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 "Yeah,
right!", you say. What about all those
100-mile-an-hour bass boats with crazies at the wheel,
churning the delta to a froth, though? Who wants to
fly-fish in that environment? Well, the delta encompasses
1,000 miles of navigable water ways - most of which are
teeming with both stripers and largemouth bass - an area
so vast it can effectively swallow up an armada of
tournament bass boats. Fish this backcountry during the
week and the entire question becomes moot. By all
standards, the place becomes deserted during the regular
work week; and, it is not all that crowded on weekends. Given
the size of this watery wonderland, where does one begin?
Well, if you threw a dart at a delta chart, while
blindfolded, just about any place struck would probably
be close to good water. There's Franks Tract, Mildred
Island, Sherman Lake, Big Break and literally hundreds of
sloughs, cuts and channels ranging all the way from
Pittsburg to Stockton, not to mention rivers like the
Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and the Mokelume -
the enormity of it all can become almost mind-boggling.
To narrow it down for starters, though, I'd
personally select Frank's Tract, which is often called
the "Lake of the Delta". Frank's tract, the
largest delta lake, is the hub of this vast system of
waterways, and from there you could range out to dozens
of other productive areas if you wanted to. The beauty of
the 'Tract is, that you really don't have to go anywhere
else to catch all the largemouth on fly you wanted. You
could spend days tossing flies on Frank's Tract, Little
Frank's Tract and the myriad connecting sloughs, cuts and
channels, without flailing the same water twice. Of
course you need a sea-worthy power boat for this fishing,
ranging from 10 to 18 feet in length, equipped with an
auxiliary electric motor; but don't even think about
using a float tube - unless you have suicidal tendencies.
The water here is just too big, too rough at times and
the currents too strong for safe tubing.
In addition to great fly fishing potential,
the 'Tract offers the angler other amenities: good
launching facilities, camping, dining and boat rentals.
There is even fly fishing guide service for both stripers
and black bass; and the area is only an hour-and-a-half
or less drive from the greater San Francisco bay area.
Now that you know where to go, what about
when? Actually, you can take delta largemouth on flies
just about year-round, with certain months producing
better than others, with weather (wind) sometimes being a
major factor.
Spring is an excellent time to chase
backcountry big mouths but late summer, fall and early
winter is better. Let me explain: During spring (March,
April and May), fly fishing for blacks can be excellent
just before and during the spawning period. Most of the
fish will be on or close to the nest, however, and since
the delta has more water in it during this time than at
any other, bass will be farther back into the cover,
making it more difficult to reach them with flies. In the
spring of 1995, for example, we had more water at low
tide than we would normally have at full flood during
late summer and fall. And, another important factor which
is actually a deterrent to spring fishing, is the
incessant wind - it always seems to blow, making it much
more difficult to fly-fish, although it can still be
done, since there are many protected areas, particularly
in the sloughs and cuts. You need to pick your days
during spring.
Late summer, fall and early winter fishing is
better in all terms: there is not as much water, the
winds are generally nil, and these current-orientated
largemouths are keying on threadfin shad, the predominate
forage fish, which means they'll be extremely aggressive,
moving farther to intercept a well-designed fly.
September, October and November are my absolute favorite
months but December can produce very well, depending upon
weather. What about summer?
The delta is a multiple-use recreational area:
fishermen, water foul hunters and water sports devotees
all use it. Summer is the prime period for the latter,
which are a Nemesis to black bass anglers because they
like to terrorize the same water we frequent, and though
immense, the delta hasn't an appetite large enough to
swallow the hordes of water-skiers and jet-skiers that
swarm to the region when temperatures sore into the 80's;
and, you guessed it - the damned wind still blows then.
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Continued
