The California Delta is world-renowned for big fish and any cast can yield a double-digit bass. The fish are there; but knowing where to find them is another story as the tide and vegetation are key on this waterway.
One angler who knows the Delta and how to catch big bass is Hunter Schlander, who won last year’s FLW Costa event. He shares how he targets bass this time of year, what he looks for, and what he uses.
Delta Post- Spawn Strategy for Bass
Schlander fishes the Delta often and says that this year has been a little behind compared to other years. With that in mind, he says the best is yet to come and expects May and June to be some of the best months of the year in terms of tournament weights and overall numbers of big fish landed.
For the coming months, he will mix in a variety of soft plastics as well as moving baits.
“I like to start off early in the day with a topwater or a crankbait to try to get a bite bite or two right off of the bat,” he shares. “Once the sun comes up, I will target hydrilla and hyacinth mats by flipping and punching. I will also fish on the top of submerged grass with a Horny Toad,” he says and adds that this particular approach has to do with the tide.
“I like the Horny Toad when the grass is a few inches under the surface and the bass are suspended in the grass looking up.”
Squarebill Crankin' Post Spawners on the Delta
One of Schlander’s go-to crankbait styles is a squarebill.
“I like to fish reaction baits late in the spring, but a lot of times the just slap at the bait. They are either lethargic or guarding fry and do not eat it very well” he says. With that in mind, he swaps out all of the trebles on his moving baits with Trapper Tackle Round Bend trebles.
“It is always a good idea to change your hooks to Trapper trebles, but I think it is even more important during the post-spawn. They slap at baits so much and their mouths are also softer and you need all the help you can get to land them.” His preferred size for square bill crankbaits is the Size 2.
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Topwater Walking Bait
Another big fish technique on the Delta is a big walking bait like a Super Spook. This is one of Schlander’s favorites and he has the same reasoning to swapping the trebles to those from Trapper Tackle.
“You catch more fish that are just slashing at the bait. What I like to do is to use a bigger hook on the back,” he shares. He uses a Size 1 on the back and a Size 2 on the front two hooks.
Buzzbait
He also likes to mix in a buzzbait early in the day and says this is a great way to catch a giant California Delta bass.
Horny Toad
As mentioned earlier, Schlander likes to fish a Zoom Horny Toad and buzz it over grass that is just under the surface when the tide is moving. He can cover water with this technique and says he has a way to both save baits and land more fish.
“I like using the Trapper 3/0 Trapper Tackle 3X-Heavy Offset Wide Gap Hook because you can rest the bait right in the Trapper box. It lays right in there and there is no need to skin-hook it or Tex-pose the hook and you can save some baits,” he shares.
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Flipping and Punching the Delta Mats
Once the sun gets higher in the sky, Schlander heads for the vegetation with a flippin’ stick in his hands. This time of year, he searches for hyacinth mats to punch and hydrilla.
“If you can find both of them together that is even better. I also look for the cleanest and greenest hydrilla,” he says. “They have been spraying so much that it is harder to find the good grass and it makes a difference when you can find good stretches of it.”
His flipping and punching bait is no secret as many Delta anglers use a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver. He rigs it on a Trapper 3/0 3X heavy hook.
“It keeps it very weedless and you can get fish out much easier. This time of year they are often in the thickest cover and having them pinned good helps you land a few more fish,” he believes.
Schlander knows the Delta and says that this year the post-spawn period is going to be great for the big bass this waterway is known for. If only bringing five baits on your next trip to the Delta, these five should cover any situation you are faced with.
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