Date: 3/2/19
Time: 0700-1500
Location: California Delta
Air temperature: 49-61
Water temperature: 51-54
Wind direction/speed: 2-10 mph Northwest
Water clarity: 0-1’
Tidal influence: high outgoing/low incoming
Seasonal fish pattern: winter transition
On March 3, 2019 my buddy Justin and I decided to try our luck fishing the California Delta. With the recent wave of storms passing through the area we knew we’d be met by post frontal conditions. High dirty tidal water can be difficult at times, especially when the water temperature is below 56 degrees.
One of the most challenging things for new anglers is, figuring out Florida strain largemouth bass in a tidally influenced shallow water impoundment. I don’t claim to be an expert in this matter, and I too find myself searching for clues during these conditions. If you add post frontal conditions into the equation it can easily spin your bass brain out of control, and you may wind up dragging a crappie jig behind the boat just to get bit.
We knew because of the conditions we were fishing, we may not catch a fish, or even get a bite. It’s days like these I welcome the challenge, I embrace the conditions and I bust out the flipping/pitching sticks.
Both Justin and I, started out flipping jigs on a shallow water break. The tide was lower then I expected in this area, so we ran North to try and find higher water. The second area we tried had plenty of water present, and lots of hard cover targets to flip to. Flooded timber, rogue thule clumps, rip rap rock, vines, and concrete slabs, were all around the area we were fishing.
An hour went by without a bite. It seemed the bass weren’t cooperating, and they weren’t interested in eating our jigs we were presenting to them. The tide continued to fall along with our spirits, leaving Justin and I scratching our heads on how to catch a fish.
The water in the area we were fishing had zero visibility. I put down my black/blue jig and tied up a 1/4 ounce Texas rig which I tipped with a large creature bait. I started pitching my bait in the middle of thule clumps and up against any hard cover I could see. This light pitching technique was the ticket, which allowed me to catch back to back four pounders before the tide bottomed out.
After the tide switched we ran to high water where I continue the light flipping/pitching technique. I boated three more fish in the 3 1/2 pound range before we called it a day. All the fish I caught were super healthy, however all the areas we caught fish were being hammered by adult sea lions. Hopefully DFG can figure out a way to manage these apex predators before they destroy are fishery.
If your interested in booking a trip with S.F.I Guide Service feel free to email me at BigBassSniper85@gmail.com
