Topwater Today

I got out in the Delta today in the kayak and fished the morning topwater window and got one fish but it was a good one. I would say five pounds. I have fished the morning topwater a few times now and am not catching much but I have gotten couple of good ones. I guess I will keep at it and hope it gets better. The wind was fishable today but I did not like the tide. It was very high. I feel like the bass stay deep at high tide and don't want to come up from 5 feet down for a topwater bug especially when the visibility is about a foot which is what it was this morning. I need to find a place in the delta that is less windy and has better water visibility. Clear lake next week. We'll see how that goes but I feel like my two fly rods and a box of Clousers and deer hair divers will be no match for a couple of guys with 15 rods, ten boxes of lures, worms and soft plastics, side scanning sonar and a 250 HP Nitro boat. I might not out fish them but hopefully I can out fun them and get better pictures.


http://i.imgur.com/Dkrgw1o.jpg

Very nice John......





In the hot summer months I emagine that the LMB are hold up in certain places?

A friend who went ballistic for years in the Delta said August was one of his best top water times?

Andy says, "Top water for bass in the Delta can be lots of fun casting, occasionally interrupted by a bass."

Andy told me that his best top water days in the Delta were "breathless" times with zero wind.

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I think AM top water in the Sacramento river as it flows through the Delta can be good all summer for Smallmouth.

Bryce Tedford and Andy Guibord both guide this fun fisheries.

Bryce told me it was a great way to get someone into fly fishing.

He says he put the new to fly fishing person in the bow and the more experienced person in the rear.

He says it can be lots of top water action early morning and the fish are small to medium but hot.


Great way to get one of your children, grandchildren, wife or girlfriend into the sport.

Unlike the reservoirs around here, the spawn drags on well into June on the Delta and Clearlake. There are a ton of fish still recovering from the spawn and just don't feed very aggressively. I don't count on consistent top water fishing until close to July on the Delta. So basically, it's going to get better. Everyone is struggling out there right now.

Once the top water bite does get better, then you still have to worry about tides and weather. If you get a lovely Delta breeze and a cool down the night before you go don't expect them to eat up top. They still might eat but not up top. On a positive note, a top water bite can occur any time of day out there when the things are right so you have to keep trying throughout the day.

MT - It is good to hear from you. I have been struggling with the topwater but am learning. I did well at Berryessa with the bobber this spring so I am feeling good about that but that bite seems to be done. If we get a cool or cloudy spell I might try the morning bite up there one more time. In the meantime I will struggle on. Thanks for the intel. I need all I can’t get. A guy from the Dan Blanton board emailed me some good advice as well which I appreciated. Thanks.

Lots of top water fishing left at Berry and the Mother lode lakes. Good time of year for a late afternoon into evening trip. I ran into a wolfpack of spots last week that acted like saltwater fish. The first one I hooked had two dozen others just like him that followed him all the way to the boat. Action lasted about 90 minutes. Middle of the day. Big wads of spawning shad nearby of course. Lots of good fishing coming our way. Hope to see more big fish pictures soon.