What a difference a week can make on the delta!

[JerryInLodi]

Last Monday was probably one of the best fishing days of my life. Things can change quickly.

By Wednesday the school I had found on Monday had spread out from just one huge pod of ravenous fish to about 500 yards of fish spread out along the slough I was fishing.

By Saturday they had spread out over a quarter mile.

Sunday we chased the fish for over a mile down the slough on a rapidly falling tide.

As the weather improved during the week, the fishing seemed to get tougher. Sunday was so warm that we broke into a sweat about 1pm and decided to call it a day with only five fish landed between an old friend and I, the largest a measily 1 pound 9 oz.

Yeah, I know, that's why they call it fishin' and not catchin'.


By the way, the giant chartreuse woolly bugger was responsible for all my fish and seemed to stand up to a tried and true clouser as far as a strike attractor. One benefit, I did catch LMB with it while the clouser only drew stripers.

[Sturmer White]

Don't worry Jerry.
I have a good repore with stripers. They like me and I like them.
There will be plenty of them in by the 24th.

You better head down stream,you are fishing too close to the foothills.

[JerryInLodi]

I'll sing my Portuguese ditty. It's been known to make the fishermen jump out of the boat but the fish jump in and that's what counts!

[Denny Welch]

Yesterday on the Delta is a day that will live forever in infamy. Sturmer and I had fished about 10 days ago and caught small schoolies for most of the day. I thought I'd try the same thing yesterday, but my buddy, Ray, and I only had 2 fish by noon. It seemed like a good time to move the boat and fish elsewhere. I've got a pretty big motor (200 HP) and it takes a couple seconds to get the boat on plane. As soon as the bow came down I immediately heard all of these terrible crunching, banging, slamming and sickening sounds coming from the front of the boat. Seems like I forgot to raise the trolling motor.

I thought I had punched a hole in the hull, but didn't. The trolling motor is going to be out of commission for a while until it's fixed or replaced. We tried fishing for a while with the big motor, but that's kind of like kissing your sister.

Oh well...live and learn.

[JerryInLodi]

Denny, as a ex-president said, "I feel your pain!" Apparently Sturmer did not exaggerate your boat's speed when he talked to me. I have some trolling motor stories as well but none as bad as that, YET!

What I didn't report from last Sunday was that after fishing we kind of lead footed it back to the dock. I started to gather up my stuff for the drive home. My big warm coat was missing. Oh pucky! It blew out over the back and apparently we were having such a good time talking we never noticed it.

Then I reached into my pants pockets to get my car keys. Guess where they were? I ended up getting a ride home from my fishing buddy and then my wife drove me back to pick up my car with a spare set of keys.

When you're out diving for missing trolling motor parts will you keep a look out for a double xxl coat, well lined with a whole bunch of keys in the pocket? If I'm right about where you two went fishing, it's probably on the bottom close by.

[Denny Welch]

Jeez, Jerry. I thought I had a bad day. You almost made me feel better.

[Sturmer White]

WOW! you two are accidents waiting to happen.
Sorry about your losses,guys.