I finished installing the carpet on the new trailer bunks on Saturday, so I headed to Discovery early Sunday morning to try out the new configuration. The boat launched flawlessly, and is much more stable on the trailer with the weight distributed properly now. After launch, I headed north to see how far I could go and check out the Salmon action. The Salmon bite was non existent. Only one fish was reported on Saturday to the DFG at Discovery, so I decided to focus on bass for the day. After making the 10 mile run to the airport, I ran into two other bass guys hitting the bank pretty hard. I watched how they handled the current by using their trolling motors without anchoring to cover long stretches of shoreline while back-trolling, a skill I really need to learn. After struggling for awhile to hold my position between the two other boats, I began to figure out the technique. After an hour or so of back trolling along a 300 yard stretch of rocky shore, I had 3 bass in the boat, and was maintaining boat position pretty well. Over the next couple of hours, I worked the bank more efficiently than I ever have before in current, and was catching a few fish to show for it.
As the skiers began to arrive in droves, I decided to head back south towards Sac and try my new back-trolling skills in familiar waters. About 2 miles south of the marina at I-5, a disabled boater flagged me down, and asked for a tow upstream to the marina. His brand new 21' fiberglass speed boat w/ a 550cu in blown Ford had a massive fuel leak, and was taking on water. It took 45 minutes to pull the speedboat upriver to the launch, and every bit of power my little boat could muster to make the trip. I never imagined it would be me pulling someone else out of a bad situation, but I was happy to help and even more happy that the boat, once again, performed flawlessly when pushed hard.
All in all, the boat ran great, the fishing was better than it has been for weeks, I ventured farther than I ever have before on the river, I lent a helping hand to a person in need, learned a new technique that will greatly improve my overall fishing abilities, and made it home by 2. Crazy day on the Sac.
