Dec 6-7: Suisun Bay (Calif Delta) Sturgeon Brawl!

[FishWisher]

This old man swore off fishing for awhile after the trip two weeks ago. I'm too old and wimpy to fish the cold days and nights of December and January. But the tides and the weather were aligning so perfectly that I had to make one more effort at using my second sturgeon tag! We're allowed three, and I like keeping one no matter because when the last tag is used... no more sturgeon fishing for the year! But I don't want two at the end of the year!

So I faced the cold and headed downriver from Rio Vista, CA to my sturgeon honey hole on Suisun Bay. I whiled away the afternoon of Day 1, trying to lure a big ol' sturgy with my usual Lamprey eel steaks. One lil' sturgy about 2 feet long fell for my guile, but he was short of the 46" to 66" slot and was returned to the huge outgoing current.

By 1800, long after dark and even colder, I was becoming discouraged. Just as I was trying to encourage myself by recalling the many nights my patience paid off, my reel ticked off a few inches of line... WHAM! I set the hook... and missed.

Surely he'd be back for another nibble... sturgeon usually do. Sure enough, a minute or two later he pulled again - and I set the hook deep! It was a grand fight for about 10 minutes. He fought his heart out, but in the end wound up in my fish casket. He measured 54 inches and weighed 34 pounds. That last trip of the year in the cold paid off!

I spent the night on Suisun Bay, not wanting to navigate upriver for 20 miles in the dark if I didn't have to. My C-Dory with its V-berth and heater was comfy enough for the night, but at first light I headed for the ramp and home - where I'll likely stay 'til some warming February days convince me to start a new year of fishing!

Photos and more story on my homepage: http://tinyurl.com/7p7387n

-Dale

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