Waaaay back in 2005 I caught my last salmon - a gorgeous 25 Lb.
chromer that fought her heart out! The following years were so bad for
salmon fishing that I gave up early in the season, skunked. Then in
'09 (I believe) they closed the season 'til, essentially, this year as
last year's mini-season didn't even count. At least not for me.

So I hit the Old Sac this week for my first successful try since that
memorable catch in '05. The story of that catch is he 2005 salmon
season… my last salmon for six years! | FishWisher's Home Page

During the early part of my troll, maybe 1/8 mile up the Old Sac, my
reel sang out the good news that a salmon had taken my green Flatfish!
I reeled the very unwilling critter to the boat, and after a few
minutes he was ready for the net. He didn't weigh much, but he was a
grand catch for this old man who hadn't caught a salmon in so long! My
scale batteries were shot, so I could only guess he weighed about
eight pounds. That may be optimistic.

That was it for Day 1, but the night on the Old Sac, anchored a bit
below the Isleton Bridge, was a wonderful ending to a memorable day.
The river was quiet and dark, and I loved it. Coyotes howled in the
distance as I sipped a few "Cockpit Collins" cocktails and tried to
entice a sturgeon. The sturgeon thing didn't work, but the cocktails
did! Life is good.

I met my ol' fishin' buddy, Willie, at The Striper Cafe in Rio Vista
for breakfast, and we hit the river for another day of trolling. As
most fishermen that day on the Old Sac, we couldn't entice any action.
Some fish were caught, but they were few and far between.

We gave it up at 1530, reeled in and headed home. I gave Willie my
salmon, so at least I caught one and he got to take one home. That
seems like a pretty successful trip!

Photos and more narrative on my homepage: My First Salmon in Six
Years! | FishWisher's Home Page

-Dale