The weather and the tides were predicted to be just too good to miss
on the Sacramento River near Rio Vista, Ca. I headed for Rio Vista
with the C-Dory in tow on Wednesday with plans to fish two days. My
friend, Willie, would join me on Day 2.

I pretty much frittered away the day trying to fish shallow areas of
the Old Sac near Isleton on Wednesday, and spent much of my time
removing weeds and other debris from my leader. It was frustrating and
was not productive. The next day's current would be considerably
slower and therefore be less "weedy" - or so I hoped.

After breakfast in Rio Vista on Thursday, Willie and I headed about
five miles downriver to the Decker Island area to try for sturgeon. We
managed to catch a few small stripers - even on eel meant only for
sturgeon - but all were tossed back.

A nearby boat caught and released a sturgeon of about 68 inches on
Thursday morning, and that encouraged us. But it was not be a sturgeon
day for us. We kept at it 'til about 1530, then called it quits. No
sturgeon this trip, but fishing still beats working. Working? Willie
and I haven't had a job in years - how would we know?!

It was still somewhat weedy, but not as bad as the day before.

Lots of photos from the trip and more blather at my homepage:
http://fishwisher.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/959/

Being humbled is good for the soul, they say. And there's always next
week...

On May 7, 11:12*am, Dale Gillespie wrote:
The weather and the tides were predicted to be just too good to miss
on the Sacramento River near Rio Vista, Ca. I headed for Rio Vista
with the C-Dory in tow on Wednesday with plans to fish two days. My
friend, Willie, would join me on Day 2.

I pretty much frittered away the day trying to fish shallow areas of
the Old Sac near Isleton on Wednesday, and spent much of my time
removing weeds and other debris from my leader. It was frustrating and
was not productive. The next day's current would be considerably
slower and therefore be less "weedy" - or so I hoped.

After breakfast in Rio Vista on Thursday, Willie and I headed about
five miles downriver to the Decker Island area to try for sturgeon. We
managed to catch a few small stripers - even on eel meant only for
sturgeon - but all were tossed back.

A nearby boat caught and released a sturgeon of about 68 inches on
Thursday morning, and that encouraged us. But it was not be a sturgeon
day for us. We kept at it 'til about 1530, then called it quits. No
sturgeon this trip, but fishing still beats working. Working? Willie
and I haven't had a job in years - how would we know?!

It was still somewhat weedy, but not as bad as the day before.

Lots of photos from the trip and more blather at my homepage:http://fishwisher.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/959/

Being humbled is good for the soul, they say. And there's always next
week...

Great to see you post, Dale.

On Sat, 7 May 2011 09:12:25 -0700 (PDT), Dale Gillespie wrote:

The weather and the tides were predicted to be just too good to miss
on the Sacramento River near Rio Vista, Ca. I headed for Rio Vista
with the C-Dory in tow on Wednesday with plans to fish two days. My
friend, Willie, would join me on Day 2.

I pretty much frittered away the day trying to fish shallow areas of
the Old Sac near Isleton on Wednesday, and spent much of my time
removing weeds and other debris from my leader. It was frustrating and
was not productive. The next day's current would be considerably
slower and therefore be less "weedy" - or so I hoped.

After breakfast in Rio Vista on Thursday, Willie and I headed about
five miles downriver to the Decker Island area to try for sturgeon. We
managed to catch a few small stripers - even on eel meant only for
sturgeon - but all were tossed back.

A nearby boat caught and released a sturgeon of about 68 inches on
Thursday morning, and that encouraged us. But it was not be a sturgeon
day for us. We kept at it 'til about 1530, then called it quits. No
sturgeon this trip, but fishing still beats working. Working? Willie
and I haven't had a job in years - how would we know?!

It was still somewhat weedy, but not as bad as the day before.

Lots of photos from the trip and more blather at my homepage:
http://fishwisher.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/959/

Being humbled is good for the soul, they say. And there's always next
week...

When the sturgeon aren't biting, is there something you can fall back on that's edible - like
croaker?

On May 7, 2:32*pm, John H wrote:

When the sturgeon aren't biting, is there something you can fall back on that's edible - like
croaker?

Mostly I fall back on my beer. And maybe sandwiches if it gets
desperate. :-)

On Sat, 7 May 2011 15:56:57 -0700 (PDT), Dale Gillespie wrote:

On May 7, 2:32*pm, John H wrote:

When the sturgeon aren't biting, is there something you can fall back on that's edible - like
croaker?

Mostly I fall back on my beer. And maybe sandwiches if it gets
desperate. :-)

LOL! Y'all need some croakers out there for those situations.

On 5/7/2011 5:32 PM, John H wrote:
On Sat, 7 May 2011 09:12:25 -0700 (PDT), Dale wrote:

The weather and the tides were predicted to be just too good to miss
on the Sacramento River near Rio Vista, Ca. I headed for Rio Vista
with the C-Dory in tow on Wednesday with plans to fish two days. My
friend, Willie, would join me on Day 2.

I pretty much frittered away the day trying to fish shallow areas of
the Old Sac near Isleton on Wednesday, and spent much of my time
removing weeds and other debris from my leader. It was frustrating and
was not productive. The next day's current would be considerably
slower and therefore be less "weedy" - or so I hoped.

After breakfast in Rio Vista on Thursday, Willie and I headed about
five miles downriver to the Decker Island area to try for sturgeon. We
managed to catch a few small stripers - even on eel meant only for
sturgeon - but all were tossed back.

A nearby boat caught and released a sturgeon of about 68 inches on
Thursday morning, and that encouraged us. But it was not be a sturgeon
day for us. We kept at it 'til about 1530, then called it quits. No
sturgeon this trip, but fishing still beats working. Working? Willie
and I haven't had a job in years - how would we know?!

It was still somewhat weedy, but not as bad as the day before.

Lots of photos from the trip and more blather at my homepage:
http://fishwisher.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/959/

Being humbled is good for the soul, they say. And there's always next
week...

When the sturgeon aren't biting, is there something you can fall back on that's edible - like
croaker?
Croaker? Edible? It's like ruining good bream by loading with baking
soda and salt before frying them.

On Sat, 07 May 2011 21:38:44 -0400, Lil Abner wrote:

On 5/7/2011 5:32 PM, John H wrote:
On Sat, 7 May 2011 09:12:25 -0700 (PDT), Dale wrote:

The weather and the tides were predicted to be just too good to miss
on the Sacramento River near Rio Vista, Ca. I headed for Rio Vista
with the C-Dory in tow on Wednesday with plans to fish two days. My
friend, Willie, would join me on Day 2.

I pretty much frittered away the day trying to fish shallow areas of
the Old Sac near Isleton on Wednesday, and spent much of my time
removing weeds and other debris from my leader. It was frustrating and
was not productive. The next day's current would be considerably
slower and therefore be less "weedy" - or so I hoped.

After breakfast in Rio Vista on Thursday, Willie and I headed about
five miles downriver to the Decker Island area to try for sturgeon. We
managed to catch a few small stripers - even on eel meant only for
sturgeon - but all were tossed back.

A nearby boat caught and released a sturgeon of about 68 inches on
Thursday morning, and that encouraged us. But it was not be a sturgeon
day for us. We kept at it 'til about 1530, then called it quits. No
sturgeon this trip, but fishing still beats working. Working? Willie
and I haven't had a job in years - how would we know?!

It was still somewhat weedy, but not as bad as the day before.

Lots of photos from the trip and more blather at my homepage:
http://fishwisher.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/959/

Being humbled is good for the soul, they say. And there's always next
week...

When the sturgeon aren't biting, is there something you can fall back on that's edible - like
croaker?
Croaker? Edible? It's like ruining good bream by loading with baking
soda and salt before frying them.

Never tried that, so I couldn't say whether you're right or wrong. I have fried a whole lot of
breaded croakers and been quite pleased with the result. They're not as good as perch, but they're
very edible.

On 5/8/2011 3:48 PM, John H wrote:
On Sat, 07 May 2011 21:38:44 -0400, Lil wrote:

On 5/7/2011 5:32 PM, John H wrote:
On Sat, 7 May 2011 09:12:25 -0700 (PDT), Dale wrote:

The weather and the tides were predicted to be just too good to miss
on the Sacramento River near Rio Vista, Ca. I headed for Rio Vista
with the C-Dory in tow on Wednesday with plans to fish two days. My
friend, Willie, would join me on Day 2.

I pretty much frittered away the day trying to fish shallow areas of
the Old Sac near Isleton on Wednesday, and spent much of my time
removing weeds and other debris from my leader. It was frustrating and
was not productive. The next day's current would be considerably
slower and therefore be less "weedy" - or so I hoped.

After breakfast in Rio Vista on Thursday, Willie and I headed about
five miles downriver to the Decker Island area to try for sturgeon. We
managed to catch a few small stripers - even on eel meant only for
sturgeon - but all were tossed back.

A nearby boat caught and released a sturgeon of about 68 inches on
Thursday morning, and that encouraged us. But it was not be a sturgeon
day for us. We kept at it 'til about 1530, then called it quits. No
sturgeon this trip, but fishing still beats working. Working? Willie
and I haven't had a job in years - how would we know?!

It was still somewhat weedy, but not as bad as the day before.

Lots of photos from the trip and more blather at my homepage:
http://fishwisher.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/959/

Being humbled is good for the soul, they say. And there's always next
week...

When the sturgeon aren't biting, is there something you can fall back on that's edible - like
croaker?
Croaker? Edible? It's like ruining good bream by loading with baking
soda and salt before frying them.

Never tried that, so I couldn't say whether you're right or wrong. I have fried a whole lot of
breaded croakers and been quite pleased with the result. They're not as good as perch, but they're
very edible.
Getting hugry thinking about fish.
They're alright, I guess, as evidenced by people eating them.
I like Grouper.
Bream or Bluegill etc are about the best eating except maybe Crappie or
Croppie. It takes a lot to fix a mess of em though.
Largemouth bass fillets trimmed, of all traces of red, dried, on a
mesquite grill with just a little salt and pepper is great.
Trout are good if you clean them. The trendy stuff, of skin on and
backbone not cleaned, half done over whatever fire taint great though.
Real Flounder, not those little things, at Red Bug, stuffed with crab
meat, in butter is phantasmagorical. Just be sure it is fresh. Had it
one year near Panama City, had a headache and high blood pressure etc
for a week.

On Sun, 08 May 2011 16:15:28 -0400, Lil Abner wrote:

On 5/8/2011 3:48 PM, John H wrote:
On Sat, 07 May 2011 21:38:44 -0400, Lil wrote:

On 5/7/2011 5:32 PM, John H wrote:
On Sat, 7 May 2011 09:12:25 -0700 (PDT), Dale wrote:

The weather and the tides were predicted to be just too good to miss
on the Sacramento River near Rio Vista, Ca. I headed for Rio Vista
with the C-Dory in tow on Wednesday with plans to fish two days. My
friend, Willie, would join me on Day 2.

I pretty much frittered away the day trying to fish shallow areas of
the Old Sac near Isleton on Wednesday, and spent much of my time
removing weeds and other debris from my leader. It was frustrating and
was not productive. The next day's current would be considerably
slower and therefore be less "weedy" - or so I hoped.

After breakfast in Rio Vista on Thursday, Willie and I headed about
five miles downriver to the Decker Island area to try for sturgeon. We
managed to catch a few small stripers - even on eel meant only for
sturgeon - but all were tossed back.

A nearby boat caught and released a sturgeon of about 68 inches on
Thursday morning, and that encouraged us. But it was not be a sturgeon
day for us. We kept at it 'til about 1530, then called it quits. No
sturgeon this trip, but fishing still beats working. Working? Willie
and I haven't had a job in years - how would we know?!

It was still somewhat weedy, but not as bad as the day before.

Lots of photos from the trip and more blather at my homepage:
http://fishwisher.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/959/

Being humbled is good for the soul, they say. And there's always next
week...

When the sturgeon aren't biting, is there something you can fall back on that's edible - like
croaker?
Croaker? Edible? It's like ruining good bream by loading with baking
soda and salt before frying them.

Never tried that, so I couldn't say whether you're right or wrong. I have fried a whole lot of
breaded croakers and been quite pleased with the result. They're not as good as perch, but they're
very edible.
Getting hugry thinking about fish.
They're alright, I guess, as evidenced by people eating them.
I like Grouper.
Bream or Bluegill etc are about the best eating except maybe Crappie or
Croppie. It takes a lot to fix a mess of em though.
Largemouth bass fillets trimmed, of all traces of red, dried, on a
mesquite grill with just a little salt and pepper is great.
Trout are good if you clean them. The trendy stuff, of skin on and
backbone not cleaned, half done over whatever fire taint great though.
Real Flounder, not those little things, at Red Bug, stuffed with crab
meat, in butter is phantasmagorical. Just be sure it is fresh. Had it
one year near Panama City, had a headache and high blood pressure etc
for a week.

Had some trout last night at Bonefish. Not bad, but not my favorite. I like red snapper, but haven't
had it in a while. The pan fish are always a good bet, but you're right about the cleaning.

I noticed a couple rabbits in the area. Might have to build a couple traps and have a rabbit dinner.
Haven't had that in a long time either. The stores quit carrying it. Don't know why. I'd think it'd
be popular around Easter.