Delta Report - 9/25/05

[Hairstacker]

Hit the Delta with my 5 wt. rod in the inflatable kayak for a few hours again today. Got there just before high slack tide and noticed some activity, with fish breaking baitfish on top. Beautiful day, pretty calm for the most part. Tied on a size 2 red/white Tap's Bug and immediately picked up 2, including a small striper, by rapidly stripping (i.e., ripping) the bug across the surface. Hooked 4 others as well, including what seemed like a couple of really good fish, but they all got unbuttoned during the fight. Got 3 of those others by ripping, got one of 'em using a pause and twitch retrieve -- this latter one was a fun fish, as he left the water about a foot away from my fly and came down on top of it. I also had one suck the bug under like a vacuum cleaner, creating a big boil but no hookup. Missed a number of other good hits as well.

Continued to fish through the slack tide but the action pretty much died. Later on, activity picked up again somewhat and I ended up bringing 3 more largemouths to hand -- a 12" and a couple of 13". The latter two were good strong, hard-fighting fish, especially the last 13"er that just stayed down and bulldogged my 5 wt. The first of the two 13"ers went airborne to get at my ripping bug, sailing through the air a good 2 feet before crashing into it. I missed several other strikes as well. Alas, it was time to leave even though I was still seeing some sporadic activity.

After I packed the car, I again took a moment to look down at the water for a little bit. I saw a striper between 24" - 30" come straight up through a school of baitfish and come straight up out of the water all the way up to its tail like an Orca, and then slip back down without a splash. Awesome! I had never seen that before.

All in all, another GREAT day on the Delta -- 5 fish to hand, including a striper, all caught on the surface, and got to fight others as well. Fished the entire time with one Tap's Bug, the same one I fished with the last time. Still looks good enough to fish another day as well, gotta love those sturdy deerhair bass bugs.

[mikenewman]

Mike

Love your reports - they always make me want to stop what I'm doing and hightail it out to the Delta. Sounds like you mixed it with some real aqua acrobats yesterday. Let's hope the topwater action continues for a good while yet.
By the way, do you dress your bugs with floatant or are they packed so tight you dont find the need?

Mike

[Hairstacker]

Hi Mike! Yes, I do always use floatant -- I apply it to the whole bug, except for the tail and the underside. I don't stack and pack the heads that tightly, so they do tend to soak up water like a sponge. Here's some pictures of a couple in case you didn't see 'em in another post:

[Katz]

Is it common to have those Bass take off and fly through the air BEFORE landing on the bug or do they usually come up from underneath.

That must be quite a site to see. I think I would pull the bug out of the way in excitement!!

Thanks for the posts. I feel like I am fishing from my desk at work while I read....

Katz

[Hairstacker]

Hi Katz! It has been my experience that very few bass get actually airborne -- the vast majority hit it from underneath or suck it under. Some will get half of their bodies sticking out of the water as they strike a bug on top from the side but rarely will I have one leave the water completely. Nevertheless, quite a few of those strikes from underneath have been pretty explosive, which is, for me, the real appeal of bass bugging. I love it when a bass hits really hard and you feel an instant, solid hookset.

[Katz]

I used to fish in Santa Margarita lake in SLO out of a float tube and catch bass (averaging 6-12", 12" was a monster). We would catch dozens. They were tiny but would explode on the topwater flies. I still think about it today, 10++ years later.

Sometimes the take, not the size, it what keeps you coming back!!!!

Katz

Hey Mike
Great post.
I have been wanting to take my pontoon boat out down there but keep thinking I will hit a heavy in or out tide. I have thought about Snodgrass Slough in the upper part but don't know where to enter.I am a real bass nut. I know it is getting a little late this year, but next year I am going to contact you for sure. I use mostly Gurglers and frog hair bugs.

[Hairstacker]

Hi Sturmer! Hey, I think this is actually the perfect time to get out there in my opinion. In the spring, topwater is pretty dead until water temps hit 70 degrees or so, and it's usually pretty windy. During summer you can find less breezy days here and there but it's usually hotter than hell, although the action can be quite good even in the middle of the day. I like this time of year through October best, because it's often not windy, the weather is more pleasant, and the action is usually pretty good unless it rains. I've caught bass in the Delta in the rain but I've never done particularly well.

I've been curious about some of those sloughs in the upper part of the Delta too, especially those with smallies, but I don't know access points either, and I wonder about strong currents too. I tried Georgiana once but between me and two other guys we only landed one and it wasn't mine, ha. I do know of some guys who do well for bass in Whites Slough out of pontoon boats but I'm not sure where they're entering. I'll try to find out and send you a message.

'Course, I'd be more than happy to take you out to where I usually go. It's pretty pontoon boat friendly once you're out on the water, although we'd have to carry it down the side of a levee and launch. And, of course, you know how it goes with fishing, you never know if it's going to be a good day until the day is over, ha.

[Darian]

Hey Sturmer,..... There's some interesting looking sloughs to be accessed off Eight Mile Road north of Stocton.... There're at least two marina's in that area that could be used for launching. The water is slow around each of them with lots of Tules and access to deeper water....

Altho I've never stopped there, looks pretty good down there to me.... Also, there's a fly shop in Lodi whose owner is very knowledgable about the area....