DELTA TIDES -- SLACK WATER

[keithcant]

Can any of you wisened Delat Rats help me?---how bad is the fishing on the slack tide??

[kopper_bass]

Keith,
I am by no means an expert or a Delta Rat, but I can certainly give you some things to consider, that hopefully may help you.

Quick Answer to your question:
YES- if you're in an area where the tide is slack, you can always move further up or down the river and the tide will be different and maybe more to what you want. Its common to be down south and see a slack tide, so you jump on the motor and start running for big break where the tide is gonna already be moving back in. problem solved! - you are now on an incoming tide, just by moving.

Longer, more complex Answer w/ things to consider:
Now, the real answer to your question is, yes, but maybe no.
Understanding tides on the delta and how much water is moving relies on 3 things:
1) the tide itself
2) the actual displacement expected (hi flow vs. no flow)
3) the wind

The quick answer above just assumes you are in an area where the tide has hit dead bottom or top and is now slack. The problem with that is its just a general assumption and doesnt really consider all three things above as to whether moving is going to really give you any change you want. What is written on paper in a tidebook is just reference and doesn't always explain truly what's happening on the water that day. You gotta assess the situation every minute you are out there and determine what to do. This happens 24/7, 365 days a year.

If you find yourself on the water and it looks like slack tide, it might be due to the fact that there are "tides", but the water displacement from high to low, is minimal. Therefore, you get no moving water and sense that the water is slack, but you could be only 1/2 way thru the actual tide change. You can move all you want, but this effect will be all over the delta irregardless, because the displacement is minimal everywhere. This is opposite of what is called a "negative tide" where the water is high and then drops dramatically to a negative level; thus you get ripping tides with super fast water. When you get these minimal flow days during a tide change, you gotta find the areas that have big drainage (franks, big break, main river channel) to get the movement you want. All the other areas are going to be slack. You do the opposite if its a negative tide and you want to find less movement - you go away from those big drain areas where the current is just ripping and find less movement in back-end sloughs.

Now, the other key factor is wind. The tide always moves no matter what, but having a strong wind can really minimize the effect of a tide by pushing water against the tidal movement (or with it for that matter too) and negate the effect. Wind can also cause a current even when the tide is slack. This happens big time on lakes, and yet a lot of guys dont get it. Having this wind is going to effect areas with big, open water much more than those tight, small sloughs, unless the slough is directly in-line with the wind; then its going to push water thru there too. So, if there's wind take that into consideration with the tide movements and slack water too. If the tide is slack, but you have some wind and want movement, go fish in the wind. No matter where you are, this will give you a different and better bite.

Hope this helps a little and gives you something more to consider with the idea of slack tides.

Good luck out there,

Kopper_Bass

[keithcant]

Thank you! That was a full and complete answer....I'm hoping to hear some more----but thanks for all the info you shared!!

[SKTR 20i]

Yesterday when my wife and I were out on the Delta she told me it was easy to tell when the tide was up: the darker rocks are under water!!!

John.

Ps. Slack tide is a good time to eat lunch!!

[ash]

Ps. Slack tide is a good time to eat lunch!!

Both of my personal Bests came on the bottom slack tide....I hope everyone else keeps eatin there samiches

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Something else to think about, the Delta has river current also, and then to top that off there is current caused by the pumps, expecially in the south Delta..I have been in Taylor Slough during a tide change and ran into areas where the current is actually going two directions..There will always be some amount of water movement, but at times it is very little and at others it will be surging..As for how to fish these different currents, I haven't got a clue..It seems as though everything I have tried hasn't worked at times and did work at others..

mac

[jack morris]

When the tide is slack ,slow down and fish close to cover(real close) .

[Adrian]

My PB was also caught on a bottom slack.

[Cooch]

Here's my take Keith, and for those of you who don't know all the details, we got a club coming up here in August, who is thinking about blasting off at 8:00a, instead of 5:30am to avoid slack tides down at Ladds.

Those who worry and concern themselves with the tide, tend to think themselves right into NOT getting bit and catching fish! A black bass is a simple minded creature, he lives for the moment. He will eat, at any time when an easy meal presents itself. Bass, live in the "now". Most fisherman, fish from their past experiences, hence when the conditions change, where, when and what we caught em on in the past tends to not work here. We love listening to all the dock talk, with the hopes of trimming our learning curve on game day. There have been some huge changes that have taken place this season, most guys are not fishing in the NOW! They are trying to force feed fish tactics that work when there is a LOT of grass shallow, and the fish just aren't therelike they normally would be, has nothing ta do with the tides at all really.

I think you are doing yer club a greater disservice by taking away that first two hours of low light conditions, when those bass are gonna be feeding real good, especially on the now exploding topwater bite that is taking place.

I LOVE fishing the slack tides, it allows me to better fish the deeper zones and keep my jig down in that 12-25 foot zone where a lot of these summer bass are hanging out right now. Too many anglers come to this River and can't git out of that shallow box. And they can't seem ta put 2+2 together and fish this place EXACTLY like they would a lake. When that shallow box of fish ain't there, HELLO, you need to adjust and change what yer doing!!!!!!!! Few guys are capable of doing that here, hence a big reason why many guys have a love/hate relationship with the Delta. A bass, is a bass, is a bass my friend, they just live in different neighbor hoods.

It ain't the spring, and it ain't January/February, you ARE not going to have the greatest fishing here right now, that the Delta has ta offer. There are some really good fish to be caught right now, with the outside chance of a PB or DD fish by any angler on any cast. But you run away from that first two hours, yer making a big mistake! High sun, heat and all them river recreational lice running around from 9:00am-3:00p, you'll have far bigger problems catching fish then, than from first light to 8:00am! Go chase that early first lite bite, ya ain't gonna have to go far from Ladds ta find moving water if'n that's what pushes yer confidence button.

Cooch