Can't catch em ?

[skolnuts]

Yo yo yo yo, fellas i see all ya'll catching these huge fish 9,10,13 #, and i am struggling to get a limit. I'm confident in my lures = jigs, presentation=slow, water=12-6 with deeper water and structure accesibly close. What gives, help.

[Greg_Cornish]

I think they are on the dark side of the force.

[ash]

I think they are on the dark side of the force.

Thats right I have seen the contract signed in Blood! Why not hire a guide trip with Cooch and get dialed in?

[Skeeterman]

Just your line in the water you,ll get them.

[basstrophy]

*NM*

[skolnuts]

Hawghunter, i've been out with cooch and thiel.
Basstrophy, I was trying prespawn locations or so i thought, migratory routes shallow water with deep water structure nearby. I ain't gonna give up, i don't think i'm the only one in this situation.

[biteme]

NM

[Biff]

[David Rogers]

Hey Skolnuts,
There are two major factors, one is a good guide for sure, he will put you on the correct water with the correct lure or lures, two is being on the water a lot and I mean at a min of 4 days a month, alot of these guys are on the water 3-5 days a week, if you could spend that much time on the water you would have them dialed in also. I was able to fish Clear Lake about 2-4 days a month last year compaired to 2-4 days every 3 months the year before and for some strange reason I not only got my first DD but I got 3 of them on three dif days useing 3 dif type of lures. I would say if ever there was a body of water that you needed a guide it would be the Delta, so much water, structure and current, I think current is the thing we need to learn about the most from the guides on the Delta. If you can not devote that many days to fishing I would hire a guide, it will pay off in the long run.

[straitline]

I am on the water a minimum of 4 days A week when my boat was down i went from finishing in the top 3 every weekend to finishing in 17th after only missing 6 days it took me some time to get back on them.. Now i have been off for the offlimits and it was tuff for me today. We will see what tomorrow brings

[kopper_bass]

Skolnuts,
i was just like you a few weeks ago. i went 5 straight days on the delta and couldnt buy a bite nowhere; and i was getting frustrated. i was fishing every water area i could think of, just like everybody said was the best - (6-12ft, slow to no current, clear water, transition areas, etc.) These were top areas some great guys told me were holding fish, but these were also areas i dont normally fish everyday. they all looked awesome, yet i got nothing.

then our tourney came and 1/2 the guys struggled like i did with a big "0". When i then asked the guys who caught them where and how they did it, i got straight answers. what i learned from all of them was this: not 1 person was the same in where or how they caught them - everybody caught their fish in areas that they fish all the time. Some were deep, shallow, on the river, in the tract, on rock wall, in the tulles, on points, up tight, out off the rockc, etc. all in areas i fish all the time - just normal areas. They didnt try and go fish "preferred" areas that match what everyone says is the right areas; they just went fishing.

So, i said forget this, i just started going fishing to my favorite spots i would normally fish and just went fishing. i slowed down and started to pay attention to how the current is moving thru those areas. i fished really up tight to tulles in the early morning and worked the transition areas to find them. Then once the sun comes up, i checked in real tight, if they aint there, i then went real deep. I've been catching 10+ fish for over 20lbs every time since.

Here is what i learned: you can't go and fish patterns that everyone else talks about; you need to take your areas and just go fish them with the "ideas" they have all been talking about. if you fish an area that is usually great, than go fish it. start up tight and see if they are there. Then look around and find the deeper water around your favorits spot. if there is none, than you havent gone out far enough. Go along the bank, not just out from it, until you find the areas where the bank is shallow, but there is deeper water real close by. once you do that, then you will start to run into the fish you always get in your favorite areas.

they all didnt leave a big area and go into Taylor, Sandmound, or Piper. The fish are still within 50yds of where you always catch them, they just keep moving up/down/up.

Give it a try and good luck.

Kopper_Bass