Delta Bass

[Mike Churchill]

A friend and I launched his boat in Miner Slough at 11:30 Sunday for our first exploration on the Sacramento side of the Delta. In the first hour throwing Umpqua Swimming Frogs, I caught a Largemouth, a Smallmouth, and 2 Spots, LDR'd another, and missed a strike. My friend LDR'd one that threw the fly while airborne. By sunset, we had each landed about a dozen, including a double, farmed as many more, and had more than 50 strikes each. Most were Smallmouth that fought like hell, and the biggest were around 16 inches. A lot of the misses were 6 inch Smallies trying to eat a frog half their size. Lots of juvenile SMB in Miner Slough.

We did pick up a few subsurface, but we threw frogs probably 70% of the day. Most of the mid day action was in or near the shade of trees overhanging the water. Water Temps ranged from 73-76.

A couple of curious raccoons watched our efforts for a few minutes as well.

We'll definitely spend more time over there in the future.

Murphy's Law did strike in a conversation with a guy doing a little trolling while scouting places to duck hunt, who told us his dad was down by Frank's Tract catching a bunch of Stripers. The grass always seems greener somewhere else...

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks Mike.....

Your post got me very excited.

I know that Captain Bryce Tedford guides for Smallmouth in the Delta all summer in the early mornings.

I heard that SMB can be found in the cooler water of the Sacramento river as it twists through the Delta.



Smallmouth bass in moving water are a favorite of many fly fishers.


Oregon has three famous West coast SMB rivers":

Lower Umpqua river

John Day river

Grande Ronde river

The Snake river has some big SMB too.


SMB are usually best in the summer and early fall in moving water.

The low light of the AM and PM is best for top water action or in any shade, as Mike mentions.


Our Russian river and the lower Feather river have SMB.


Short SMB video: https://www.facebook.com/deltabassbugs/videos/1292905874786947

[John H]

Mike - I need to try that. Sounds like a fun day of fishing. Can I ask where you launched? Arrowhead Marina seems to be in the middle of the smallmouth area but someone told me they had some difficulty with the ramp. Smallmouth are great. I am going to Canada next week and hopefully will find some smallmouth. A couple of twenty inchers on topwater would be good.

[Mike Churchill]

John, Arrowhead is neither the worst nor best ramp I've used in the Delta. There is a big hole in the left side of the ramp that the trailer wheel dropped into before the boat started floating.

We fished South from there, so I don't know about depths going East, but there is plenty of depth once you pass a shallow weed bed at the entrance to the marina. Your kayak would of course be no problem at all. I probably wouldn't launch or recover a powerboat at low tide if I could avoid it.

I've been following your Delta and roaming posts and wondering where you are launching. Love the bird and fish pictures.