Davis Lake Bass... Random bass pics

[Ryan]

I saw the new warm water species topic up, and it reminded me of one of the wierdest fish in the wierdest place that I have caught. I caught a largemouth... or black bass (don't know the difference, or is there?) in Davis lake last year, I think around May or June? Has anyone ever had any similar experience? The fish took a size 10 rust wholly bugger on an I line. Here's the link.

http://www.msnusers.com/putahcreek/s...oto&PhotoID=58

Now I have extremley limmited success bass fishing (with a fly rod), but here are some of the highlights from spring into the summer of last year...

Delta with my cousins... I hooked this on the fly rod, and my little cousin in the middle realed it in.



That's a shaddow on her, not a black eye, for some reason the computer added that on?

Here is a nice smallmouth from Sly Park in June or July.

http://www.msnusers.com/putahcreek/s...oto&PhotoID=60

And here is the monster my buddy Roberto caught...



This guy was caught in a feeder creek which flows into the Travis AFB pond, he got it on a blue gill pattern during the Spring. Roberto, if your reading this post you sure did a good job landing him lol, that was pretty cool!

I have alot to learn for bass fishing. Where is everyone's favorite place to fish with a fly rod (for bass of course)? I am retarted with bass fishing, and I could use some help with fly selection and places to fish. Keep in mind the fish above were just about all the bass I caught all last season, it's really tough! And if anyone can catch big bass consistantley... you should be proud, because your realy good![img][/img]

[Adam Grace]

I have seen Largemouth in the American river. They hang out in the backwater ponds and slow water. I saw about a 3lber in the slackwater below Gristmill's lower launch. Finding bass on the American isn't too strange but it is a little cool.

[Hairstacker]

Hi Ryan! I enjoyed your fish pictures! To answer some of your questions.... The largemouth bass and smallmouth bass you caught are both in a category commonly referred to as "black bass." My favorite place to fish for them is in the California Delta, where I like to use floating bass bugs so I can see the explosive strike and spray of water -- very exciting! If you can make it out to the Delta during the summer and fall and work a topwater bass bug along the edges of thick weed mats (on the side bordering deeper water), you can have a blast catching largemouths fairly consistently. Believe me, you won't have to be "really good" to be successful. A very effective way to do this (there are others) is to cast a topwater bass bug to the edge of the weed mat, wait for the water rings to disappear, and then pause for a moment. Then make the bug "pop" by very quickly pulling on your line and then, once again, wait for the rings to disappear and pause for a moment. Then give the bass bug a good double "pop" (in other words, two quick pops in a row) and then pause. If a bass hasn't hit it by then, pick up the bass bug and cast it to a different spot and repeat the pause/pop/pause/pop, pop/pause retrieve. If you keep moving and don't stay glued to one spot, you will catch one or more bass in the Delta just about every time you go with this strategy. I can't guarantee you'll catch a big bass but you never know and you will have fun. Of course, there are other retrieves that can be very effective too and other types of cover (besides weed mats) that attract bass. Sometimes, the bass are more interested in a fly retrieved underwater, like your woolly bugger or a Clouser. In any case, if you fish a certain local water most of the time, keep notes on "what" (fly, retrieve) worked "where" (specific cover, water deth, etc.), "when" (time of year, time of day) and under "what conditions" (weather, water temperature, etc.) You'll figure out that certain pieces or areas of cover will always hold bass and what APPEARS to be identical sections of cover won't. But patterns generally repeat themselves and you will eventually figure out your piece of water like putting together pieces of a puzzle. Good luck and hope to see more pictures of your results!

[Ryan]

Bass in the American... that's pretty cool, I have also heard of a few bass below teh Monticello dam below Berryessa in putah creek. I will have to give the delta a harder try this summer. I have a 32 piece popper kit from Cabellas, but have only caught blue gill on them. My pontoon boat should be pretty good for the delta. I guess I just row upstream a ways, then float slowly down the current hugging and fishing the shores? Well anyways, it sounds pretty fun, and am looking foreward to summer. Thanks for the replies.

[Darian]

Hi Ryan,..... The American has several places in it where Black Bass are available. One fo the best/easiest to access for you would be between Howe and Watt Avenues (behind Rio Americano Hi School). There's a slow stretch of the river there that has bass/sunfish. Under normal flows, the current isn't strong in there.

The next area up stream is the Arden Ponds (reached at the end of Arden Avenue). Bass/sunfish/trout are avialable there. These ponds become part of the American River during high flows but are separated from it during low flow periods.

That should give you a start on the river.... There're a lot of places close to home where fishing is good. Don't forget the Delta (where David recommended for this summer).

Good luck

[Hairstacker]

Ryan, regarding your 32-piece popper kit, how big are they? Assume there are some bass poppers in there and not just panfish poppers?

Your pontoon boat should be GREAT in the Delta, as I've seen quite a few of them fishing conventional gear in some of the back sloughs, which is where I would suggest you go. See if you can get down into some of the narrower sloughs with heavy weed mats; sloughs that have some current during tidal movement and not stagnant water. I've never used a pontoon boat so I don't know if you can maintain your position by kicking. Using an inflatable kayak, I often find the current too fast (even though it's quite slow) to properly fish topwater bugs without having to constantly make adjustments with the paddle. So, I often park it on the weed mat bordering deeper water and fish the edges and open pockets from spot to spot without worrying about the current. Having said that, drifting with the current is a great way to fish underwater flies like buggers and Clousers, as you can cover a lot of structure by casting towards the banks as you drift by.

You can definitely catch bass right up against the banks. However, I believe the percentages are better fishing weed mat edges and openings bordering deeper water. Just my .02.

[Hairstacker]

Oh, and to add a point of clarification: when I speak of fishing the "edge," I'm talking about fishing the open, deep water right next to the edge of the weed mat (within, say, 6 feet of the edge), as well as any open pockets in the weed mat itself within, say, 15 feet or so of this edge, depending on the size of the particular mat (which can vary considerably in width).

Also, sometimes you have to be persistent. Because of the tides, conditions are almost constantly changing in the Delta. Sometimes, I'll get there and experience very slow action for a couple hours when, all of a sudden, the bite will turn on and the action is fast and furious. You can practically see the bite turning on at times, because there will be surface activity up and down the slough, very noticeable.

I remember one occasion in particular where the topwater fishing was very slow, almost nonexistent, and I didn't notice any surface activity. So, I switched to a size 6 olive woolly bugger and caught 4 within about 15 minutes. On that day at that time at that place, that's apparently what they wanted.

[Darian]

Hi Mike,..... Interesting comment about the affects of tide on the bite. I've noticed the same thing in Snodgrass Slough where I've fished from shore quite often in the past. When the tide is low, you wouldn't think there is a fish in the slough. When the in-flow picks up, the bite picks up. I'm, also, sure that some of the sports are not occupied at low water levels in sloughs..... When its on, it's on.

[Hairstacker]

Hi Darian, yeah, it also affects the weed mats dramatically. At the bottom of the low tide, many of the weed mats turn into a solid surface. At the top of the high tide, however, those same weed mats will have sunk under water, leaving a lot of open water and holes in which to cast bass bugs. Also, as the weed mats sink under water, the bite also frequently turns on in the weed mats, which is why this is my favorite time to fish topwater in the Delta. But, I'll fish out there regardless of the state of the tide -- just have to make adjustments.

[Ryan]

Thaks for all the responses, I will use every bit of info given to me. And the popper kit is from sizes 12-8, so they are pretty small, but I do have a couple of big hairy ones, and a couple of size 6 ones, and I have two fly boxes full of wholly buggers and stuff. Thanks again.