12/31/2004
Cold
Weather Slows Bites
Wow,
recent run of cold weather has really taken a toll on the fishing
throughout the area. It seems just a few years ago we had all
too much water, muddy conditions and river closures. Event with
all we've seen on the river in the past couple of years at least
the fish were biting. Bass action from the foothill lakes to the
Delta is really tough. Cold water temperatures have shut down
the largemouth. There are still those that want to try for them
and ways to fool the lethargic bass.
Many anglers try to fool these winter largemouth with some decent
success rates using old standards, like pig 'n jigs and spoons.
Working these baits deep and slow has always been a consistent
producer of bucketmouths.
I always felt that when using these fairly heavy baits and the
heavier tackle used to work these baits effectively, I was missing
quite a few opportunities. This was especially true when trying
to fill a limit for a tournament. We would catch one or two nice
bass in areas that I knew were holding many more fish.
It wasn't until the past couple of years that I found more consistency
when fooling the lethargic bass. During the winter months, and
low-pressure periods, the key to finding success is staying close
to areas you have fished before with success. Largemouth bass
will, for the most part, stay close to the points and other structures
they feed and spawn on.
During other
parts of the year, the bass tend to use these different structures
as highways for feeding and shelter. During the winter period,
the bass hold on the deeper edges of these structures, especially
those adjacent to creek channels or other drop-offs.
Fishing these
drop-offs is probably the main reason for anglers using the heavier
baits, like jigs and spoons. But many times, you can jig the baits
up and down and still not get a strike. I've even seen fish foul-hooked
by some of these jigs and spoons because they're so lethargic
they won't even get out of the way of the lure.
The best way I've found to fool these winter bass are slow rolling
and dead sticking. Slow rolling a pig 'n jig is done by casting
the jig or big single-bladed spinnerbait and letting it sink to
the bottom. Now, with the jig on the bottom, move your rod tip
up slowly just enough to move the bait along the bottom.
As the bait rolls along the bottom, watch for any line movement.
At the first sign of a strike, set the hook hard. Once the bait
has been worked back to the boat, you can jig vertically for the
rest of the retrieve.
Largemouth are not the only specie not caring for the cold water
conditions. Stripers, and sturgeon on the river are certainly
also effected by the cold water conditions. The activity is way
down for these species yet there are still a few to be caught.
West Delta sturgeon and stripers are still decent bets for anglers
venturing into the Antioch-Pittsburg area. The sturgeon are the
best bet in the western reaches of the area with sturgeon now
grabbing baits in the Garnett Point and Mothball Fleet areas.
Grass Shrimp are the ticket for most angling regulars, but ghost
and mud shrimp are also decent choices. Big tides do help things
along here at times but a warm rain would really help now.
Stripers are
still around but the bait bite is light and slow. The deeper areas
around Broad Slough and in the Sacramento River will still turn-out
a striper or two. The best bet for stripers continues to be in
the interior Delta. Especially those areas close to dead end sloughs.
In the north, Hog, Beaver and Sycamore sloughs off the Mokeloumne
River are worth looking into for trolling anglers. In the central
area there are stripers moving in and out of Whiskey Slough, and
of course the Discovery Bay area. In the south the Grantline and
Sugar Cut areas hold some good fish this time of year. The key
to all of these areas is they are able to warm up just a bit faster
than the main river counter parts because of the protected nature
of the areas.
We
have certainly brought in the New Year with a variety of conditions
over the past few years, yet even as bad as it seemed in the past
couple of years at least there were some fish biting, maybe thing
will improve in the next couple of weeks. Enjoy!
Photo
Courtesy Of Kevin Cadle
Dan
Mathisen
FishDelta.com
- All Species, All Delta
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Ultimate Resource For California Delta Fishing
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