Part 2: A Day On The Delta

Part 2 of our Day on the California Delta picks up right where part one left off. The frog bite has begun picking up as the big bass are moving shallow with the rising tide and its about to get crazy!

The key to targeting better quality fish was to locate offshore grass. Despite the rising tide the grass was still fairly shallow. It wasn't until the tide was almost all the way up that the grass had enough water on it for the bigger fish to move in. 

Once the big fish were staged up they were happy to eat the Bully Wa 2 frog or a senko. We hope you're able to take some tips away from this video so you can be more successful on your next bass fishing trip. Good luck out there!

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Baits used to catch fish...

River2Sea Whopper Plopper
Zorro Buzzbait
Bully Wa 2 Frog

Gambler Fat Ace
Yamamoto Senko
Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket

Gamakatsu 4/0 Superline Hook
Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG Hook

Come Along For A Day On The Delta

Matt heads down to the California Delta for a day of bass fishing with his good friend Matt Leverich. The two plan to throw a 6" and 7" senko in search of big largemouth. Adaptation will prove to be key on this trip as the two find fish willing to eat a buzzbait, whopper plopper, and hollow body frogs. Its hard to beat topwater blowups! 

They start the morning unsure what to expect but hoping to find a few quick bites on a buzzbait and whopper plopper. From the very first cast its obvious that catching fish won't be a problem. The toughest part of the whole day is setting down the topwater in an effort to stick to the senko plan. 

As the tide rises the pair see more an more success on the 6" senko and Fat Ace. After several hours and dozens of fish on a senko they decide its time to adapt and search for bigger bites. Near the top of the tide the big fish finally move shallow and begin feeding heavily on the surface. Matt quickly connects with a big bass on a frog... and for the rest, you'll have to watch the next video. 

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Baits used to catch fish...

River2Sea Whopper Plopper
Zorro Buzzbait
Bully Wa 2 Frog

Gambler Fat Ace
Yamamoto Senko
Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket

Gamakatsu 4/0 Superline Hook
Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG Hook

Big Delta Swimbait Fish

This week Tim and I took a break from all the work of filming and editing. Tim got to Spend some time with family and I went fun fishing. Despite the brutal wind/rain forecast I headed for the Delta to see if any of the early prespawn females were moving up to feed and was not disappointed!

All too often anglers back themselves into a corner by continually fishing the same patterns with the same baits. When major weather events happen its a great time to get out and try new things. Often times the fish will move into the shallows to feed on whatever is being washed into the lake (or river). These shallow fish are an easy target. Even if they're not biting, they'll show themselves. If you pay attention while fishing reaction baits you might be able to catch them on a return visit.

This fish came on a bank I hadn't fished in years, with a bait (S-Waver 200) that I'd never thrown there before. The key to consistently catching giant bass, especially on multiple waterways, is to never stop searching. The Delta is constantly changing. The bass are shifting from one spot to the next, feeding on different food sources and its important you keep up with the changes to maximize your time on the water.

As Winter begins to turn to Spring, branch out, try new lakes, new spots, and new baits. This just might be the best year you've ever had!

Punchin' and Froggin' on the CA Delta

Can someone explain to me how a $3 frog could work so well? Isn't it common knowledge that you have to spend $20+ on a frog from Japan with a fancy paint job to get fish to bite? I guess not! This particular morning I had headed out to the delta with one thing on my mind; Punching. The plan was to strip the boat of everything but two punch rods, a handful of baits, weights, and hooks, and the Go Pro Camera. I figured I'd spend the day having fun and film a video explaining how stripping the boat of gear helps you commit to a pattern and ultimately helps you put more fish in the boat.

So what went wrong? One word: TIDE.

If it were a guide trip, or even a trip with friends I'd study the tides and make the best decisions possible. When its just me and a camera I didn't even bother to look at the tide charts. Do you know what a "minus tide" does to a shallow punch bite? The big ones go away and the baby bass come out to play! As you'll see in the video my plan quickly unraveled and I was forced to do what any self respecting fisherman would do... I drove to the nearest tackle shop and spent money!

Who would have thought that I would discover a long forgotten bait (at least to me) and begin to hammer the fish? That's exactly what happened! In the following days I kept catching fish and the size got bigger. There will be more videos to follow on this subject.

For those curious about what they're seeing in this video, the punch fish were caught with a 2 oz. punch weight, a Dirty Jigs Punch Skirt, a 4/0 hook, and a Dobyns 766 Savvy Rod (A phenomenal punching rod for the price). The Snag Proof Weed Demon fish were caught with a Dobyns Champion 736, my favorite frog rod.