Delta or Clearlake? Which is the better Bass fishery?

[Fishin' Dave]

The talk started in the "Where to live in N. California" thread. Shots were fired for the Delta, and by Lake County ambassator Seig for Clear Lake. So, put on your boots and lets get it on!

Debate questions that should be asked...

- Lake records
- Tournament records (largest bass in a tournament, bigest 5 fish total, 7 fish total, 2 day total, 3 day total)
- Species of bass (large, smallies, spots)
- Tournament weights over the last 1yr, 3yr, 5yr, and 10 yr. Which one has been the most consistant?
- Future out look (water, forage, conservation, polution)
- Quantity of solid fish (3-4 lbers)
- Quantity of kickers (7-10 lbs)
- Quantity of trophy bass (14lbs plus)
- Most likely to kick out world record bass?

Make a good case for one or the other. It should be a great thread. We've got Cooch vs Seig, Misty girls vs. Delta toothless, Barrack vs. Reese, Delta rats vs. Clear lake Hitches.

Let the posts roll....

[Fishin' Dave]

People are voting, but lets here some reasoning too....

[Kelly Ripa]

Bass fishery....is the keyword! No stripers in Clearlake

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

No or very few smallmouths also..

mac

[Phil]

I HAVE TO SAY THE DELTA, BUT IT IS TEMPORARY I UNDERSTAND. WE HEAR SOON MORE WATER IS TO GO SOUTH TO SOUTHERN CALIF........SO.........I BELIEVE THE FISHERY WILL COME TO A END !

[tommypV2]

Clearlake for me (fishing wise), i think.
Because the Delta has the extra dimension of current, tides and pumps which is an added variable. So it's a teensy bit easier to fish. I do think that the Delta is more challenging - which sometimes is more fun.. so maybe the Delta is better.. oh i dunno! Both are great and we should stop braggin about it maybe folks will move to Amistad and Rayburn and leave all the norcal Bass to us! Har!
As for fishery (as in habitat) I think the Delta is better - more sheer habitat and since it's an open system, i think that it'll withstand ecological shocks better than Clearlake can.

[Andy Giannini]

Delta, because it is more interesting. If it was Lakes I would rank Clear Lake no.1 and every other second.

A.G.

[Rich_Thiel]

I would rank the Delta as the top consistant weight compound. Over the past 30yrs I've seen this system grow in weight per fish than any other waters in Northern California.

The hardiest part in the Delta with any consistance is keeping tract of the fish that are over 4lb or better. With the tides, the fish change ever two weeks to a different pattern.

Today I found them and where, I can't say because my client would shoot me. But, I can say this...a 8+, 7, and a 5 went in the boat within 15minuts. Pictures will be posted in a couple of days.

I know Clearlake can also do this has well. One thing Clearlake has over the Delta is that it is stable and has less water to fish than the Delta to find Quality fish in. So thats a plus. Add depth and then you would have to choose the Delta over clearlake. Less water in Depth to fish overall.

Rich

[Dewayne]

Damn we are lucky. I love them both. Call me a bigamist, but why choose when we are so lucky. Just enjoy them and smile!

[LEN B]

Sorry guys but being I lived in ventura for 17 years. I have to vote for Lake Casitas. And even after what happened two weeks ago down south. After fishing it 3 days a week for at least 5 years or even more. It is a hard lake to fish. But the fish are in there. Just check the so cal post for last weekend. Most of the big fish are not even reported.

[Kevin]

Sorry but I go to Casitas all the time and although it can be good at times, it has NOTHING AND I MEAN nothing on the Delta or Clear Lake. When is the last time you flipped a 12 pounder at Casitas? Or how about the last time you got 50+ blow ups on a frog at Casitas? Nope, it doesn't happen. Casitas is my favorite lake down here but it has jack SH@T on the Delta or Clear Lake.

[W.C]

Wow!!!! What a great Q:
I Love them both and thank God that i live close to both of them. I live 15 min. away from the delta and always spend some of my Vacation time up in clear lake. I think that Clear Lake fish have more fight in them than the delta fish, I mean that those fish even the small ones put up such a fight when caught!!! Wow. But the Delta fishing is always such and experiance. i learn something new and some new place's to fish everytime i'm out there. It's so big.
They are Both Number 1 in My book ................................ God Bless and Tight lines

[Tobe]

Damn, are we spoiled or what?

[Ron C]

...The Delta and Clear Lake are two completely different animals. While the chance of catching a very large bass might be better at Clear Lake than at the Delta, the Delta undoubtedly has a much larger population of bass than does Clear Lake - simply because of its enormous size. Without question, the Delta has a huge population of bass that have never even seen an artificial bait. This population of untouched (virgin) bass is absolutely mind boggling. I seriously believe that the bass population within the Delta is easily ten-fold of that of Clear Lake (again, simply because of it's size).

That being said, I believe that Clear Lake has more big bass (8 to 12 pounders) per surface acre than does the Delta, which is why we see quite a few of those incredible five-fish limits that top the 40 pound mark every year.

Although there are some huge bass in both the Delta and Clear Lake, I am not convinced that either has a World Record bass within their respective waters. I do believe that Lake Casitas does, simple because it receives frequent trout plants, whereas the Delta and Clear Lake do not.

Just my opinion on the subject, and the reason why I will not pick one over the other. I absolutely LOVE both of them!

[Fishin' Dave]

Where are Seig and Cooch on this.
What do I have to do to drag you guys outa the wood work.

[Cooch]

I think second to none, ClearLake is by far the best damn bass lake in the world! There are more 3-8 pound fish here than any lake I've ever seen. And there is a great population of fish in the 8-12 pound range. The numbers are stagering. This place generally fishes extremely well year round. There really is no bad season or time to fish ClearLake.

My vote though, goes to the Delta as the best "Fishery"! The sheer number of fish in this fishery between 7-15 pounds is Staggering! You just go look at the photo section of WesternBass.COM of the last 4 years of it's existance. You count the ponds where guys have caught their first 10 pounder, or 10 pounders in general. You will see, the Delta shines far and above any other fishery in the state, including ClearLake. These are not fish that ya have ta sit on a rock pile and toss swimbaits at all year to catch. You're liable to catch one on any cast, with any bait, from 1-25 feet of water. We catch em winter, spring, summer and fall.

The current record on the Delta is 18.67, that's a three year old record. This record can and will be broken very soon, we can't say that for CLearLake's record. Clearlake's record I believe is in the high 17 pound range, and that record is ancient, maybe close to 20 years old. There are 20 pound class fish swimming around this Delta, I have seen em. And you can talk to guys like Bobby Barrack and myself who spend countless hours on the water here, the number of teener fish we git to show themselves, that never make it to the boat, would blow most angler's minds.

The other aspect here is the versatility of the fishery. Not only does the Delta harbor Florida strain largemouth, but it has a very good population of Northerns in the north and northwest regions where the Florida influence has yet to reach. The Delta also has an excellent population of smallmouth in the uper portions of the river system off the Sacto, Mokulumne and to the south off the lower San Jaquine, Calaveras and Stanisla. Heck, we even catch them spots and smally/spot hybreds to the north as well. Toss in the fact we have an amazing striped bass fishery here also, the Delta in my mind IS a better "bass" fishery than ClearLake.

I fish no less than 50 days on each pond a year, 5:1 here on the Delta. I've have fished both ponds for more than 30 years. Last year, I had the option of buying a house on ClearLake or one here on the Delta. I chose the Delta house, simply because I felt it indeed is a better fishery to live on. I don't feel I made a mistake, I love both ponds. We're certainly blessed with the two finest bass fisheries in the country, no mistake about that!

[Rob D]

I live in Oregon, and would give my left arm to have either one of those fisheries in my back yard. I voted for Clear Lake because I think for someone comming from out of state to fish, it is easier to figure out the fish. But if I had more time off and more money, I'd spend as much time as possible on both, they are both a bass fisherman's dream.