Welcome to FishWisher’s Home Page!
The fish keep me humble, the boat keeps me poor, and this site keeps me honest; yep… fishing is a lot like religion!
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My latest and favorite stories are listed at the top of this page.
There are dozens of stories under the various categories listed on the middle right column. —>
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~ All about fishin’ the California Delta and foothill lakes ~
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Welcome to my homepage where I have posted stories of my fishing trips for several years. My greatest pleasure is fishing for the mighty sturgeon on the California Delta. During the summer months when the wind seems to never cease on my beloved delta, I fish foothill lakes for striper and trout near my home in the San Joaquin Valley of California. In recent years, salmon fishing has been closed on the delta – but now California has re-opened the salmon season, so I have several salmon stories of this year’s salmon chase!
Choose a category from the “Category Cloud” on the right, or click on one of my favorite stories from the list at the top of the page. Recent stories are posted at the bottom of the right column.
I hope that you enjoy your visit and will return often. Feel free to leave comments or questions as you peruse the pages and I’ll do my best to respond. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you find my stories, photos and videos entertaining. I sure have a good time living them and then writing about them.
During these retirement years, fishing, boating and writing are among my favorite pastimes. Mom was right… I didn’t amount to much!
- Dale aka FishWisher
I also have an RV website all about our travels aboard our motor home. That site is here: http://coachpotatosrvsite.synthasite.com/
Dale, I love following your latest adventures. Thanks for such a your cool little site you have put together. My passion is sturgeon fishing as well in my Seaswirls Striper 2301 “Willis”. My handle on the radio is Fish Call. I grew up fishing the deep south SF Bay area near Alviso, which is still my favorite, but since I live in Folsom now find myself launching a lot more in Suisun bay and the Rio Vista area. Good luck and hope to see ya out there one of these days.
Sean
Fish Call
FishWisher- Your Dory is insane!!! My Russian friend in Crescent has a 16ft and it is a little small for three people but I fell in love. Hope I don’t have to wait till retirement to get the dory of my dreams!
Hi Chris, thanks for the visit and the kind words. These C-Dorys are nice boats, I know I’ll never sell another one – this one they can sell during my estate sale (hopefully many years hence)!
Hi Dale haven’t seen you since I worked at Dan Gambles or was out on my Bay Liner in the Delta. I’m here in Arizona don’t fish here much. How are you doing, enjoy your pictures of the delta which I miss so much. I really like your updates on the delta and what your doing. Good Tides Gary.
Hi Sean and Gary – It’s always a pleasure to find that someone enjoyed my site and left a comment. Thanks for your kind comments, Sean, and it would be a good thing to meet up out on the river someday. Give me a holler if you see me, and we can have a chat over the VHF at least. Gary, as much as I, too, want to leave Kalifornistan, Wifey won’t let me. But like you, I’d sure miss the delta. I don’t know of anywhere in the country that has an equal fishing opportunity that matches our beloved delta. Thanks for the shout! I still have my coach and have put over 80,000 miles on it; it seems to have outlasted Dan Gamel’s RV business! – Dale
Dale, I like reading your fish story and watching your video on you tube. I was out there Monday and the wind was blowing crazy..You were fishing on your honey hole light 25..I told my friend his the one always catch stergeon and the video I show you .. I was goin to say hi to you but u look like you were getting a bite.. We the one who circle you on the bayliner..and I see you yesterday passing by me.. I was fishing your honey hole..hehe
Hi Jim – I do remember you circling ’round me, but I wasn’t getting a bite, I was likely just reeling in another load of grass! Grass is terrible around that area just now. But you shouldn’t be lying to your friends! I am not the one who always catches sturgeon! I sure wish I was… Thanks for the note. – Dale
Dale, sorry for taking so long to shout back to you. It would be fun to meet you on the water one of these days. I’ll keep an eye out. Might hit the water on Wednesday. Hope to see you soon.
Dale: Our guys are all so happy that you are back in a C-Dory after what you (and we) thought was “dementia”….selling the Dory IV…and going small to aluminum. I believe we all have,at some time, said: “we’re too old to do this” or “it’s expensive” or “there are no more salmon” or “maybe I should visit the grandkids more often”….that is classic and normal. As a heart surgeon, who had the fun of stopping a heart, fixing it and then hitting “start” again, I know that sometimes pressing “start” sometimes doesn’t work. That you are BACK and on the river makes me smile, and I will be looking for you on the lakes like Don Pedro and Melones and the rivers near Vieira’s. Welcome back. Dr. John…”Intrepid” Arima Twain Harte
Hi Dr. John – Always good to hear from you – and it’s been awhile. I really didn’t leave the river, I just wasn’t able to spend nights on it after I sold my beloved C-Dory. It’s sure good to have a new one, and I’ve been busy getting her set up for my fishing. I plan on starting my 2011 sturgeon chase in February. I am SO looking forward to some decent weather! I’ll be looking for you and the Twain Harte crew this spring and summer…
Dale: Really delighted you came to your senses, and got out of the little aluminum boat I last hailed you in, two years ago at New Hogan reservoir. I could not imagine you in anything but a C-Dory. We just got home today (4-14-11) from three days at Vieira’s ….a special break from the incredible snow winter here in Twain Harte…80 total inches, and still mounds on the ranch. I look forward to you on channel 68 in the coming season…God willing salmon…We had great fun on Tuesday before the barometer dropped…18 hookups, with 3 over 20 inches…stripers. Although the legal is 18 inches, we release them, because killing them for a tiny filet seems unkind. We got skunked on stormy Wednesday, but Thursday, today, we found one 22 incher and put two little guys back to grow up. See you on the water. Bless your new found optimism and contining refusal to “quit”. Never ever do that again. JB “Intrepid”
Hi, Dale,
Just came across your name during a Google search. Looks like a great boat. Is this a new version of the original “Fishwisher”?
My Cruiser is long gone—–sold it to Yellowstone John (FarWest II) back in ’06 when New Mexico ran out of water.
Hope all is well with you and yours. You did good things with the C-Dogs, and I learned a lot.
Best regards,
Ken McCullough
Hi Ken -
Thanks for the visit.
My dementia episode of ’07 when I sold my beloved C-Dory was one of the great mistakes of my lifetime. I’ve had three boats since and wasn’t really happy ’til I got the new one. She’s the same hull and cabin as the original, but with a lot of newer touches. I just installed a new Tohatsu kicker so I’ll be trolling again this summer.
I’m still in touch occasionally with Jim of “Pounder” in Sacramento and Karl of “C-Monkey” back in Michigan.
It’s good to hear from you after all these years!
Dale
Dale,
Do you sell the Sturgeon decals?
Ken
Sorry, no. I had several made but sold them to a bait shop for resale long ago. None available at the shop anymore, either.
Hello Dale,
Just got done checking out some fishing video’s on YouTube, and found some of yours. Very nice.
My dad and i are hoping to do some delta fishing in a couple of weeks and looked up some fishing reports, when again I came across your report and was helpful. Cool blog, and hope to learn more from you in the future. My dad is looking to fish mainly for stripper from his 17 foot smoker craft, which he hasnt fished from for several years. It will be good to get him out to hopefully catch some strippers.
Take it easy.
Chief
Welcome aboard, Chief – glad you stopped by! It’s very rewarding to know when someone appreciates my site – and even finds it helpful. Check back often…
FishWisher, I like your site and your results I like to fish and I have a brother that loves it looking for a sturgeon / Bass charter trip out of Sacramento in April or May could you or anyone else that see this post recommend anyone
Phoneguy
leyva@smccd.edu
Phoneguy – I don’t know anyone out of Sacramento but I recommend Fishhookers out of Isleton. He’s been guiding on the river, bays and ocean for years. His website is http://www.fishhookers.com Give him a try. Thanks for the visit!
-Dale
Hi Dale,
Getting ready switch the 90hp 2 stroke Suzuki to a 4 stroke on my 92 c-dory Know you have done this before on the first fishwisher. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Lou….
Sorry, anon, but I had a dealer do the whole change. That’s well beyond my skill level. I wouldn’t attempt it! – Dale
Very interesting site Dale. I enjoy your stories and even try to pick up a tip or two to try myself. Ive learned quite a lot from the message boards and sites on www, but you have a very entertaining way of telling stories. A true fisherman you are in that regard. I will be watching and maybe run across you out in the Delta. Good luck and keep up the good work on your blog.
Thanks for the visit and the note, Rick. I have to confess that this summer I’ve been a real home-body. I never let the heat bother me in years past, but nowadays I just don’t get to excited about sharing the lake with all those lake lice in 90° heat!! And the Delta is just too windy during the summer. But fall is coming soon and I’m looking forward to the salmon chase!
Thanks for the kind words and the visit. – Dale
We wanted to share with you a documentary project on the Lake sturgeon entitled STURGEON MOON. We are presently doing a fundraising drive for the completion of the documentary and would great appreciate any help you can offer to spread the word about this campaign. Thank you! For more info & video go to http://www.indiegogo.com/SturgeonMoon; http://www.SturgeonMoon.webs.com
Alex
Alex – good luck on your very worthwhile project. I’ll post this on the sturgeon fishing forum at http://www.fishsniffer.com/forums/sturgeon-board/ for more folks to see. Thanks for the visit. -Dale
Going to rio vista tomorrow….
Gonna try for sturgeon and striper….
I’m a virgin when it comes to sturgeon….
I usually go down south of sandy beach….
Any tips?
I need chunks in my bucket…
I’ve got shad, roe, liver, and worms….
We hope they bite in the pm….
I hear cache slough is good now
Or power lines
What do u think
Keep chunkin
Uncle chunk -
I hear Cache is good now, too. A friend of mine tried one day last week with his son and 4 rods waited for the bite that never came. But others are doing better.
I think off Decker on the edge of the shipping channel is always a good spot. Also Light 36A at the mouth of the Old Sac. As always, I think eel is best.
I haven’t been out since November so don’t have any fresh first hand knowledge to share. I plan to get out the first time this season in the next week or two. I’m just too dang wimpy for cold weather in my old age, but for me, almost three months off the water is ridiculous! I gotta get with it…
Looking to go out here again in the next week. Some rain coming this week, never have launched at Brannan Island, but going to this next time.
Have had fun reading your page here, many great stories, and photo’s!
Will give you a wave if we see The Fishwhisher out there.
MB
Thanks for the visit, MB. And good luck out of Brannan next week. Brannan has the best ramps around.
Me and my friend met you yesterday at Branan Island leaving the Dock, It Was nice chat thing with you. I like your storm store along with website
Hi John – It was good meeting you guys yesterday at the ramp. Thanks for the visit. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I wish I’d have gotten a photo of that gorgeous boat you have. I’d like to have shown it to some of my friends.