I just can't believe my sturgeon fishing this year! It must be that
the fishing gods are smiling.

I hooked the boat to the motorhome Monday morning and again headed to
Brannan Island (near Rio Vista, Ca on the Sacramento River) for a
couple of days of sturgeon fishing near the ship channel off Decker
Island.

I still used the same ol' stinky lamprey that's been in wifey's
freezer for seven months. It seems to smell worse every trip. In fact,
I used the same leader with chunks of it still attached that I used
the last trip.

Within half an hour after tossing the eel into an incoming current, by
gosh a sturgeon grabbed my eel and took off on a rare suicide run! I
was in the process of putting up a bit of canvas at the time, and was
fortunate that I heard the reel screaming. Luckily, he kept running
'til I could grab the rod and set the hook - and I knew at once that
it was probably a keeper. He immediately breached and cleared the
water entirely. When I finally got him to the boat, he jumped again
and then chose to go deep below the boat and defy my efforts to bring
him up. He eventually tired and came to the boat belly up. I measured
him with my little plastic tape, and then netted him and welcomed him
aboard with a couple of good whacks. He measured 49 inches and weighed
22 Lbs. He was tough! Again, I called a friend in Stockton who drove
right over to meet me at the ramps to take another sturgeon home.
Happy Thanksgiving, Willie!

Tuesday morning I was fishing the same spot. It was an outgoing
current but soon turned. Not long after the incoming began and I was
sitting with rod in hand awaiting another sturgy visit, something tick-
tick-ticked off a few inches of line. I set the hook hard and deep and
once again had a good sturgeon on! This one, too, fought hard and
preferred to stay deep. But after about ten minutes was along side the
boat in submission. I measured him at 46 inches, a keeper, and decided
to let him continue his trip upriver. I had only one tag left and may
wish to use it another time. That was my seventh sturgeon in two trips
- what a sturgeon year I've had!

I continued fishing 'til nearly nightfall, after a big outgoing
current began, but had no other bites 'til just before I called it a
day. Something took my eel, and I set the hook, but it was off in just
seconds. Ten minutes later I headed to the boat berths and a nice
evening in the warmth and comfort of the motor home.

Maybe there will be some warm days and good tides in December to
entice me back to Brannan for another try to use up my last tag. But
it'll have to be an unusually warm December day or two. I'm just too
danged old for cold weather fishing!

Photos on my homepage www.FishWisher.com

Dale