the good old river.

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johnabsmith
Posts: 32
Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2016 10:24 pm

the good old river.

Post by johnabsmith »

how's the delta been going for you all this year? I get out twice during the week (m-th because of the irresponsible jack offs) and I have been struggling. I fished last Thursday and fished extremely hard for 13#. I remember when I could get 13# at the horseshoe in franks in my sleep. I haven't ran into any super toads this year either. been fishing here my whole life and I know spots change daily but is the river changing as a whole? pressure? spraying? sea lions? or am I just going through an extreme case of the woes?
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ash
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Re: the good old river.

Post by ash »

I think the river is changing and a lot of us are not adapting to the changes, we are too stuck fishing in the past then figuring out the here and now. I am right there with you and i do't get out enough to follow these micro changes. I think the spray has changed fish position and migration routes. It's a work in progress, but there are guys still gettin them there was a 9lber on a frog Saturday and i saw an 8lber punch fish on the FMTCBaits Infiltrator :wink:
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Dave A
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Location: Rocklin

Re: the good old river.

Post by Dave A »

Over the last several years it has been really a struggle for me out there. I find that I have to be really specific to tides and a pattern to make things happen. For me, the days of cruising up an down a bank and picking up fish with regularity flippin seems to be a thing of the past. I have not caught a fish on a sweet beaver in, well I cant remember. Used to flip that bait around tules or rock and do some damage.

Now all that said, this year I have managed to have a few really good days out there this year. Even on those days the windows were really tight and there were long stretches with very little action.

All the elements mentioned above are likely impacting this fishery, plus we can't underestimate the fishing pressure out there. There are so many boats out there nowadays. Connection Slough and the Mokelumne are like I80 and I5 respectively. Mildred is like a parking lot on some days. It's a big place, but man there are a lot of baits pounding these fish.

Dave
bluehobiebasser
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Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:24 am

Re: the good old river.

Post by bluehobiebasser »

Same here John. I think it is a combination of things, but mostly it is the sea lions. The spraying is taking away large amounts of cover for the bass to hide from these predators. I have no problems getting 2 to 3 pounders, but fish over that 4 pound mark are few and far between. I figure that the sea lions are diving down and selectively grabbing the larger fish in a school, while ignoring the small ones under 3 pounds. Fishing pressure and fish getting re-located via tournaments are not helping either. Sad any way you slice it though. Good luck to you.
monte300
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Re: the good old river.

Post by monte300 »

I agree with most everything I’m reading here. Whenever I get down in the dumps because the Dirty D isn’t as good as it used to be I remind myself that a tough day on the Delta is three keepers and five dinks, while a tough day on a lake is no bites!
Dek
Posts: 62
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 5:08 am
Location: folsom

Re: the good old river.

Post by Dek »

Well, since I do not fish the delta too much I now feel better about the beating I took last week out there! Here I thought it was just my lack of talent :lol:
Bass boy dave
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Re: the good old river.

Post by Bass boy dave »

i remember as a kid a three pounder was average now you have to burn through 20 fish to get ten pounds a lot of days. even a few years ago most days I had at least one over 5. I find myself fishing from memory and I think it hurts me. but guys bring in solid sacks every tournament.
monte300
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Re: the good old river.

Post by monte300 »

When I first started fishing the Delta over 30 years ago there were hardly any weeds and I remember catching some 13" fish that weighed 3/4 of a pound. They were rails!
Mark-C
Posts: 113
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:59 pm
Location: Sacramento

Re: the good old river.

Post by Mark-C »

There is no question about it, tournament weights on average in the Delta are down in recent years. Its still a great fishery, but whats going to happen over the next several years is the real question. Will it cycle upwards or will the fishery decline.
johnabsmith
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Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2016 10:24 pm

Re: the good old river.

Post by johnabsmith »

Man Dave the sweet beaver is still my go to! That's what I catch 80% of my fish on. There's plenty of bass around still but no size. It's good to hear that I'm not the only one. The windows are definitely becoming shorter.

The past month or so I've been fishing Mildred to coney. Ive been cranking or throwing the chatter bait on tules mixed with elodea with decent results. The current has been key. Gotta weed through the small fish though. Better ones up to 4# have been grouped up. Find em cranking then go back and flip.

If you're a little crazy like I am and don't mind running in the dark, fish a half hour after dark. Which is about 9:15 right now. That window where the sun gets right behind diablo until pictch black has been magical. I went out last night and caught 3.5#ers on literally every other cast. Bring bug spray!
MasterBassinator
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Re: the good old river.

Post by MasterBassinator »

the river definitely looks and feels different compared to last year. i've seen a lot less weeds and mats in spots that are normally caked. i also don't remember it being consistently this freakin hot all summer.
MasterBassinator
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Re: the good old river.

Post by MasterBassinator »

johnabsmith wrote:Man Dave the sweet beaver is still my go to! That's what I catch 80% of my fish on. There's plenty of bass around still but no size. It's good to hear that I'm not the only one. The windows are definitely becoming shorter.

The past month or so I've been fishing Mildred to coney. Ive been cranking or throwing the chatter bait on tules mixed with elodea with decent results. The current has been key. Gotta weed through the small fish though. Better ones up to 4# have been grouped up. Find em cranking then go back and flip.

If you're a little crazy like I am and don't mind running in the dark, fish a half hour after dark. Which is about 9:15 right now. That window where the sun gets right behind diablo until pictch black has been magical. I went out last night and caught 3.5#ers on literally every other cast. Bring bug spray!
Your last paragraph is dead on with the bite. That switch is insane! I thought I was the only one out at that time. Haha.
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ash
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Re: the good old river.

Post by ash »

Aint the switch ALWAYS the time for the best bites?
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johnabsmith
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Re: the good old river.

Post by johnabsmith »

ash wrote:Aint the switch ALWAYS the time for the best bites?
no other word but magical to describe it.
dvkawboy
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Re: the good old river.

Post by dvkawboy »

I’m on the river every week year round . Have been fishing the delta since early 90’s , so much has changed since then and to be honest I don’t blame it on the grass or sea lions . I think the biggest reason for decline in fish is us . Back in the day we had secret baits and spots . The information we gained chasing fish took time and money and we guarded it . Now everyone is a self proclaimed pro , freely giving out the pattern and posting videos in hopes of gaining fame. With all this regurgitated information so freely available to everyone the fish have now seen it all . The fish are there and there is a lot of them , when you find em don’t tell anyone . These fish adapt to us just like we adapt to them .
db220
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Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 8:20 pm

Re: the good old river.

Post by db220 »

I think it has less to do with people talking and the videos and more to do with the hundreds of boats every single weekend tournaments that pound that river from Spring through Fall. I see boats crowded on the same spots week after week.
Buddyrocks
Posts: 36
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2013 4:00 pm

Re: the good old river.

Post by Buddyrocks »

I agree with dvkawboy, growing up before the internet i had to read books spend time on the water and communicate with seasoned bass fisherman face to face for tips and advice. It took time ,patience and dedication to figure out which baits work and how to work them to the advantage of consistent hook sets. Now all you have to do is go on you tube and what took months of trial and error can be provided in a few minutes. Heavily pressured water are a major factor as well! Not to mention this so called " great state of California " voiding us the opportunity to fish so mank lakes like briones, marin county lakes, upper san Leandro, no private boats at chabot etc... Brings us to way too many rats in the cage syndrome. Whatever the case may be in many individuals opinion it sucks the way our beloved sport has become. The smugness the arrogance of show off bass fisherman and wake and speed boat water goers throwing saftey and respect right out the window makes for tough days on the fishing grounds we spend our time in. Sea Lions come on..
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