Hairstacker
07-19-2010, 01:12 AM
Got a chance to flyfish the Delta out of my inflatable kayak today. Fished exclusively topwater with deer hair bass bugs and concentrated on open holes and various structure/cover up against the bank.
It was kind of slow until water levels rose with the incoming tide and I moved to an area that gets relatively little fishing pressure. At that point, I started getting into 'em with fish attacking my flies pretty regularly up and down the long bank I was fishing.
Picked up some and lost more, including a few really nice ones. It was one of those days when it was hard to get or stay hooked up. Kept checking my hooks but that wasn't it. As it was, this was the best one I was able to bring to hand for a quick picture and release:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/Sachlil/DSCF1654.jpg
She was a thick, strong, healthy fish and she thrashed me pretty good on my 7 wt. rod. I had cast a black deer hair diver with a yellow head a couple of feet from a shaded, rocky bank. I paused the fly for a few moments and then gave it a good pop. She took the fly fairly gently, but once I set up on her, all hell broke loose with water flying everywhere. I could sense her power through my bent fly rod and she was one of those fish that throws water everywhere all the way up to the point of being lipped. Loved it!
The fish were biting all the way up until the time I left at 1:00 p.m. At that point, it was just getting too hot out there. I'm glad I wore long pants, long-sleeved shirt, sungloves, wide-brimmed hat, UV Buff, and sunglasses because air temps were well over 90 and it felt like a 100.
Regardless, it was a great time and what I was looking forward to all winter while biding my time tying flies. If you have the opportunity, there's some great warmwater topwater action to be had right now. :D
It was kind of slow until water levels rose with the incoming tide and I moved to an area that gets relatively little fishing pressure. At that point, I started getting into 'em with fish attacking my flies pretty regularly up and down the long bank I was fishing.
Picked up some and lost more, including a few really nice ones. It was one of those days when it was hard to get or stay hooked up. Kept checking my hooks but that wasn't it. As it was, this was the best one I was able to bring to hand for a quick picture and release:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/Sachlil/DSCF1654.jpg
She was a thick, strong, healthy fish and she thrashed me pretty good on my 7 wt. rod. I had cast a black deer hair diver with a yellow head a couple of feet from a shaded, rocky bank. I paused the fly for a few moments and then gave it a good pop. She took the fly fairly gently, but once I set up on her, all hell broke loose with water flying everywhere. I could sense her power through my bent fly rod and she was one of those fish that throws water everywhere all the way up to the point of being lipped. Loved it!
The fish were biting all the way up until the time I left at 1:00 p.m. At that point, it was just getting too hot out there. I'm glad I wore long pants, long-sleeved shirt, sungloves, wide-brimmed hat, UV Buff, and sunglasses because air temps were well over 90 and it felt like a 100.
Regardless, it was a great time and what I was looking forward to all winter while biding my time tying flies. If you have the opportunity, there's some great warmwater topwater action to be had right now. :D