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A pretty good year...

October 27-28, 2004

It seemed as though salmon season was over as I pulled into the Rio Vista ramp parking lot this week. Only two other boat rigs were there.

Nevertheless, I launched for another two day Delta Adventure, still chasing those beautiful salmon.

Within one hour, I had this beautiful gal in the boat. She wasn't much of a fighter, but she sure was a looker.

I trolled the rest of the day and the next, up to Walnut Grove and back, but couldn't buy that second fish for a limit.

There were noticeably fewer fishermen trying for the salmon this week. Perhaps it was was the weather, perhaps just a fluke. The weather was much cooler, and so was the water.

The first salmon hit just a quarter mile above the mouth of the Old Sacramento River. He put up a great fight for his size; I had to give him plenty of time to tire and submit. He was as bright a salmon as I've ever caught, and very fresh and energetic. He weighed in at about eight pounds. He wound up in the fishbox.

An hour and a half later, about a quarter of a mile above the Isleton Bridge, the second salmon hit! I gave him the same cautious treatment, reeling him in carefully and allowing him plenty of time to run. Within fifteen minutes, he was also in the fishbox.

It was a very memorable day.

Life is good.

It took a lot of trolling, but during the fourth day of trolling this year, I finally reeled in a fine, 18 Lb. salmon!

I launched at Rio Vista's muni ramp and trolled upriver all day. The water temperature had dropped about six degrees due to the rain and cool weather that moved through during the past weekend. I didn't have so much as a bump that first day. I anchored at Locke a bit before sundown and spent a quiet, restful night at anchor. I was trolling again before sunrise, heading downriver.

A bit before 9 O'clock, a mile or two below Ryde, Ca., home of the famous Ryde Hotel, this beauty hit. After more than three days of trying this season, I considered myself overdue for the first salmon of the season. I wasn't disappointed. This fine salmon didn't put up a big fight, but she gave a decent accounting of herself. In about ten minutes she was to the boat and in the box. And it was about *&%#!! time!

I continued trolling downriver to the Rio Vista Bridge. I passed under the bridge at about 2 O'clock in the afternoon. If I hadn't had the beautiful 18 pounder in the box, I'd have kept trolling 'til dark. But I reeled in, stowed the tackle and headed to the dock.

It's been another great Delta adventure.