Thx to all who put on the event Jeff(thx for the bbq Jeff!), Sal, Binh, Mike and to all who attended this year’s delta open, it was a good time as usual but especially because it was a dual event with our buddies from The Sonoma club. Since my first tournament on the delta years ago I have loved fishing the tournaments and realize how special a group we have.I have met some really cool people that I wouldn’t have anyway else and it’s always good seeing everybody (thx for the stories about the early scbbbc year’s Richy!) and watching everyone having a good time.
I practiced the weekend before and found fish punching leafy mats in the marinas way back on the flats in 1ft of water out of the current I was surprised to find fish that shallow and so far away from the the current in the middle of July. Were they shallow guarding beds or eating blue gills? After catching some nice fish on a jig pitching the openings under a dock I did some investigating and found blue gills swimming on a flat area next to a sharp edge with a 2ft drop with no current. I started to think the bass might be in these areas and the shallow mats eating bluegills. So my plan Saturday was to hit some mats and then work my way to some docks.
Day 1
First thing Saturday morning I hit a few mats that were productive the week before for nada and figured they weren’t under them yet because it was still low light. So I fished a frog for a pit for one little slurp but no fish. So I made my way to a dock adjacent to a flat with a sharp edge and a drop off that was similar to the one I caught the better fish on in practice and fished it pretty throughly from shallow to deep for nada. Close by was a levy wall that had some current running up against it that looked promising. This is where I caught Day 1 big fish on a jig hopped in 4-5 ft off some cover. I new it was good one just didn’t realize how big she went 7. I figured she was post spawn due to the little blood left on the bottom of her tail. I fished the stretch for another 10-15 minutes and noticed that the current was no longer hitting the bank so I left after not getting any more bites. Next area was an opening to the marina with sparse grass on both sides that extended out to deeper water it had some current there but i was only able to catch a couple rats on a jig. Next I tried the mats again and on other tgebother openings to the marina, by that time it was 10 and divided to leave the marina and fish some isolated mats I had seen on the main river. I stated to catch fish right away although they weren’t very big I was able to fill my limit. On my way down I hit an island we’re I was able to cull a couple of fish on a chatterbait and punch. Day 1 in first with 15+ and big fish.
Day 2
I decide to hit big fish water for 1 small keeper, I spent way to much time there waiting for the fish to show up. After burning a couple of hours I left and hit the main river again but found the fishing a little tougher and started to feel like the open was slipping away after I got a call from Scotty that he and Will were lighting them up. I paddled up to the island I finished on day 1 and caught 2 of my bigger fish deadsticking a frog on the weed edges. With a 1-1/2hr left I went up to the next island and filled out my limit with a chatterbait on an outside weed edge where the current was hitting it. The last 2 came on a frog in the duck weed and was able to cull one out, back to the ramp. I was sure someone had a good limit the way they were biting Kermit but was surprised to hear that the bite was tough for most and was able to claim my first delta open win.