[StocktonDon]

Tide

Most of The Delta is affected by the Pacific Ocean tide flowing back and forth in San Francisco Bay. The effect is complex, seasonal, and interacts with the complex seasonal and storm-generated wind, and seasonal and storm-generated snow-melt and river outflows.

The effect of the tide on current and water temperature is introduced above under those headings. Strong wind creates water effects similar to currents that can either increase (if in the same direction as tidal flow) or decrease (if in the direction opposite to tidal flow) the apparent tide experienced in a given area. The quantitative difference in height between adjacent high and low tides determines the strength of tidal effects (not much change from one to the other means not much tidal flow).

Generally, high tide creates a larger volume of water to search for fish so if you are fishing randomly your chances drop. Generally, low tide creates a smaller volume of water so if you are fishing randomly your chances rise. However, the point of these instructions is that you should not fish randomly, so these general rules of chance should not apply to you. In fact each tide situation creates a different set of conditions, some of which increase your chances of fishing success at each tide.

High tide is the great deceiver; every place looks “fishy.” Do your scouting at low tide.

High tide generally encourages fish to “move up,” into the shallower parts of a fishing location, and to “move out,” scattering into the larger volume of water now covering a fishing location. Low tide generally encourages fish to “move down,” into deeper parts of a fishing location, and to “move in,” concentrating into the smaller volume of water now covering a fishing location. Look for fish inside (closer to the bank) of cover and structure at higher tides with lures that cover more water per cast and outside (closer to the channel) with lures that probe smaller areas per cast on lower tides.

But, of course, not all high or all low tides, or the differences between them, are the same, nor do tides occur at the same time of day, etc. Everything is relative. Get a tide book. Spend time on the water. Pay attention to what is going on around you.

Wherever they move with the change of the tide, the fish will prefer the cover, structure, depth, current, temperature, and other factors previously discussed. Your job is to learn the better locations in a given fishing area that have the better combination of factors that become available to the fish due to the changes created by each stage of the tide. You need to fish a given area through as many tide stages and as many times of the year as you can to work this out.

Best Locations

Look for complex variations of structure and cover, next to or in, dramatic depth changes, next to dramatic changes in current, where warmer water is flowing into cooler water. Look for such places in wind-exposed areas for early and late fishing, and in wind-protected areas for mid-day fishing. Use maps before you go to find all of this.

From Bethel Island, consider Little Frank’s Tract aka Frank’s Tract State Park, or Fisherman’s Cut. Beware strong winds and tidal currents.

From Big Break in Oakley, consider Big Break. Beware strong winds.

From Buckley Cove aka Ladd’s in Stockton, consider Buckley Cove, the Calaveras River, and Burns Cut.. Beware strong winds, boat traffic, and large boat wakes on the main channel.

From Walnut Grove, consider The Meadows.

Post questions on internet fishing forums, study guide websites, etc. to locate potential fishing locations of interest. Consider rough launching from public parks adjacent to waterways even if they do not have formal launches, but scout them ahead of time.

Small boat anglers are well-advised to study maps to find areas where as many of the best location factors occur in the smallest area. Consider looking first for wind-protected areas, then to adjacent prospects. (Often, experienced anglers with fast boats will put together a number of such locations and move, or “run,” from one such spot to the next, trying to maximize time fishing better “spots” or “honeyholes” instead of spending time fishing areas in between spots that have less promise.)

Plan to return to your launch site with the wind and tide, not against it.

Technique: Delta anglers can use any technique suited to the location and conditions. Once anglers have figured out the “pattern” for a given spot at a given time, focus on one technique may be mot productive.

Typically, Delta anglers will have “search baits” that are used to quickly fish large stretches of surface water quickly. Some topwater search baits are: buzzbaits, poppers, and frog lures or flies. These baits are often most effective in dim light conditions but can be effective anytime.

Typically, Delta anglers will have search baits used to quickly cover larger volumes of water at different depths in the water column. Some such baits include: crankbaits, ripbaits, streamers, and spinnerbaits. These baits are often effective when topwater baits are not, but can be effective any time.

Typically, Delta anglers will have search baits used to quickly cover large distances on or near the bottom. Some such baits include: deep diving crankbaits, jigs, worms, and various critter baits like crawdads and lizards. When used as search baits these are cast relatively long distances and moved along relatively quickly, “swimming,” “bumping”, or “hopping” in frequent or continuous contact with the bottom.

Typically, Delta anglers will have “probing baits” used to slowly investigate the inner reaches of dense cover or structure. Some such baits include: jigs, worms, and critter baits, like crawdads and lizards. When used as probing baits, these are cast, flipped, or pitched relatively short distances, allowed to fall, and moved slowly or not at all, in contact with cover, structure, or the bottom.

Some types of baits lend themselves to considerable variation in even a single retrieve. Plastic worms, jigs, etc. can be fished by doing everything from letting them lie still (aka “dead sticking’) to rapidly and erratically swimming or ripping them. Spinner baits can be “waked” just under the surface, let fall on slack line, “burned” through any part of the water column, “slow rolled” ticking just off the bottom, and many other variations. Crankbaits can be flipped into heavy cover, ripped, etc. Feel free to be creative in your fishing.

Silvery shad-type and red-dark crawdad-type baits are most common. Every color, shape, and weight variation finds some success in the Delta.

Live bait can be used, either suspended under a float or bobber, or cast or allowed to sink. Live shad, minnows, crawdads, worms, and crickets are common live baits used in the Delta. Check current Department of fish & Game regulations. Because fish tend to ingest these baits deeply, it is often impossible to practice successful catch-and-release with live bait. This is not an issue when survival fishing but, especially given minimum size regulations, live bait fishing is not normally a favored idea when fishing for bass in the Delta.

Every variation of rigging and of cast and retrieve imaginable can be used on the Delta. Please consult commercial literature for these variations, which change, and come in and out of favor, over time. Experimentation is often a key to success.”

Captain was not happy to have authored these instructions. Anglers should experience the skill-building pleasure of piecing things together for themselves. But orders are orders.

In any event, Captain felt the instructions struck the right balance between too much detail and too much theory, while satisfying The Admiralty. Most importantly, Captain had worked to present enough of.

Crew (aka darn cat) returned from night maneuvers and found Captain at his desk. “Well. Crew, it’s done. The Admiralty has what was demanded. Hopefully it gives The Admiralty enough to chew over that I will go back to being ignored.”

[Did you ‘tell all’?] “No, and I am not sure I could do that without writing a book. There are so many subtleties that a given fishing day presents that I am not sure I could do them justice. It often seems trained reactions have sunk below consciousness and now seem to be instincts; I don’t know how you could dig all of those out. How do you know a bass just turned on your spinnerbait or crankbait but didn’t try to eat it? Why do you set the hook on a plastic worm? There is so much more. I am sure every experienced fisherman knows most of that anyway.”

[So how are you feeling? Do you think you sold out the Delta? Crew asked.] “No, I am all right. As I got into it I realized the complexity of Delta fishing would protect its best secrets from all but the dedicated and thoughtful angler, and they fully deserve to know them.“

[What are you going to do if The Admiralty doesn’t think you have done enough?] “Offer on-the-water guide service, I guess!”