Tough Delta Bite

[Louie]

I have experienced a tougher than normal bite on the delta so far this year. Many people I have talked to have had the same experience so far. What have you guys found. Hopefully it opens up pretty soon.

[BSmith]

Take a look around and see how many bluegill you can find. You hardly see any in Franks anymore. You deffinately dont see any around the Hook. No grass no bluegill. People need to stop spraying the grass.

[CN]

A guy was down at my Business this week in Monterey from up there and we were talking about fishing. He also stated it was tough up there right now.

I also agree 100% on the Bluegill. The Lake's I fish you just dont see them anymore where at one time they were thick.

[skolnuts]

I've been feeling the same way this year, I was attributing it to my inconsistency of time on the water so far this year. Last year at this time I had a PB and then a new PB. Althoug the bite is tough, I manage to learn something new. Joe at Russo's was telling me about the spraying also.

I dunno, I'll keep pluggin away. Stafford had 30 something pounds on Saturday, so the fish are there, somewhere ?

[BSmith]

You are absoutely correct but where are all the younger class of fish???? Those fish Stafford caught were all pre-spawn that were in deeper water. The bite is changing on the Delta and hopefully all the spraying/blue stonning doesn't kill all of the grass. As the tide changes all that spraying and stonning shifts with the tide and takes it all over the Delta. Then there is Fienstien and her AB 1253, if passed, will descimate the rest of the fishery. A lot of bad things happening out there right now that the fishermen need to voice thier opinions about.

[FR0G]

I have been wondering where all the bluegill have gone. I havent seen any.

[DeltaDan]

I have been wondering where all the bluegill have gone. I havent seen any.

Before even reading this thread I noted to my BrothA on the phone that this was the 2and year stright with no Knat Hatch in Franks.... or anywhere else visable even in the delta. Going back 2 years before was a minimal one at that...... but atleast there were Knats !!


Same problem with Govt. Spraying/weed kill and lack of rains both on the water and off the water on the islands for our more than dismal current Phesant populations ~ and other upland/waterfowl game as well.


What the hell are all the States DFG biologist studying and trying to implement ? They KILLED Lil' Mandy last year -- so much so that inside that island never got clean/clear water with 1' of vis all year long. Lil' Franks was better than most for everything else last year even.

[skolnuts]

Well, Fienstien must be doing what she is told to do. At some point she whored herself out to get something she needed, now she is just returning a favor. Maybe the powers at be in the salmon profit ring are telling her to do this.

Remember, we are dealing with profit hungy and profit protecting people, even if it means erradacating a species of fish or people.

If you go into the mountain and get attacked by a mountain lion,we'll shoot the mountain lion. If you go into the woods and get attacked by a bear, we'll shoot the bear. If you get in the way of profits, we'll shoot you. You see, thats what we do around here, punish and kill things for being natural.

No offense to anyone, but this is the same forum where I heard people talking about shooting the seals because they were being seals and eating fish. Just tell ole Fienstien the seals are eating the salmon and you'll get rid of your seals too.

[RichThiel]

Hmmmm,

Here's my 2 cents,,,Franks Track has been blue stoned that is correct, but other areas of the delta are ok...You guys forget that the water temps are different than last yr...We had a early spring last yr, thus the fish started earlier. This yr, late spring...The water held at 58 for a long time, ocassionally drop'in 2 degrees everytime a cold front came thru.

Right know the water is 59-60 in open water and 61-62 in hidden. In the last 2 weeks the grass is starting to grow or come back. Take a hard look at low tide and you can see that it is grow'in know.

The guys that are catch'in the 23+ limits with any consistancy are fish'in 6ft and down. Water temp below 4,5,6ft is still cold compared too the top. In the last week, I've seen a movement of fish and they are mov'in, but not as major like last yr or the yr before.

Just my two cents.

Rich Thiel

[Nitro5150]

Bret is right about those "average" size fish. I fished his super teams last weekend and banged out a good bag on day one. Decided to fish the tract for a limit before I ran south and caught two 2lbrs in 4 1/2 hours, and I know my way around Frank's. I have fished the Delta 4 days this year, including the tournament, and have not caught a single fish between 2 1/2 - 6 lbs!!! With a dozen at 6 and up. Almost all the guys at the tournament told Bret that the got fewer than a dozen bites all day too. As for Rich's thoughts on the way this spring is setting up, he is right that things seem to be later, however, all my big bites have been 2 feet of water. If the next wave of fish are the 3 and 4 pounders, I couldn't find them Sunday, cuz i fished deep too. Is it the spraying? Is it all the spring rain? Maybe Cooch knows. This next moon phase along with the water temp. should loosen them up a bunch. J

[Nitro5150]

By the way Bret, Great tournament!!!!!! that was a blast!!

[Phil Burgess]

WOW I FISH THE DELTA TWO OR THREE DAYS A WEEK AND THERE IS GRASS EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!! YES I KNOW ITS NOT LIKE IT IS SUPPOST TO BE BUT IT IS STILL THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!1

THE MASTER ONCE TOLD ME !!!!!!!!!

"""YOU MUST THINK LIKE FISH GRASSHOPPER"""""

[TheMike]

im kinda curious what some of you consider a tough bite. is it not catching quality fish or just not catching alot/any when you go out. by no means am i pro or anything like that, just interested in some other opinions.

[JustinD]

+ 1000 PHIL....I see lots of grass. Had a few quality fish but still have yet to see the real biggin's....but their coming...........

[g-man]

im kinda curious what some of you consider a tough bite. is it not catching quality fish or just not catching alot/any when you go out. by no means am i pro or anything like that, just interested in some other opinions.

Id consider a tough bite being...

No fish, a few fish, or just catching rats.

[Glenn]

I think it's just later than usual. The bite seemed better in February than it is now. The constant weather changes have kept them from moving up in numbers.

[Ranger Jason]

Bad like it's brutal, stay home and watch the game or is it just not as good as usual? Is it still the place to go in the region or is one of the local lakes better?

[Rob]

What's "blue stonning"? and I thought the spraying was mainly limited to Franks for navigation reasons??? Seems lots of other places that I don't think got sprayed also are grassless (big break) but I could be wrong about the spraying. I know they've been spraying for hyacinth for years, but that spraying never seemed to affect the elodea.

[BSmith]

Tough bite???? Abosolutely. Later in the year??? Seems like it.
What I know isn't much except the fact that we better pay attention to what the politicians want to do to the best fishery on the left coast. Folks need to speak up and defend that constitutional right of free speach or the once fabled Delta will be no more. Don't let others speak up for you because you felt that others did a better job at it. The fishing will continually get worse if the grass goes away in Franks. Spraying is fine if its controlled and limited to a few selected areas. Take the time and rant to the folks who know nothing about this great sport of ours. Remember its ours and if we dont defend it who will? Bobby B. said it best during the awards ceremony. Shoot it down before its too late.

[RichThiel]

Rob,

Blue ston'in was only done (To My Knowledge) only in Franks Track. What they found tho after they had done it this past summer is that the tides move it around, thus, little franks and some of sandmound received treatment from the tides. Being they learn this. They are know going to just dump the stone in current and have the current moving it.

For the Spraying of hydrilla...For years the Hyd was growing and anything under it didn't grow. Now that it is gone, places are bare of grass (Shallow) that at one time or another hyd was there....it will take time for the bare spots to become grass beds. It seems to me that at 58-60degrees the grass grows QUICK. At 65 it thrives.

Just my Opinion (Quarter)

Rich Thiel

[RichThiel]

Bret Smith is right folks,,send as many E-mails you can and explain it to your neighbors, busniess partners, associates, mistress, the other half, whoever.

Otherwise, you my is well kiss the delta goodbye. Vote out the people that won't or support water going south to feed the world.. Check their wallet against yours!!!!!

Rich Thiel

[bassmaster89]

Its tough but not too tough. Bass dont eat punkers or wake jr. on the delta.

[Cooch]

Bites fine on the River guys. Water temps today 56-60, and it was cold and wet out there today. Where the temps peaked out at about 64-65, last week, fish started to move, then this recent cold front backed em off, AGAIN! This has been a repeated process we've seen the last 5 weeks and seasonally over the past 5 years here. And unlike last year where we had that dirty water and fish began moving shallow in January, we've got the clear water again and they will not do that now with it being as cold as it is and not stablizing. They ARE burried in the grass, go find it!

These river fish do not like temperature drops. They are cold blooded critters, when it warms, they wanna move shallow, when it drops 4-6, they freak out and go dormant. Like others have mentioned, the Fish's spring IS behind, fish this place like it's February, you'll do much better than trying to fish it as if bass are spawning! I see it every day here, guys way too shallow looking fer spawners. It really ain't happened yet fellas.

It's April, the water is still cold, temps unstable, git it in yer heads, THEY ARE NOT SPAWNING yet. Sure, some isolated areas have bed fish, I've seen and caught em, but that's the first wave of big fish that always move up first, or those isolated pockets where it warms quicker down south. The vast majority of these fish still think it's winter.

Too many of ya listen to dock talk and don't really know or understand what's going on here! There's a lotta grass in Franks, git away from that community hole over at the wall where ya used ta catch fish all the time in the tulles, and ya might just figure it out. Stop fishing yesterday's bite, last year's bite. Fish the moment and you'll better figure it out, and more often. We've had some really awesome days the past two months, and we've had some days where we didn't adjust soon enough when the daily conditions changed too, and the catcing part hasn't been so favorable, yet we still are catching some good fish every day out, just not the numbers yet we'd expect for March & April.

This year, surprisingly, the hydrilla has taken over as the predominant grass growing in most of the river. There are some really good pockets of Elodia(coontail) It ain't the spraying that's controlled the grass the past two years, it was the cold air temps. It's just not possible for what little spray and controll that has been done in Franks tract, ta believe or think it damaged the grass widespread in the delta, it was 2+ months of sub 46 degree temps in 2007/2008 that did it. Early rains in December last year, muddied up the river and it could not grow as fast as it normally would in that chocolate milk water we had. Clarity got better last summer, grass is thriving this year. Think about it, they sprayed 2006, 2007, 2008, and we have a TON of grass right now. This whole thought process that the spraying in Franks is killing the grass in the entire river system is a crock of doo doo guys! I git asked this every single day while guiding this year, " I Thought the spraying killed the grass? I keep reading about this on the internet." The next question they ask me is, how do ya fish this bait through all this grass? My answer ever time is, Go fish the wall in Franks with everyone else that is complaining!

Git out of yer comfy lil boxes fellas, cause it sounds like it ain't so comfy right now! I've put my jig down, simply cause it ain't catchin fish right now! And to many, I'm sure that's a shocking surprise. Fish the fish, fish the moment, understand yer conditions and make the adjustments. If that still don't work, start fishing areas you've never been to before, or where you'd least likely expect to find em! Fish baits and tactics you've not used here before. If that don't work, then tie on a 7" Senko, a 6.5" Big Hammer paddle tail, a Wadda Bomb with a 7" Scampi double tail or a wake bait, cause I'm getting bit everday on each of these baits!

[macinckirk]

Cooch
I'm not a big senko person, but I did use it yesterday the 5" and did get 5 bites but they were all 1lb fish, will it make that big of a diff if I buy a bag of 7" tonight?? bigger bait bigger fish

I know there is bigger fish in the area

Also I don't know why you guys are saying there is no grass/weeds every place I went has green stuff growing and the water color was GREAT water temp 60-61 but it looks like down south were everything is a little behind from what happen last year

Now today I just need to get on a big fish bite, good bad or other wise you guys have a great place to fish, come down south for a week and you will come back up here and be happy to have a few bad days on this body of water

[Cooch]

Cooch,
will it make that big of a diff if I buy a bag of 7" tonight?? bigger bait bigger fish

I know there is bigger fish in the area

YES! Buy three, 1 ea 208, 021 & 297! Covers the entire color spectrum ya need here!

[scott h]

Look shallow in the late afternoons and water above 60.Im finding em in a foot or less.Cooch is rite they are not really spawning yet they are still just trying to get WARM! Early in the day Im still getn em deep 6-10 and throwig a dropshot 6" worm color based on water clarity. I have not been getn many bites but they are good ones. 5 to 10 bites a day, You need to be disciplined and keep it slow.They are eating but just not super aggressive yet. Good luck. Drive safe and wear your pfd's and kill switches!!!!!

[sThurmon]

I have been having problems hooking fish with the big 7. which hook do you like with it?

thanks