Rain Snow Hail and Rising water

Yuk! after a couple of weeks home on the River I've experienced some of the weirdest weather I can remember in such a short time period. Thunder, Lightening, Funnel Clouds, Snow and Hail have battered the Delta most of the week. DFG regs aren't in effect yet but here we go again as they continue to take more a away with The new sturgeon slot limit - 46 to 56 inches.

It seems that once again the Delta is on the rise and the Motherlode are constantly up and down more than Oscar Winners. It’s seems like I have been beating a dead horse lately but these conditions really impact bass location and behavior. As a result, many anglers have trouble finding and catching bass during these conditions. In the course of extreme rising water levels, here are some tips that have helped me catch fish at these difficult times.

High water caused by these March rains is really frustrating me right now but still this is just another part of the ups and downs of Spring. Increased current is common during high water, as a result of runoff draining into a lake. Even in a clear lake, the water can turn murky to downright muddy in a hurry during flood conditions. A dramatic temperature shift can also occur, often overnight, which adds one more obstacle you will have to get through. I grew up fishing Motherlode Lakes and the Delta with my Grandfather, and still fish it at least a couple three days a week. The North California Lakes and Delta systems work together for water supplies and flood control. On the Delta in the Spring time it is almost always 3’ to 5’ above normal if not more. It is always varies from muddy clear in these spring time conditions and the water temperature is always fluctuating.

The first thing I think of when fishing high water is the basics that I have learned from past trips (a) bass are cold-blooded, (b) bass are mainly sight feeders, (c) bass tend to avoid current, (d) and bass are opportunistic predators. These traits will dictate the fish’s location in high water conditions. In the spring , bass tend to seek out the warmest water they can find, which will often be in newly flooded areas of the lake or up an in behind the tulles here in the Delta. High water is often murky to muddy, many bass will move shallower projected confines, sometimes less than a foot deep to maximize their visibility and warmth. Bass will stick tight to current-breaking objects or the bank. And many bass will move into the back ends of tributaries and coves, and into newly flooded fields and forests, where baitfish, insects and crawfish are abundant.

Big, bulky, noisy lures have always scored me more strikes than smaller, more realistic lures; bass in low visibility conditions will more easily detect them. I always try and use something in a high water environment that is capable of bumping off solid objects, such as rocks and stumps, without hanging up. My High water favorites are very simple and basic they include a 1/2oz. jig black /blue jig with a bulky black/blue trailer; a 1/2oz. Persuder spinnerbait white with a gold Colorado blade Or there Clacker bait in Black Red. I also throw a 3/4oz lipless crankbait in bone color. Fish all of these baits as tight to cover or the bank as possible, the strike zone may shrink dramatically in high or muddy water.

During spring high water times it came be feast or famine, but just keep your cool, keep working hard and following some of these tips that have worked for me and you very well could be driving home with a fat check or just an awesome day of bass fishing. Enjoy!