Suspended Fish on the Delta

ash · Post by **ash** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 12:49 pm

Ok guys for anyone who has fished the Delta we have all seen the suspended fish on the outside ledges - picture you have a flat with deeper water nearby - there be fish suspended in this deep water ledge say in 16-20' with the flat maybe 6-8 feet away - HOW DO YOU CATCH THESE FARGIN FISH????? every year i beat my head against the wall with these guys - jig, c-rig, drop shot, senko, rattle trap, swimbait, tube only once have I gotten them to go and that was a darthead in Mildred.

I see this typically during a front when the shallow water fishing is slown down and you can get some fish burried in the grass with reaction baits, but I believe there are a lot more fish suspended off of this ledge. How do you present to these fish - i guess its the same mystery in a lake but these seem like they would be easier to get to go. any thoughts?

yjjustforme · Post by **yjjustforme** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 1:03 pm

I throw a lucky craft pointer jerkbait and the size depends on the current flow. Big for faster current small for a slower tide.

brambo0311 · Post by **brambo0311** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 1:45 pm

Stacey 90 with lead sticky dots. I think the version 2 or 3 sinks, but I just use the old ones that I rigged up years ago. Looks like I use 3 on the bottom between the bill and belly hook. Other than that a Senko, nail and size depends on tide. And any red crank bait. Wiggle warts are great out there, but there a little shallow diving for those fish.

Marty · Post by **Marty** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 4:41 pm

Ash, if you are talking about this last weekend the tide was a real fast mover – it drop 3 and half feet in some places. With a tide moving that fast it is hard to target suspended fish. What I have been thinking about trying (I’m serious) is using a bobber and suspending a small crank or a small swimbait 6 to 8 feet under the bobber. I have read in some magazines they use this on lakes against rock walls. I would throw it down current and let it draft to where the suspended fish are at.

The only problem I see is once I have the fish, is landing it – the bobber hitting the eye of the rod – what then?

Andy Giannini · Post by **Andy Giannini** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 5:20 pm

Try a spoon. You have nothing to lose, and after a few quick drops and flutters you can either catch whatever the fish are, or just move on to another idea or chase different fish.

Its easier to catch biting fish, than work your butt off and get upset about fish that won't go.

.02 A.G.

ash · Post by **ash** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:00 am

Andy Giannini wrote:Try a spoon. You have nothing to lose, and after a few quick drops and flutters you can either catch whatever the fish are, or just move on to another idea or chase different fish.

Its easier to catch biting fish, than work your butt off and get upset about fish that won't go.

.02 A.G.

Thanks everyone for the feedback, Andy I hear what you are saying and that is what i ended up doing but I did spend some time on them. This is not the first time I have seen this setup, where one day they are loaded to the bank or in a cut and the next day no fish on the bank but they are marked suspended off of that ledge over the deeper water channel - my mental block is "I effin know that those of the big gurls out here, if only i can get em to go then the whole river will be mine, MINE I TELL YA!"

its probably a mental thing.

Marty a float and fly may work, I had a jerkbait on but it was a husky jerk and probably didnt get down far enough, a spoon is a quick easy deal to cast out and see whats what - find out they are gar or catfish and move on

Thanks again, if anyone else has some thoughts post em up!

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:19 am

Do like you would Spots in a lake and sit over them with a dropshot rig or brass and glass. Use a wacky senko or a 7 in straight tail worm. If they will bite at all something like that in their face will get them to go. You can keep your bait at the same depth or vary it if the fish move up or down during the day and not have to worry about the bobber at the rod tip while reeling them in.

Cooch · Post by **Cooch** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 7:32 am

Dropshot an Iovinno S20 Spade in their face. If they are a Bass or Steelhead, they will eat it! If not, prolly not a bass at all with the wide array of fish swimmin round out there. Most of the bass that suspend here, will do so under docks, or in the deep weeds, very few actually suspend out in open water where any current might be present. I used ta try and chase those deep suspending fish, with very little success, until the Aqua View came out, we discuovered most of those suspending fish were carp or squaw fish, so now, unless the arches are right off the bottom, I don't waste any of my time tryin.