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February 25 Wildlife Photos and ArtWildlife Photos Lord knows I'm not much of a shutter-bug, but once in a while I get lucky... Click for hundreds April 22, 2009
I shot this at Camanche Lake while trolling for trout. The pelicans
are there by the dozen...  The pelicans just shuckin' and jivin' on a little island.  The grebes are on Camanche now by the hundreds - maybe thousands.  More pelicans just doing their thing on Camanche.  I believe dozens of honkers live permanently on Camanche's Big Hat Island - free of predators. They're a noisy lot! I think the pelicans are the coolest marine birds ever - they fly so dignified and dive like arrows. I'd come back as a pelican if given the chance! The grebes are overly gifted fishermen and I envy them. Life is so good if you're a sea bird in April on Camanche Lake! =================== April 8, 2009  This Bonaparte's Gull laid claim to me and the boat and stayed around the whole time I was fishing. Of course, he had reason as I was tossing shad to him from time to time. I lucked out big time with this photo as he just landed and was in the process of folding his wings while munching on the shad that is visible in his beak. This is about my best photo to date. ============================ Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... ...I think sturgeon are beautiful! Click for hundreds February 16, 2009 Sturgeon Decals! I had some decals made of the bad-boy sturgy. Here's one on my boat - I have smaller ones I plan to put on my boat. I also have 'em in red and blue. The one shown is 18" and I have smaller ones at 8":  Here's a close-up of the decal:  Here's the bad-boy sturgeon that inspired the decals:  This radical bad-boy appears elsewhere on my site, and is a grand example of sturgeon as art!  This drawing is hardly abstract, but the background adds a nice touch.  Another nice sturgeon drawing except for the lack of detail. In real life, those scutes are really sharp on the younger sturgies.  This drawing is not my first choice, but has a rather nice background.  Trying to enlarge this drawing just blurred it, but here it is for what it's worth. Also,
if you haven't visited the page on this site about the great boat and
sturgeon wood carving that my artist friend, Al, carved for me, check here. This is a lovely representation of my beloved old C-Dory and an imaginary sturgeon fight! Thanks for the visit. February 11 FishWisher III's first fishing trip!The Maiden Voyage 1 February 3, 2009Click for hundreds FishWisher's new North River Bayhawk gets her bottom wet!  Brannan Island, near Rio Vista, Calif on the California Delta is a boater's paradise. There are modern, clean ramps and a large lot for parking. Just a short walk away are plenty of berths that rent for just $7 per night, and RV spaces with electricity overlook the berths for just $28 per night. The launch is just $5 if you are camping - and if you're old and worn out like ol' FishWisher, the price is half of the because I have the California Disabled pass. So, for $37.50 I spent three days and two nights at Brannan. I had all the comforts of home with the coach, and when it was time to go fishing, I just walk down a short path to the boat and go! Life is good. This is what it's all about for me... just sittin' and waitin' for that little sturgeon nibble. I headed out Monday aboard the motor home with the new boat in tow. I had to spend a few hours doing the break-in routine for the new Suzuki 90, and spent my time doing just that on Monday. After a few hours cruise, I had the slow speed portion of the break-in complete, and for the next seven hours I just have to keep from running her wide open for more than five minutes - but I'm not looking for wide open speed, anyway. The only problem that was apparent after the maiden voyage was a rooster tail caused by the Humminbird transducer. The North River has a pretty severe deadrise - about 28° - and that's all I can think of that would cause the upward surge of water from the transducer. I checked with another boater at the ramp, a very nice fella named Chang, who had an Alumaweld with about the same deadrise. He had a plastic shroud over his transducer for that very reason. I'm hoping that I can get my fishin' buddy John - whose a good aluminum welder, although he won't admit to it - to weld a shroud over mine for the cost of a delicious Chinese seafood buffet pig-out!  After
the hours of breaking-in the motor on Monday, I spent my time fishing
for sturgeon on the Sacramento River off Decker Island, just a few
miles south of Rio Vista, Calif. I have caught many sturgeon there and
it is one of my favorite "honey holes". I waited for the tide to turn
to outgoing on Tuesday morning, so I didn't begin fishing 'til after
1000 hours. The river was a bit choppy at first, but as soon as the
tide turned and the current was flowing in the same approximate
direction as the light breeze, the water became flat calm. The breeze
died off and the afternoon was just perfect. At about 1500 hours I was
down to my briefs, soaking in the warm rays of the sun and enjoying
life to the fullest when... a Calif. Fish & Game boat pulled up
alongside me out of nowhere. Now I am not exactly an underwear model,
and one of the DFG officers was a pretty, young gal. It is just wrong
that she would have to see a flabby, bright white, old man in his
underwear! I scrambled for my Levis as soon as I saw them - but I was a
bit late. The first words out of my mouth were "Hey! You caught me with
my pants down!" We all had a good laugh although I'm sure she had
nightmares after that experience. They asked only if I'd caught
anything and what I was fishing for. I told them I was skunked so far.
(Why don't they ever check on me when I do have a sturgeon on board?)
They asked for my zip code for their records, I guess, and were on
their way. As they departed I suggested that they toot their horn
before sneaking up on people like that, but of course they want to
sneak up to catch someone poaching - and more power to 'em! I fished 'til 1700 that second day of the trip, then reeled in, weighed anchor and headed for the berth at Brannan Island where all the comforts of home awaited me in the coach. Maybe Wednesday would be better fishing - I really, really wanted to put a sturgeon in my new boat on her maiden fishing trip.  Beautiful terns keep me company much of the time, waiting for me to toss some old bait overboard. On
Wednesday I was back at the same honey hole about 0800 and began
fishing an incoming tide. I was still carving on an old lamprey eel
carcass that I'd purchased six or eight months ago. That's the beauty
of using eel - it lasts forever! The little nippers cannot steal it,
and only the sturgeon seem to really like it. So it's the perfect
sturgeon bait - when sturgeon are around. I did see one roll on the
surface on Tuesday, but that was a close to one as I'd gotten so far
this trip. I faithfully kept the bait on the river bottom all morning,
but had no takers. At around noon I headed back to the dock to get a
sandwich and a few beers from the motorhome, then headed right back to
the same honey hole. Soon after, the boat patrol from the Solano County
Sheriff's office paid a visit. It was good that I was
dressed for this visit, and it was only because the day was a bit
cooler. The deputies, all three of them, asked to see my life jacket
and fire extinguisher - and I showed promptly showed them. I asked if I
could take their photo and if they'd take a couple of me in my new
boat. The were happy to oblige, and I knew they wouldn't run off with
my camera! The photo above of FishWisher
on the water were taken by those kind deputies. After a few
pleasantries, they were off on their patrol. They advised me that
because of California's miserable budget problems, the Dept. of Boating
and Waterways may face the chopping block. This is one state agency
that actually does something for us boaters and fishermen, so I will be
writing my state congressmen and the governator, asking that they fully
fund the department. Unfortunately, my writing to any government agency
is a lot like home - nobody listens to me!  The Solano County Sheriff's Boat Patrol visited me on Wednesday. I began fishing again after the tide turned, but my luck did not change. Of course, sturgeon fishing is the great past time that I enjoy, and actually catching
one is just a bonus. And I always say that when I get skunked! But I
really do enjoy the peace and quiet of fishing with a cold brew in one
hand, my fishing rod in the other, listening to real country music on XM radio while blissfully waiting for the gentle bite of a sturgeon. At 1430 of day 3 I reeled in, weighed anchor and headed to the dock. I retrieved the boat and tied her down to the trailer there in the ramp parking lot. It had been a wonderful maiden voyage and fishing trip, and I expect to enjoy many more aboard my new North River FishWisher!  FishWisher in tow behind the coach after her first fishing trip. Maybe next time a sturgeon! |
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