Delta Report - 9/22/05

**Hairstacker** · 09-22-2005, 04:15 PM

Hit the Delta in the inflatable kayak for a few hours again today. Got there during the high slack tide -- the water was like glass, and it was practically dead. It stayed that way until the outgoing tide started picking up, at which point, the place came alive and fish started busting the surface everywhere up and down the slough. I fished a #2 red/white Tap's Bug exclusively and brought 5 largemouth bass to hand, had two others come off while fighting 'em, and missed a number of good strikes.

I pretty much stayed with a very fast retrieve, stripping the deerhair bug in 12-inch noisy strips above and just below the surface. I was hoping for another striper on the surface, and I did get 3 strikes from what I believe were stripers (actually saw one hit, the other two created bathtub sized wakes

) but, alas, no hook up. The largemouths kept me entertained, though. At one point, I was stripping the fly like gangbusters and a 13" bass hit it 3 times on the surface during the same retrieve before he got it, and I fought him and brought him to hand. On another cast, a 12" bass wailed on the fly on the surface but missed it, so I immediately cast to the same spot and got him the second time around. Unfortunately, I had to leave again before the action died.

After I packed the car, I took a moment to look down at the water for a little bit. I saw an egret catch two baitfish. I also saw a striper explode on top as it was rushing a baitfish school to the surface. I was reminded once again today why this is the start of my favorite time of year on the Delta.

SullyTM · 09-22-2005, 04:38 PM

'stacker...another tough day at the office I see

Good report. Tap bug

I'll check it out. Adios. Thom

**Richard** · 09-22-2005, 09:35 PM

Mike,

You make me feel hopeful about tomorrow when I will be back fishing the Delta. I hope that I have half the good fortune you had. No reason to call it luck, it is obvious that for you, at least, it's skill.

Richard

**Katz** · 09-22-2005, 09:46 PM

It seems most of you fish the East Delta? I live in Dixon and the closest water to me is in the Rio Vista Area. Can anyone recommend a Slough in that area that would allow some similar action to what you are describing above. I have only launched (ski boat) from Rio Vista and I dont want to fish a pontoon boat or something that small among all the huge boats.

Thanks in advance.

Katz

**Darian** · 09-22-2005, 11:29 PM

Hey Katz,.... You need to buy a map titled: THE DELTA by FISH n MAP CO. This map is waterproof plastic. It has a complete picture of the delta and some of the Bay Area. There're several sloughs (Cache, Haas, Lookout Prospect and Lindsey Sloughs) south east of Dixon and north of Rio Vista that have some Black Bass in 'em. Gotta be some Stripers too.

The map will give you a bunch of options for fishing the delta....

Good Fisin'....

**Hairstacker** · 09-22-2005, 11:50 PM

Richard, I really hope you get 'em tomorrow, please post a report when you get back. By the way, I appreciate your sentiments regarding "skill" but, you know how it goes, some days you couldn't plan it any better and the next week you get skunked in the very same spot trying everything you think you know, ha.

Katz, I'm sorry, but I am not familiar with the Rio Vista area of the Delta. I guess if I were in your shoes, I would get to Rio Vista, get on highway 12 east and immediately head south on highway 160 and head over to the Bethel Island/Frank's Tract area. (I think you have to pay a toll on the way back on Hwy 160, though). Maybe someone else here can suggest something just as good that's closer?

**Hairstacker** · 09-22-2005, 11:59 PM

Oops, sorry Darian, I didn't realize you were posting. Great suggestion on getting that map. By the way, I've read that Cache slough, among others in the north Delta around the Sacramento River (essentially those waters west of Walnut Grove), have smallmouth bass too.

**mikenewman** · 09-23-2005, 08:27 AM

Mike

Iwas out at Franks Tract Thursday afternoon for a few hours. Had 3 small LMBs and a 12" striper (My first). All on biggish divers popped along the surface. I'm finding more success when the bugs are fresh and dry - once they take a fish they tend to waterlog and tend to dive more than pop! You seem to now be using a more agressive retrieve - would you say it is more successful than your twitch and wait approach? Also how much longer would you expect surface tactics to be successful this year?
Richard, I think we are probably fishing the same area (Piper/Sandmound/Quimby Island) I'll keep my eye out for you - (I guess you'll be the only canoeist waving small turkeys on the end of a stick

) Good luck today!
Mike

**Hairstacker** · 09-23-2005, 01:19 PM

Mike, the last two trips were really the first times I've resorted to fishing a very aggressive, fast, surface retrieve, where the topwater-style deerhair bug is moving and throwing a lot of water in the air, swimming just-under-the-surface in long jerks at times and practically skittering across the surface at other times. I was very encouraged to try it after seeing Richard's earlier series of posts with pictures

wherein he described such a retrieve. What actually prompted me to try it was when I saw a striper mauling baitfish (reference "Delta Report - 9/21/05" under the "Striper" section of this board), and I thought it offered me the best chance (successfully!) of getting a striper on top.

Thus, I haven't had enough experience with it to see if I find it more effective than the "twitch and pause," but so far it has worked really well. In fact, I'm already beginning to suspect that it is the more effective retrieve in terms of numbers of strikes. By the way, I also think it really helps that I use a pattern that has a built-in wiggle like a baitfish anytime it is drawn underwater.

Having said all that, there is a special charm to the "pause and twitch" retrieve. It is like playing with one of those Jack-in-the-box toys -- there's a certain tension that builds up when your bug is just sitting there completely motionless and then a largemouth explodes on it -- more heart attack-inducing than any other kind of retrieve in my opinion. I'm also reminded of that time I've mentioned before on this board, when a bass went straight up in the air about a foot from my fly, did a perfect arc at the top like a dolphin, and then came head-first, straight down on top of my fly like an Olympic diver -- I hope to have more moments like that with the "twitch and pause" retrieve. Not to mention, it is a very relaxing way to fish, compared to the relatively frantic style of fishing I've been employing lately. Also, the "twitch and pause" retrieve is much better for fishing small, open pockets in the weed beds and mats where there may be very little room to retrieve a fly without fouling it, particularly since I don't use weedguards. Lastly, I seem to recall that Dave Whitlock felt that the looong pause and twitch retrieve offered the best chance of a 10 lb+ topwater largemouth.

As far as how long topwater tactics will work for largemouths in the Delta, I'm really not sure. In the past, I've always switched over to Clousers exclusively in mid-October in the hopes of picking up a striper. I always enjoyed great topwater largemouth action up to that point, and the Clouser also caught plenty of largemouths in the late fall/early winter. This year, though, since I really want to catch more stripers on the surface, I plan to continue using this aggressive topwater retrieve well into the winter. I'll let you know when I stop catching largemouths.

The main aspect of this, of course, is water temperature -- in the winter, the Delta water temperature plummets, and I generally haven't had good topwater action the following spring until it warms back up to about 70 degrees. In any case, I plan to check the winter water temperature when the topwater action ends over the next few years to see what the relationship and timing is.