blowing I could get behind the windshield and be out
of it. In fact, it was warm enough while sitting down that I actually fell
asleep for about a half hour. No bits, no hits no fish. I talked to the Fish
and Game fish counters about 11 am
and they said they had not seen a sturgeon for four days. When I got home I
checked the internet and found the wind to be 20 miles per hour with gusts to over
30. It was a nice outing anyway. I needed to get out and at least try.
January
29 - Well, it is about time to get started for the year 2001. The weather has
not been cooperating so I haven't been fishing but I hope to get out tomorrow.
Even though I haven't been out, some of my fishing buddies have been out. Most
of them have had little luck if any at all, with the exception of Jack Bishop.
He was fishing the Antioch
area on Saturday and within minutes of putting his line in the water caught the
42 incher below. He put it back, undersized, and tried again. About 20 minutes
later he had another one on . He got it up to the boat and it was over 5 feet
long, so he says. Needless to say, this one got away, sure Jack.
January 27 - Jim Siemens and Dick
Rysavy got tired of waiting for the weather to change to start fishing for
Sturgeon and/or Stripers so the booked a two day Steelhead trip to the Umqua
River in Oregon. They got one of the best guides in Oregon, Danny Graves and had a great time.
The caught and released a number of fish and kept the ones below. No fish
caught was under 8.5 pounds and the largest was just over 13 pounds. Great job
guys!!!!
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