Struggling on Delta last couple of weeks

nivanov30 · Post by **nivanov30** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 10:38 am

Need an advise from Delta pros...

Lunched at Russo's around noon yesterday, drove all the way north to Sycamore slough to find a clearer water. Sycamore was 48-49F with 2-3 ft. visibility. Pitched black weightless wacky-rigged 6" senko for 3 hours on points, tules, riprap, close to deep water - not a single bite. No fish sighting, no bait, no birds...

The week before was almost the same.

Am I doing something drastically wrong? Does anyone have a decent winter pattern going on in these conditions?

steve0806 · Post by **steve0806** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 12:24 pm

If I lived close to the Delta and planned to fish there a lot, I would hire a guide to help me learn how to fish it. Just my 2 cents.

Jerred A Jennings · Post by **Jerred A Jennings** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 3:01 pm

Your not doing anything wrong lol.
Sorry I laugh I have been there. I have been tournament fishing on Delta for over 25years.
If someone called me and said hey lets go fishing on the Delta Tomorrow I would reply I will pass.
It's hit and miss If I fished a tournament tomorrow on the Delta I would be hard pressed to catch five and the weight could be 7-25lbs for the best five. But the next day could bring 20 fish over 3lbs but slim chance.
There's no secret technique or trick It just flat out sucks this time of year of year on the river.
Concentrate your efforts on striper or sturgeon this time of year if you have to be on the River.
If you have the bass bug go to Camanche or Oroville something with a good spotted bass population they are more active then the large mouth this time of year and they are a lot of fun to catch.
You will spend the next month and a half trying to figure out nothing on the river that will even mater later and when spring rolls around you will be burned out with the Delta and miss out on the big girls.
But if your set on the Delta look for area's with current with wood and rock and cover on cover area's. Senko,Jig,rip bait,spinner bait. Gotta keep a rod In your hand and grind. I have caught some double digit fish this time of year so you never know.
Hope this helps
Happy new year.
Jennings OUT!!!

Bassfishman · Post by **Bassfishman** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 3:41 pm

I was out on Friday 12/30 also. Launched out of Orwood and fished north of there as far as Franks. We fished rock walls, docks, tules, and down the middle of the sloughs. We threw jerk baits, drop shot, senkos all fished very slowly. Nothing ... nada ... not even a hit. Didnt see anything on the fish finder either, not even schoolie stripers. Water temp was 46-48 degF. Water clarity wasnt as bad as I thought it might be; I was expecting pea soup, but it was just off color.
I probably should have gone south to Discovery Bay and went with the warmer water.
Still good to get out and run the boat around. There is a lot of floating junk in the water. Most of it is soft vegetation but there were a few sizeable branches (2-3 inch in diameter) so use a lot of caution as you are motoring around.

MichaelB · Post by **MichaelB** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 3:53 pm

Launched Friday morning at 7:30 ..... waded thru the fog to Little Mandeville, Orwood Bridges, Mildred Island down the River thru Fishermans Cut. 6 hours and 11.5 gallons later friend and myself had zero bites, not even a dink or a little striper. Threw jerkbaits 90% of the day with an occasional drop-shot or jig. Had trouble finding any moving water. Expected a slow day..... but I needed to fish. Just have to wait out December / January.

nivanov30 · Post by **nivanov30** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 4:13 pm

Thanks guys!

I've been with pro guides on the delta - and learned a lot. I'm not a complete newbie but still it kills me that this river shuts down so drastically in the winter months. Shallow, muddy and cold is definitely a definition of the toughest conditions - but I'd like to develop a pattern where I can reliably get one or two fishes in 3-5 hours of fishing. I know many guides do.

My "pattern" so far is:
- look for at least 2-3 ft. of visibility (meaning most of the time dead-end sloughs like sycamore, hog, beaver, whisky, etc.)
- fish shallow (er) for those few actively feeding (less than 8 feet)
- fish later in a day and fish sun-backed banks
- fish black-ish colors for aided visual separation in a muddy water
- fish structure close to deep water (points, riprap, tulies, docks)
- fish slow (of course): 5-6" weightless senkos, long paused staysee 90, slow rolling thumper spinnerbait, dropshot

Obviously I'm missing some key elements here since this isn't producing.

mark poulson · Post by **mark poulson** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 5:23 pm

It's been the same for me the last couple of times out.
Cooch always says Florida bass don't like cold water, and this year the water is cold. Maybe it's just tough, and the fish are hunkered down in the deep grass, too cold to be active, and just trying to avoid any cold current... or maybe not. Clearly I'm clueless, too.

Gary Dobyns · Post by **Gary Dobyns** » Sat Dec 31, 2016 9:34 pm

Jerrod Jennings nailed this. Nothing to add. I second idea of going somewhere else. Oroville is fishing excellent right now. Lots of fish, catching bigger ones is problem but lots of keepers. FUN!!!!

Larry Hemphill · Post by **Larry Hemphill** » Sun Jan 01, 2017 9:00 pm

Gary is absolutely correct - as he usually is. I did a guide trip at Oroville last Friday and found the bite to be quite good - in spite of the cold weather and water temp. The water was just slightly stained. The double whammy in all bass fishing is: COLD and MUDDY water. That is a fact when fishing for largemouth. Spotted bass can be somewhat active in cold water, but add muddy water to the mix and it will be tough. Interesting - the very cold weather predicted for this week is not going to happen. The incoming storms are supposed to be a bit milder in temps.

Andy Lippert · Post by **Andy Lippert** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 1:42 pm

Definitely not an expert, but here is what has worked for me in the past.

1. Fish deep--down to 20 feet if you can find it. Current breaks/drops/ledges. Jigs/d shot/shakey head/t-rig
2. Find the clearer water. Very tough to get bit (for me at least) in mud, and with this coming storm clarity should go to zero on most of the river.
3. Fish areas more predominantly inhabited by Northern Strain LM. There are a few areas on the river that "turn on" much sooner/quicker than others due to NS being more resilient in colder temperatures.
4. Slow Down, and when you think you've slowed down, slow down more.
5. Pay close attention to water temps--an area with a few degrees warmer water could make all the difference.
6. Go somewhere else.

Good luck out there...