Delta 9-09

[Hairstacker]

Hit the Delta this morning for some topwater largemouth bass bugging out of the inflatable kayak. Focused on a favorite area I haven't fished in a while. It was a beautiful day with very little wind:



Fished the same frog pattern deer hair bass bug that I used on the last couple of trips and did quite well. The majority of the bass today were a chunky 14" or a little better, with only one that only went 12" and none over 16". The green/yellow frog pattern seems to be pretty popular among the bass and I must say it's pretty durable -- today was the 3rd time I've fished it and it still looks as good as new. I only had one frog pattern fly with me today and it was the only fly I used. (I'm going to have to tie up some more!)

I did particularly well targeting holes up against the bank next to the thick stuff. I was fishing and finding most of the fish in water like this today:



In the photo above, you can just make out a couple of holes next to the bank. As you can tell, this kind of fishing takes quite a bit of accuracy rather than distance to keep your fly out of trouble. Also, one of the keys to this type of water is getting the fish up, across the weeds, and to the boat as quickly as possible. The bigger fish in particular will often head down towards the bottom and tie you up otherwise. As it was, I did lose a couple of nice ones in this stuff today. So it goes. Here a few more shots:







At one point, I cast to a spot shaded by a large tree that I was just sure held a 5lb+ fish. Sure enough, I got a hit and a hookup, only to find that this redear sunfish had taken my deerhair bug:



That's a 3 3/4" bass bug tied on a size 2 Tiemco 8089 hook! Ah well, I'm not one to complain if another species of fish wants to join the fun.

Well, didn't land any lunkers but it was definitely another very fun day on the Delta!

[kokaneejr]

Hairstacker,

Great report as usual. Love the photos and tips. One request (if you don't mind) could you photograph a couple of your favorite bass flies for me so I can see what you are using. There are a few partials but I would love to see your frog pattern. And what size hook caught that sunfish? By the way I won't feel bad if you chose to keep a secret.

Thanks Craig.

[dtp916]

Hairstacker,

Great report as usual. Love the photos and tips. One request (if you don't mind) could you photograph a couple of your favorite bass flies for me so I can see what you are using. There are a few partials but I would love to see your frog pattern. And what size hook caught that sunfish? By the way I won't feel bad if you chose to keep a secret.

Thanks Craig.

That's a 3 3/4" bass bug tied on a size 2 Tiemco 8089 hook!

Read, partner, read

Nice job Mike. I'm jealous.

[Adam Grace]

Nice fish Mike, congrats!

[BigBill]

wow thats a pretty big sunfish! Looks like the Delta is pretty consistant with 14-16" LMB eh? Fun!

[jbird]

Awesome Mike!

Love all the pictures...felt like I was sharing the kayak with ya

Jay

[kokaneejr]

Sorry guys must have been a harder day of work than I thought the other day. Either that or I couldn't believe a sunfish was caught on a size 2 hook. Most of mine can't even get a size 12 in their mouths.

By the way I would still love to see that frog pattern. Craig.

[Bald-heron]

Hairstacker:
Good on Ya!!!!!! Good bugs & presentation are definitely doing the trick out there. Your pics are great - don't remember the water clarity being this good last year. Getting the fish out of that debris is indeed a problem, but its of the good kind. Gary

[Hairstacker]

Craig, I'm flattered by your request, and I will try to get some pictures up of the flies I rely on. I tried to take some pictures of the frog pattern last night but my camera takes lousy indoor pictures so I may have to wait until this weekend when I can take some pictures outdoors.

As it stands, I rely on 4 topwater patterns for all my LMB fishing and they are all tied on size 2 Tiemco TMC8089 hooks:

1. Red/White Tap's Bug
2. Blackbird Diver
3. Blackbird-colored Dahlberg Diver
4. Frog-colored Dahlberg Diver

The Tap's Bug is a great imitation of a fleeing baitfish when very rapidly retrieved and I've had both LMBs and stripers hit it. It can also be quite effective with a pause-pop style of retrieve. I've experienced times on the Delta where this fly worked when none of the others did, so I never leave home without it and it remains a fond favorite:



The picture above was taken a few years ago and I now tie the red portion of the head a little tighter but it's still basically the same bug.

My Blackbird Diver is a Dahlberg with ostrich feathers for the tail rather than marabou/neck hackle. Here's a picture of my fly that was taken by someone else (which is why it's such a nice picture ):



As soon as I can get pictures taken of my frog-colored and blackbird-colored Dahlbergs, I'll post those as well.

[jbird]

Craig
If you think catching a sunfish on a #2 hook is hard to believe, you should see the size of this particular #2. If its the hook I use, it has a gape of nearly a 4/0! I have had large crappie eat that hook.

Jay

PS Love those deer hair poppers! Oh, to tie with patience....