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BLACK BASS ACTION HAS
STARTED SLOW
By: Ron Wilson
February 21, 2008.... The cold and muddy
water has put the black bass bite off all over our central California
fishery. Pretty much this year for me as I have had more misses than
hits.
I started fishing this year at lake
McClure in January and the bite sucked! We caught limits, but nothing of
any size. The bite was a sluggish one where they just barely grabbed the
bait. The fish were in the 40 foot depth and cold.
Now there was the occasional swim bait
fish but you could blow you whole tournament by trying for that one
big bite or you could end up being a hero if you caught one as they
usually are 5 pounds up and that is the size fish you need to separate
you from the other fishermen during most tournaments.
You can’t imagine how many anglers I have
heard say, "well I caught a small limit and then we swung for the
fence". Unfortunately a lot of the times they miss that fence. My next
tournament was at New Melones in early February. It was the same
situation with cold water. The fish were down in the deep water but the
lucky anglers who came out in the money were anglers who found a few
fish that had moved up in the 15 to 25 feet of water to eat. No matter
how cold the water is there is usually a fish or two up shallow to be
caught.
I fished a tournament on the delta with
E. Z. Pickens, and old friend of mine. We headed to Mildred Island
and got lost in the fog for an hour. The fog raised and we found that we
were just a few hundred yards or
so away from where E. Z. wanted to fish. He threw jigs and spinner baits
with no luck while I pitched senko's and other baits just hoping for a
bite in the cold muddy water.
E. Z. left there and headed to Franks
Track to fish some fast moving deep water. Another hour killed with no
bites.
I suggested to E. Z. that we head back
into the Sandmound area as I knew a stretch that should be holding fish.
Shallow tulles with the sun shining most of the morning and the fish
should move into them to feed. E. Z.'s first fish on a black and
blue jig was a good one in the 8 pound class the only problem was that
when he hit the gal with the 85 pound braid she came to the top of
the water showing us her girth and length
and all but torpedoed the boat as she tore loose from the hook! Talk
about a bummer, we were bummed, E. Z. worked the area and soon caught a
3 pounder. Never thought I would high five a fellow fisherman on a 3
pound bass but the fishing had been that tough as most fishermen had not
even been getting a single bite during a days fishing.
E. Z. soon put in fish number 2 and then
he set on a fish that was more like a seal as it all but jerked his rod
out of his hand on the hook set, bent the pole double and then tied him
up in the tulles.
Another bummer and it was getting time
for us to head back for the weigh in and we had a couple 5 mile an hour
zones to go through. I joked with E. Z. as I said, "well we at least got
points as I know some anglers will blank, so we won’t be last".
Two days of fishing the delta and I never
had a bite. It has been a tough year on the circuit for me so far. One
limit of bass, one with just 4 fish and one without a nibble. I can’t
remember a year that the black bass has treated me so badly in
tournaments.
Here is the funny part of the cold water
situation that I don’t understand. I belong to a private black bass club
and every time I go there I have been killing them. At least a 8 pound
plus to 7 pounder each trip along with lots of 2 to 5 pounder's thrown
in. At least a dozen to 20 fish an outing there.
It’s somewhat of a slow presentation but
the fish have bitten pretty well. I guess I just haven’t fished the
right parts of
the lake and delta yet.
The black bass should really turn on in
the lakes and delta any day now as the delta waters clear up and the
cold water warms up. |
