The California Delta is a world-renowned bass fishery full of big ones, but it can be a little stingy during the colder times of the year. Still, the chance for a monster is always there, which keeps anglers returning every month of the year, according to Delta ace Ken Mah. He keeps his approach simple each winter, with a handful of techniques while looking for key areas that hold bass in the cold.
A Change in Approach
Plenty of patterns are in play on the Delta for most of the year, and much of it involves fishing grass or moving quickly with reaction baits. During the winter, Mah simplifies it and picks apart the cover.
"The Delta is a shallow grass fishery, and the majority of the fish stay shallow, with the winning fish usually living in three to eight feet of water," said Mah. "What makes the colder months a little tougher is that they are shallow, and these are Florida strain largemouth that don't like the cold. They don't like it when the water gets into the low 50s or high 40s. They don't go away, but they become much more dormant."
As a result, Mah slows things down and looks for key areas with a specific type of riprap. Since riprap can be found throughout the system, Mah looks for bigger chunks.
"The stuff they use now is roughly the size of a volleyball, but you can still find older banks with larger sections of it," he said. "It's basically broken up pieces of sidewalks and stuff like that, which gives the bank more irregularity. Those are key banks, and you can find them throughout the Delta."
He'll also typically spend more time inside marinas than in other seasons. "The water in there is usually much more stable with less wind and a lack of current," he said. "You also have boat docks, pilings, and a lot of cover. Those are all places those winter bass can get up next to."
Simple Bait Selection
Mah says a handful of lure styles will be enough to cover your bases for baits. If he could only take three rods, it would be a jig, spinnerbait, and some type of crankbait.
"This time of year is super simple, and one of the best would be a black and blue 3/8-ounce jig with a Big Bite Baits Yo Mama on the back," he said. "That's perfect for fishing along those old riprap banks."
Mah fishes his jigs on a G. Loomis GLX 894 rod, Shimano Chronarch MGL HG 7.1:1 gear ratio, and 20 or 22-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon line.
Next up would be the spinnerbait fished along the same riprap banks. Mah likes spinnerbaits such as the 5/8-ounce Blade Runner Tackle and adjusts his color based on the water clarity.
"The Delta Red color with the two-toned blades is always good; it's a big menacing-looking spinnerbait," he said. "I'll also throw chartreuse and white sometimes, and if the water is really dark, I like painted blades but will go with gold blades if the water is dingy colored."
Mah fishes his spinnerbaits on 22-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon spooled on a Shimano Curado 200HG reel and Shimano Expride 177H rod.
The last style of bait that Mah prefers is a crankbait, generally something with minimal action. "I don't like squarebills this time of year because they have a fast-moving wobble, so something more subtle is better," he said. "A good one is the Bill Lews MR-6, and I'll also throw some old-school Bomber 7As. Anything black and red is always good."
He fishes his crankbaits on 12 or 14-pound Sunline Crank FC line and uses a Curado 200HG reel matched to a G. Loomis NRX JWR 893 rod.
Looking Ahead
While the bite can be a little stingier in winter, the big bass still live there. Soon, when the water begins to warm, the bite will explode, and that can happen as early as February.
"March is usually when it gets really good, but when the water starts to warm up in February, it can get very good quickly," he said. "I've seen it happen in early February if we get warmer mornings in the low 50s. Once that happens, we'll have ten months of fantastic fishing."
Fishing the California Delta is always fun because every cast could be a double-digit bass or even bigger. That's what keeps anglers from all over coming to fish its waters and why it's consistently ranked as one of the best bass fisheries in the county. While the winter months can be a little more challenging, Mah says to keep things simple and focus on a handful of proven baits.
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