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Richard
08-17-2005, 09:09 PM
First thing I know about Delta Bass is that if you want to begin to learn how to fish for them contact Kevin Doran!! Do it soon as he is about to start the striper season and you will have to wait for your bass lessons until Spring.

OK, having said that, among the things I have learmed are the four T's. Tides, Tullies, Transportation and Topwater .

Tides: The area I fish is better at high than low tides. But that may be beause I fish near Bethel Island and at low tide the weeds are so close to the surface that there is no room for the fish. :D I read that slackwater is a dead time, and I have had no experience to prove otherwise. Fishing is much harder when the tide is moving strongly as it makes it difficult to keep the boat where you want it to be. But regardless I go out whenever I can get out and take the tides as I find them.

Tullies: I have more luck fishing around tullies than anywhere else. I cast right up against the tullies and do that noisy retrieve I mentioned before. Even near rock walls I find the tullie areas more productive. The clear space between the walls and the weeds is also good. (But you better have a stong leader and tippet to get the bass past those weeds. :lol:

Transportation: You need a boat - inflatable kayak, canoe, $80,000 bass boat, whatever. Don't try float tubes or such as the jet skis and water skiers will make your life most unpleasant. :roll: Cruise slowly down the area you are fishing and cast and retrieve towards the tullies, bank, boat dock, etc. Don't worry about how to move, if you don't have an anchor out the tide will move you along without any assistance. (Of course it won't take you where you want to go, but that's what paddles and electric motors are for.) :wink:

Topwater: I read that you can catch more fish fishing subsurface. But topwater is where it's at for me. I have had the most luck with Dahlberg Divers and similar flies. I experiment with other flies, but a noisy diver has been what has drawn the action for me. watching and seeing that boil under your fly is the ultimate trip. 8)

Next???

David Lee
08-17-2005, 09:38 PM
My first and only trip to the Delta was an eye-opener -

I fished Franks Tract last year (Dan Blantons Striperfest) .... I have never seen a body of water SO PERFECT for Largemouth . I managed 6 or 8 Blackies on 1/0 Chart/White Clousers in a couple of hours .....

I just couldn't get over the cover . Cuts , weeds , rip-rap , tullies , trees , duck blinds , docks , seams , points , flats ...... It would have taken me all day to properly cover 100 yards of water ! I'm planning on fishing out there in September thru early summer 2006 :arrow:

I'm sure I'll have much more to write about when I'm done .

David

Hairstacker
08-18-2005, 09:55 PM
Ahhh, flyfishing for Delta largemouth bass. . . . 8) 8) 8) I've learned a few things about this subject thus far:

Tides: The areas I fish also fish better as we're approaching the high tide. At the low tide, the weed mats turn into a practically impenetrable barrier and it's only possible to fish the edges. At high tide, however, the weed mats will sink somewhat, creating open areas and pockets where bass will suspend and you can target them on top. I've spooked a lot of good bass in these pockets when paddling from one spot to another so I know they're there. I also get out there whenever I can, regardless of the state of tides, but I almost always hit the high tide at some point, since there are two high tides every day. I've also learned that the fish are much more keyed in to the tides than they are to time of day -- on quite a few occasions on hot, blistering summer days, the best topwater bite turned on in the middle of the day when the sun was overhead at its hottest and brightest.

Weed Beds: I focus mostly on weed beds, particularly the edge bordering deep water and any open pockets within 10 - 20' of this edge, depending on water depth. If I can find tules or grass sticking out of the surface, even better. I know one spot that has a weed bed next to deep water and tules and there's a downed tree underwater running through it -- perfect! I've also had good luck fishing tules adjacent to rock levee walls, as well as little coves formed by intake pipes. Conversely, I have found certain areas apparently devoid of bass for no apparent reason. There's one weed bed I regularly fish that has a stretch where I've never got a hit and I've never figured out why, since the rest of the stretch has been outstanding at times. Go figure. It's only by constantly moving and repeatedly fishing the same areas that I've figured out these types of things. Regardless, you don't ever want to stay glued to one spot. Fish each spot thoroughly but move on -- you want to cover water and present to as many fish as possible. That's always my strategy anyway.

Transportation: I agree with Richard completely, you really need a boat of some sort. All of the best holes I've discovered are completely unreachable by shore and a boat enables you to cover water more quickly. Also, you really need a boat to fish the deep water edge of weed mats -- otherwise, you're casting across the mat from shore. I've settled on my inflatable kayak as the best choice for me, since it can go places regular boats can't get to and I can park it easily on top of weed mats when I don't want to deal with current. Float tubes can be used in some areas but you will have to hug the shoreline in others where there's current. You also might have to deal with weeds with your legs dangling down below. Since I fish out of a kayak, I use floating lines exclusively. I have found sinking lines and sinktips too hard to control while maintaining control of my kayak at times. With a floating line, I can toss it over my shoulder and drag it on the water surface when I change locations without worrying about it hanging up in some rocks on the bottom. (I lost a brand new Teeny sink-tip this way out there once. :cry: )

Topwater: Yep, there isn't much more exciting than an explosive strike on top. Using a 9' 5 wt. rod, WF-6-F Bass Bug taper floating fly line, and 9' leader tapering down to 1X tippet, I fish topwater with a #2 red/white Tap's Bug (deerhair popper) and I usually mix up the retrieve until I crack the combination for the day. My bread and butter retrieve, though, is to cast it out and let it sit. After a 10 second or so pause, I'll twitch it once and pause again. After the second pause, I'll give it a quick double-twitch in quick succession and pause once again. If nothing's bit, then I'll pick up and cast to a different spot and repeat. I usually don't have the patience to fish much slower than this, and by maintaining a certain tempo, I can cover a lot more water and present to a lot more fish. That's my thinking, anyway. I've also had success ripping it back, although I don't think I've ripped it quite as aggressively as Richard does. Having said that, he's caught some great fish and I'm going to try his approach myself, ha.

If topwater isn't happening, then I'll switch to a #2 four to five-inch chartreuse and white flashtail Clouser with small size dumbbell eyes. I like to cast it to the deep-water-side edges of weed beds and let it drop to near bottom depending on water depth, then strip it in in big 6 - 8" strips. They'll often SLAM it on the drop and, when you start stripping it in big strips, it darts just like a baitfish. I've also had good luck casting Clousers to levee walls and tullies. I also like to strip it over weedbeds about a foot or less below the surface. This is fun because you often see the fish hit. Since Clousers ride with the hook point up, with small dumbbell eyes, the fly is naturally weedless and practically suspends between strips. After about mid-October, I'll switch to a heavier rod and fish a Clouser exclusively because stripers will be in the system en masse and I'll have a shot at one of those while fishing for largemouths in the same areas. That is, unless I see largemouths boiling the surface all over the place, in which case, I'll stick with topwater. 8)

I've also had good success fishing #6 olive woolly buggers when the other two aren't working, although I've never caught anything particularly big on a bugger. I like to let these sink a bit and then start stripping it in in short 1 to 2-inch strips. I have had bass hit it the moment it touched water (as if they tracked it through the air :shock: ), I've had them hit it as it sank on the initial drop, and I've had them hit it on the 10th strip and everything in between.

The Delta can be a very fun and relaxing place to fish if you pick your spots where you won't be bothered by water skiers, jet boats, etc. I can't tell you how much fun and relaxation I've enjoyed out there in my inflatable kayak. :D Anyway, I'll stop here lest I write a book. :roll:

mikenewman
08-18-2005, 10:45 PM
This is terrific information for a newcomer like me. (I'm taking my first cast on Frank's Tract next week) Many thanks for the detail guys - it sounds great!

Adam Grace
08-18-2005, 11:41 PM
Great info Delta guys.

Those Delta bass better be looking over their shoulders, you guys are coming.

Keep on rippin dem lips boys!

Richard
08-19-2005, 10:40 PM
You might have noticed from the posts that color seems to be important. The water is generally murky (that is how you spell muddy isn't it :lol: ). Light colors such as white, chartruse and yellow seem to be a good idea. I use a mix of these colors with a strip of black for contrast on my divers. Ialso use gold flashaboo and that seems to make at least a little difference.

Finally I think (but do not know for sure) that the splashy retrieve I use is probably best for bigger fish hanging a little deeper. The slower technique, which was my bread and butter (with hushpuppies before the high cholesterol readings :wink:) in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi seems to work best for fish in shallower water, maybe because of the clarity (or lack thereof) in the water. 8)

Richard
08-24-2005, 09:48 AM
For those who haven't been there recently I was on the Delta yesterday and the water seems a lot clearer than earlier in the year, at least where I was fishing. That being the case fish are a lot spookier in the shallow water over the weedbeds. Also the weeds have gotten VERY thick on Frank's Tract near Bethel Island. Areas that used to be totally open are now impossible to enter unless you have a canoe or a kayak. :cry:

I found that in those conditions Hairstackers slow fishing (need a fairtly long cast) worked well. But you have to find an area unaffected by the current, which can be difficult at times and the fish seem to be smaller.

Darian
08-24-2005, 03:29 PM
OK guys,.... What about when Bass're suspending :?: :?: How do you address that situation :?: :?: Do you use floater/divers (Dahlberg Divers) or suspenders (Neutralizer) :?: :?: I haven't fished the Delta enough to know whether mid-depth flies work or not but have fished them succesfully in lakes and/or slow water.... 8) 8)

So,.... Wadda ya thin' :?: :?: :?:

Hairstacker
08-26-2005, 02:25 AM
Darian, good question. Most of the waters I target are relatively shallow and/or I'm targeting them relatively shallow. I figure with a 9' leader and a Clouser that I let sink before stripping, I'm at least covering fish suspended 5 - 8' below the surface. Haven't tried to target them any deeper than that though, so can't really comment if that's what you had in mind. Even though I only use floating lines, I'm sure I could get it deeper with a longer leader but just haven't had the inclination to do so.

Adam Grace
08-26-2005, 08:16 AM
Mike, I seriously doubt that you are effectively fishing 8' of water with a 9' leader, unless you are using a very slow vertical jigging the clouser. I would estimate that about five feet yo six of water is probably the deepest you are effectively fishing. Every time you strip in your fly, your floating line pulls the fly up towards the surface.

mikenewman
08-26-2005, 10:30 AM
Mike

I think Adam's correct on this - in the UK reservoirs I would often fish an 18' leader in order to get down, and stay down, half that depth of water (although admittedly with much lighter flies) The retrieve will cause the fly to rise considerably unless you are fishing very slowly - which presumably you aren't with a Clouser?

Mike

Darian
08-26-2005, 11:09 AM
I'm assumming that bass that're in the weeds or around tules will take a suspending fly best at high tide, when the tops of the weeds are fully submerged. Therefore, it follows that floater/divers, slow sinkers or neutral bouancy patterns would be the best choice of flies under those circumstances.... 8) 8) 8)

Anyway, that's mt story and I'm stickin' too it.... 8) (unless one of you guys tells me something else :roll: :roll: )

Richard
08-26-2005, 11:11 PM
I just purchased a couple of new lines to try fishing a little deeper. One of these is an intermediate which I intend to use for bass who are suspended deeper than I normally fish. I also got a couple of fast sinking lines, but those are for striper fishing. If I have any luck with any of them I will let you know. However, I still prefer to fish on top and don't have a lot of information on non topwater fishing. :cry: As you might guess, I have three reels with floating lines to one with a sinking line. :)

Hairstacker
08-28-2005, 08:51 PM
Adam and Mike, I agree, I'm definitely not fishing that deep once I start stripping it back. I was thinking only in terms of the drop when fishing for fish suspended at the deep-water edge of a weed mat. Once I start stripping it in, you're right, it's pretty much continually coming up toward the surface until it gets to a depth of about a foot or two.

Ditto while fishing for smallmouth bass up at Shaver Lake over this weekend -- even though I was letting it drop along the edges of ledges, boulders, etc., if I put any kind of speed on the strip, the fly would come up to less than 3 or 4 feet from the surface. I think you really do need a sink-tip or full sinking line to keep it at depth while stripping.