Diamond
Back Action Rules in The West Delta
Just in time for Weekend, the sturgeon
start to show. The West Delta is getting the most attention yet
there are those having success in the interior Delta waters too.
Anglers fishing San Francisco, Suisun, Honker and Grizzly Bays
are now starting to get excited. Soon the rhythmic pumping action
of their rod tips will be the only thing they will be able to
focus on as the diamondback bite finally starts to improve. The
truth is the action isn't quite good enough to get anglers heads
swelling yet, but the action is decent.
Unless the moon falls out of the sky and the tides
go away, that action should continue to improve with each set
of tides. With more decent rain, anglers will see much faster
improvement as far as the diamondback bite goes, and the fishing
will improve further east as the sturgies keep moving into the
rivers.
It didn't take much to start the bite rolling
in the Rio Vista area as the good tides got things going. The
sturgeon have been showing in Cache Slough and in various locations
along the Sacramento River towards Collinsville.
On
the San Joaquin side of the Delta Mr. Sturgeon has also been pretty
active at times. The Diamondbacks have made a decent showing.
Sturgeons have shown on the San Andreas and Santa Clara Shoals.
In the West Delta, there have been several reports of fish being
taken in the 28 to 70 pound class by anglers fishing between buoys
6 and 9 near the Mothball Fleet. Other good areas include the
West End of the Buoy 31, Big Cut and the shallow waters of Grizzly
and Honker Bays. There are plenty of fish to be taken, but anglers
need to be patient and meticulous to be successful.
When trying to entice these huge, powerful fighters,
probably the biggest mistake anglers make, in this area, is concentrating
on the big deep holes (over 20 feet deep). Most of the sturgeon's
diet is made up of crustaceans and baitfish that inhabit the many
shallow bays and flats adjacent to the deep water.
In deep water, sturgeon do tend to roll more,
making steel a good choice, but in shallow water these fish will
make remarkably fast runs and dance on top of the water with power
and grace that can't be described. For these reasons, I think
shallow water sturgeon fishing is one of the most explosive and
beautiful types of fishing we can enjoy year 'round.
Another tip to remember is don't try to be a super
distance caster when trying for sturgeon. A short toss behind
the boat, making sure the bait is straight behind the sinker when
it settles at the bottom, is all it takes. The obvious advantage
is the less line out, the easier it is to see the lightest of
strikes.
Enjoy!
Dan
Mathisen
FishDelta.com
- All Species, All Delta
The
Ultimate Resource For California Delta Fishing
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