Fall 2009/Spring 2010 Delta Fishing Report

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May 3, 2010Since this is a transitional period between stripers and largemouth and I had a ton of work to do on my new website, the California Fisheries Network, I spent my time indoors with the computer rather than on the water. The result is that the website was ready for its coming out party on May 1st. The site is dedicated to the restoration of the state's fisheries. Please check it out, bookmark it and sign up for the weekly newsletters.

http://www.calfish.net
I'm back on the water this week and with the warming weather, I'm going looking for some LMB...

TOPWATER! 
April 26, 2010

North Delta

Water temp: 61-63

Visibility: 3-5 feet		Stripers - Fishing is fair. While the major portions of the north delta remain a desert, a few smaller fish have shown up on the main San Joaquin. Most are dinks with the largest pushing four pounds. While not spectacular, the chances of hooking up are slowly improving.





LMB - Fishing is fair. The spawn continues. some fish have finished and are in the post spawn mode, while others are still spawning and a significant population is still in prespawn. All the action is subsurface but topwater should pick up with another 5 degrees of water temperature.		Stripers - Fishing water from six to twelve feet deep with clousers and whistlers on a quick sinking line, quick strip and lots of pauses will produce fish. Use your graph and don't work an unproductive area too long.

LMB - It's a subsurface game right now with fish holding on nests and close to cover. Weedless subsurface flies worked close to weed lines, and along fairly clean bottoms where fish are nest building should  produce.
April 19, 2010

North Delta

Water Temp: 61

Visibility: 3-5 feet		Stripers - Fishing is poor. Very few boats on the water and no one has reported anything like a steady bite anywhere in the north San Joaquin delta. In fact, it's so discouraging it took me most of the week to get up the energy just to write this blurb. I'll give it another shot this coming week.

LMB - Fishing is fair. The fish are on the beds and should be finished spawning soon. These fish will be hungry. Work any areas where there is some hard packed ground and cover in water 4-6 feet. Look for light spots where males have cleared away debris and built nests.		Stripers - quick sinking lines and chartreuse and white clousers. Lots of casts necessary for a few fish.


LMB - The water is still too cold for topwater but if you work some weedless clousers and woolly buggers in and around spawning water, either with a sinking line and a short leader or a weighted fly on a floating or intermediate line and a long leader, you should find some fish.
April 12, 2010Ok, I cheated and spent three days at Pyramid Lake, Nevada. Fishing was slow but it didn't seem to reduce the number of anglers. Those that fish the lake often state the water is still slightly cold and needs a little more warming to make the fish more aggressive.

No report for the Delta.		 
April 5, 2010No report this week. I spent Easter Break touring the Southwest, Great Basin NP, Arches NP, Canyon Lands NP and Durango, Co. No fishing. Lots of looking at rocks. 
March 29, 2010

North Delta

Water Temp: 57

Visibility: 3 feet		Stripers - Fishing is poor to fair. A few more fish are reported in the west delta sections and some to the teens. The outgoing tides have provided the best fishing since the water is clearest.

LMB - Fair. The larger LMB are in the prespawn but are tough to get at with a fly rod. Fish along the edges of the weed beds and over rock and gravel area four feet and deeper at high tide.		Stripers -- Same as last week

LMB -- Same as last week
March 22, 2010

North Delta

Water Temp 55

Visibility: 3 feet		Stripers - Fishing is Poor to Fair. Some fish are moving into the system along the western edge of the delta, Dutch Slough, False River, Frank's Tract, most are small schoolies but fish into the teens have been caught by trollers.




LMB - Fishing is just starting. The fish are waking up and starting the prespawn but are tough since they're still relatively deep and close to cover. Hard to get a fly in their face.		Stripers -- Smaller clousers in chartreuse over white and black/gray/white fished on a quick sinking line with rapid strips followed by significant pauses. Outgoing tides seem to be the best producers.

LMB - Chartreuse over white clousers, and weighted and weed guarded giant woolly buggers in chartreuse, olive,  black, red/black and cinnamon worked deep and close to the weeds will produce some fish.
March 15, 2010

North Delta

Water Temp 54

Visibility 18 inches		Stripers - Fishing is poor. The fish drought continues... Hours of casting and not even a grab. Few fish on the graph. It's like fishing in a desert. Trollers and bait fishermen also finding the fishing tough. Here's hoping for a change with the weather shift to warmer weather. 
March 8, 2010

North Delta

Water temp 52-54

Visibility 18 inches		Stripers - Fishing is poor. While water temperatures are rising and visibility is excellent for this time of year, few fish have moved into the system. With the increased fresh water flows and the rising temperatures things should change for the better any time.  
October 26, 2009

West Delta, San Joaquin, Dutch Slough, Big Break, False River, Frank's Tract, Sandmound Slough, Middle River, Mildred

Water temp 61-62

Visibility 6-12 feet		Stripers - Fair to Good. Fish were more scattered this week and harder to get to strike the fly. Most fish still found close to the San Joaquin and fewer farther into the Delta around Little Mandeville and Mildred.

Schools of fish can be found at all depths, most of the larger schools are dinks.

Fish seem most active in the mornings and during incoming tides. Outgoing tides produce as well until near slack tide.

Fish are still pulling hard with 5-6 pounders regularly putting anglers on the reel. Enjoy it while it lasts before the water temperatures drop to the low 50's.		Topwater - Crease flies produce as well as white gurglers with long tails. Fish the shallow water around tules and over weed beds. Use a long steady strip. Don't set the hook until you feel the fish.

Subsurface - The standard strip and pause with a quick sinking line works. Gray/white and Chartreuse/white clousers rule. Don't forget the delta dangle.
October 19, 2009

West Delta, San Joaquin, Dutch Slough, Big Break, False River, Frank's Tract, Sandmound Slough, Middle River, Mildred

Water temp 61-62

Visibility 6-12 feet		Stripers - Good. Finding bigger fish in the system with a little more regularity now although they are scattered. Most fish found working current seams on points and coming off tule berms. Also worked edges  between deep and shallow water and over weed tops on high water. Top half  of the outgoing and incoming tides seem to produce the best action. Dead water during tide change shuts down bite.

Topwater action is sporadic at best with fish most willing on cloudy days with some wind ripple on the water.

The water is extremely clear right now with visibilities to 12 feet. Fish become accustomed to the fly quickly, and shut down after a number of casts.		Topwater - Early mornings and late evenings are best with the edge given the mornings. Work topwater during low light or when some wind on the water.

Subsurface - The clear water is making the fish picky. Best flies seem to be smaller gray/white or chartreuse/white clousers. Use a series of strips and pauses. Allow the fly to sink next to the boat and bring up vertically with a few pauses.
October 12, 2009

West Delta, San Joaquin, Dutch Slough, Big Break, False River, Frank's Tract, Sandmound Slough, Middle River

Water temp 64-65

Visibility 3-6 feet		Stripers - Good

A few more 3-6 pounders have moved into the system, mostly in the west delta. Some larger fish are being caught but they are far from frequent.

Fish continue to work points and seams on current lines with the best bite in the morning on incoming tides. Slack tide is a yawner unless you can move quickly to another area where the tide is still running.

The storm moving in is an unknown factor but the fresh water generated usually produces a good bite once the rough weather has passed.		Topwater- Early mornings are best with gurglers and crease flies bringing fish to the top. The topwater fish are generally larger than the dinks caught subsurface. Work water less than 8 feet deep.

Subsurface- Clousers rule with gray/white and chartreuse/white in 1/0 to 3/0 the preferred colors. Use a quick sinking line and a series of  quick strips and pauses. Don't forget the delta dangle when at the boat.
October 5, 2009

West Delta, San Joaquin, Dutch Slough, Big Break, False River, Frank's Tract

Water temp 64-65

Visibility 3-5 feet		Stripers - Good

Small stripers are throughout the north delta but larger fish are harder to find. Fish range from " to about 22" on average. The larger fish do pull much harder than their size indicates.

Fish walls and flats, especially around points. Fish are most active on the incoming and outgoing tides.		Topwater - Same as last week.

Subsurface - Medium size clousers rule with black/gray/white and Chartreuse/white in 1/0 and 2/0 being the hot flies. Fish on a quick sinking line, with lots of pauses in the strips. Don't forget the delta dangle.
September 28, 2009

West Delta, San Joaquin, Dutch Slough, Big Break, False River, Frank's Tract

Water temp 70-72

Visibility 2-4 feet		Stripers - Good. They're here!

Lots and lots of dinks with bigger fish mixed in, Some schools are mixed and others all dinks, you've just got to go from one to the other and try them.

The incoming tide seems to be the hottest and fishing dies on the slack tides.

Topwater is  working in low light or when cloudy with some chop.

Fish are all over the graph but seem to be keying in to areas of current such as points and rips.		Topwater - White gurglers with chartreuse ice chenille bellies and long pearl tails generate strikes by big fish. Cast close to shore or over weeds at the top of the incoming in shallow water including within inches of the shore on rock walls.

Subsurface - Same as last week. Remember the delta dangle, Lots of followers as the tide slows that will grab at the last minute.
September 21, 2009

West Delta, San Joaquin, Dutch Slough, False River, Franks

Water temp 70-72

Visibility 2-4 feet		Stripers - Dinks continue to fill the west delta waters, larger fish harder to find.

After a dreadful LMB season, striper season has begun. Water temperatures are still high and may be responsible for the lack of bigger fish but there are plenty of dinks throughout the delta and a few pods of fish to 5-6 pounds can be found.

These fish are really keying into tidal flow and shut down at the top and bottom of the tides with the incoming seeming to be the "hot" tide.

Topwater action is usually best in the fall so if conditions dictate, get out the rod with the floating or intermediate line and some topwater striper flies. Look for low light conditions, especially with some light chop on the water. Shallow areas along weed edges are prime.		Subsurface - Clousers in black/gray/white and chartreuse over white in sizes 1/0 through 3/0 are hooking fish. Use a quick sinking line and fish around points and other areas with good water flow. Count down to within two feet of the bottom and use a fairly quick strip with lots of pauses thrown in. Use the delta dangle at the end of the retrieve to hook those fish that like to strike right at the boat.
September 1, 2009

San Joaquin, Big Break, Dutch Slough

Water temp 69-70

Visibility 2-4 feet		Stripers - Good for dinks, bigger fish not in yet in any numbers.

The western delta is loaded with schools of juvenile stripers. Most are in the 10-12 inch class but a few schools have fish up to 22 inches. These fish will hit just about anything, If fishing for dinks, user larger flies with hooks large enough avoid being swallowed or tangled in the fish's gills. Remember, today's dinks are the Walters of tomorrow.		Use quick sinking line to get the fly down quickly, Any clouser will do. Medium to fast strips work.