Delta algae

[mikenewman]

Had a few hours buggin' the bass around Old/Middle river this morning. Took a few small fish but very disheartening to see the density of the Blue/green Algae bloom. Tried to search out some cleaner water but this crud seems to be widespread. At what density is it a waste of time hitting the water when this stuff is around?
Toxic Mike

[JerryInLodi]

Mike, I was out this morning as well and did Potato Slough. I did fairly well although the biggest fish refused the fly at the last moment. I found that the bite turned off about 10:30. I cast for another half hour without raising so much as a ripple even though it appeared that I was fishing the best water of the day.

Huge clumps of hyascinth are now breaking loose and drifting on the San Joaquin and Franks Tract has many, many acres of weed too thick to motor through. Hope we get some cold water soon so some of this stuff will die off!

On Tuesday I missed a ten pounder, TWICE! Actually the first time the fish busted water it scared me so much that I jerked the fly right out of its mouth. I flipped the foam diver right back at the ripple and he totally cleared water this time and either I missed or he knocked the fly out of his mouth. It really reminded me of, "Jaws".

He wasn't stupid enough to come up a third time and I packed it in after seeing that. I was pretty much shaking too much to cast anyway! I've visited the spot for the last three days but either he's too smart to come up and play or he's moved on.

[Hairstacker]

Hey Mike, I don't know the answer to your question but I do know it can be a pain cleaning that muck off my fly on every other cast.

Jerry, I think it's pretty cool that, despite all the insane fish you were catching in Baja recently, a good bass can still make you jump. Reminds me of a quote:

"I have done my share of both trout and saltwater fishing, but there's just nothing to equal that heart-stopping eruption of water when one of these fellows, even a small one, grabs my bug." -- Jack Ellis, Bassin With a Fly Rod (1996)

Or one by another guy that definitely did his share of world-wide, big game saltwater fishing:

"To see a heavy fish rise from under the lily pads or slip out from under a dense growth of weeds to smash at a floating bug is the most tense moment an angler can experience at the end of any search." -- A.J. McClane, The Practical Fly Fisherman (1953)

I had a good one, not as big as yours, probably a 7lber or so, do the same thing to me a couple months ago. Kind of leaves you stunned after the heart palpitations die down and then you're haunted by thoughts of what you might or should have done differently. Although it had nothing to do with missing the hookset, it made me make a permanent switch from a 5 wt. rod to a 7 wt. rod thereafter.

[KD]

The only way to be certain on how much a lm bass weighs especially in the Delta,(many food sources) is to do just that...weigh it. Everything else is just a little better than poor guess imo. The larger they are the harder it is to guess the weight and size is decieving more often than not. That's why every tournament angler has a scale on his boat.

It does help the guesstimating to have actually landed & experienced what a huge Delta bass feels like on the rod. A very small number of ff'rs have been so lucky. I'm sure that list will grow as more ff'rs start playing the game.

[JerryInLodi]

Kevin, I've got the scale, I just don't have the fish!

I agree, it's VERY hard to guesstimate the weight of a fish but I've caught enough five and six pound bass to know that this fish was MUCH bigger. I was only about 15 feet away and could see all the way down to this fish's tonsils! On the second attempt he totally cleared water!

The first hook set or lack of it was purely involuntary. So much water and fish came up that I just pulled back! The second was more of a concerted effort but for some reason, when I lifted, the fish wasn't there. The video still is running in my mind though and while not as good as a fish landed, will burn in my memory for some time to come!

Hairstacker, I don't think that size is the factor that imprints memories. One of my favorite recalls is on the West Walker. I found a run and could see nine trout in a long line, probably planters, each no more than 12 inches long. I decided I would catch every one. I tied on a nymph made from my dog's hair, something that looked similar to a hare's ear, and cast to the fish most downstream. He took the fly on the first pass. I continued up the line and caught all nine, one on each cast. It's one of those special memories.

As to what makes those memories, I'd have to think about it!

[KD]

Not trying to take anything away from an awesome event. It'll haunt you for a long time I'm sure.

An example of what I'm talking about...

Steve Komure's topwater 6.5lb fish was every bit as long as another guides client fish(taken while striper fishing in march-pre-spawn) of 10.5lbs. When comparing photos side by side and referencing items to determine scale, it was obvious that Steve's fish was as long and had as big a head but it was a postspawn fish(taken late May). It very likely would have gone 10+ a couple of weeks earlier. I was convinced when I saw it close to the boat that it was going over 10lbs. This was based on the head size and length. It was just a big %ss fish!

However it boga'd out @ 6.5lbs. My point is that there is a sizable fluctuation in these fish's weight on any given day but body structure will be constant.

[lee s.]

EXACTLY why I do NOT carry a scale!!!
AND we only lose LARGE fishes.
I know what you mean as to post-spawn fish. Some 24"-30" fish in some of these farm ponds that would barely stretch the springs to 6# in May and June.......and you could put your ball cap in their mouth. Sure is fun watching them try to steal 10" crappie off'n the G-kids lines.....and the G-kids eyes bulge out!
.....lee s.
KD, probably be at Beacon H next Fri-Sat. I'll call ya later.

[cproto]

Jerry
From my experience Six pound plus fish BB do not come along that often in the delta top water game.
Make it reel
Carlo

[jbird]

I decided I would catch every one.

Thats too funny Jerry. That wording is classic. Every now and again I'll read a sentence that just tickles me right to the gut. This is one of em...

Jbird

[JerryInLodi]

Geez guys, you're takin' all the fun out of it. In my mind's eye it was a TEN POUND bass. That's one of the best things about fish stories, no one can dispute them!

Carlo, here's a 6.5 pounder I caught this spring. I did weigh this one!



This fish looks tiny compared to the fish I saw on Tuesday! Tuesday's fish looked more like my wife's grouper from Estero Coyote.