I wanted to fish the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta for largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass, and I didn’t own a boat. To hunt striped bass in the Delta, you pretty much need a powerboat, because stripers are migratory, and locating means covering lots of water. However, the other bass species tend to be residential, making them accessible with personal watercraft if you know how and where to look.
When fishing for stripers, I figure I can hire guides with all of the money I save by not being a boat owner. I also have friends with powerboats, and I always offer to pay for fuel and launch fees. But the Delta is a big place, with strong winds, currents, tides, and boat traffic, and even when fishing for nonmigratory bucketmouths and smallies, you need a nimble craft that lets you move around easily. Float tubes and pontoon boats can’t cover much distance without a lot of effort. Enter the kayak.
What Kind?
There are several types of kayak, but most manufacturers now produce fishing kayaks, which is probably their fastest growing segment of the market. One big difference is between paddle-only kayaks and pedal kayaks. I’ll discuss both. I am not here to endorse any particular make or type, but I’ve found that a sit-on-top pedal kayak that can be propelled forward and backward with your feet and is fitted with a rudder that allows you to steer, leaving your hands free for fishing, is a huge plus in the Delta. Keeping the kayak positioned against the effects of current, tide, and wind is essential to success, and in a paddle-only kayak, doing so requires frequent use of an anchor. Some kayaks can be accessorized with trolling motors and fish finders. A kayak-specific trolling motor that mounts on the stern and has integrated steering works best, but these are expensive. I find that pedal power gets me around just fine and is good for fitness, as well. In my pedal kayak, I can usually average three-plus miles per hour, depending on the elements and how ambitious I want to be. I certainly can cover a lot more water with my kayak than I would be able to cover with other types of personal watercraft and can do so more safely.
Safety Considerations
I was in the safety business for 27 years, and I would be remiss if I did not mention some essential safety issues about kayak use before I share my thoughts about how to catch fish out of one.
The Delta can be a dangerous place if you don’t pay attention to what you are doing. Kayaks sit low in the water and are not easily visible to pilots of powerboats. Powerboats also produce wakes. A stable fishing kayak handles wakes very well. Still, it is a good idea to lean into the wake from your waist if the kayak is broadside to the wake. Otherwise, give the wake a bow or stern presentation if you have time to maneuver.
I always stay close to the levee or bank, where powerboats are not likely to go or to go at a high rate of speed. It is also a good idea to pick your day, because wind and fog are not your friends.
A paddle leash is essential in a paddle-only kayak. Losing a paddle can be disastrous — you will have little or no control of your kayak without a paddle. When using my peddle kayak, I always have a paddle as a backup. I also use it frequently to maneuver the kayak into or out of tight or shallow spots.
It is not safe to use your chest waders for kayaking. Even with a belt, water can easily enter if you happen to flip the kayak or fall out. There is waterproof outerwear made specifically for kayaking. The pants help a lot in cold water or cold weather, having a neoprene waistband with Velcro tension flaps that are designed to minimize water entry into the garment.
Always, always, always wear a personal floatation device — a PFD! The inflatable horse-collar types are perfect for the warm months.
Anchors
If you have a paddle-only kayak, you can sometimes drift and fish effectively, but in most cases, you need to anchor to keep the kayak positioned properly. Anchor trolleys on both sides of the kayak allow you to always have your anchor upcurrent of your position. I have used both mushroom anchors and claw anchors and have lost both types to the bottom, wedged between rocks or in other structure. I’ve had to cut my anchor line to free the kayak, so it’s a good idea to have a float on the anchor line so you can retrieve your anchoring system if you need to separate it from the kayak. There is a way to rig the anchor attachment so it can be freed — there are several YouTube videos showing how to do this. However, I have a better solution. Make your own anchor by looping several lengths of hardware-store chain through a large locking carabiner or oval ring. I have never lost this anchor or even had it hang up on the bottom.
Areas to Fish
The most common question I get asked about kayak fishing in the Delta is where to fish. It depends on what species you’re targeting. For smallmouths and spotted bass, stay above Isleton in the cooler waters of the northern Delta. Many of these fish are actually smallmouth–spotted bass hybrids that the locals call “meanmouths.” The Sacramento River and its adjoining sloughs such as Steamboat, Georgiana, and Minor all have large populations of smallmouths, spots, and meanmouths. Good places to launch are Viera’s, Ko Ket, the Georgiana fishing access (you will have to get your kayak down some stairs there), the Walnut Grove public dock, Hogback on Steamboat Slough, the Clarksburg fishing access, and Arrowhead Marina, if you are fishing Minor Slough. Look for fish anywhere you find open, rocky riprap.
Largemouths are everywhere, but I have better luck where there is quiet water in the lower Delta. There is no particular spot that outshines others — you will have to do your own exploring. For fly fishers new to kayak fishing, Discovery Bay is a good place to start. It is quiet there, with a five-mile-per-hour speed limit for boats, and it has plenty of fishable water. I always expect to catch fish in Disco Bay during the warm months. That is one place where you can target stripers from a kayak, as well, especially in the summer, though most of them tend to be juveniles.
Another favorite place of mine is in and around Sugar Barge Marina, located on Franks Tract. The Stockton area produces for me, as well. When in that neighborhood, I launch out of Village West Marina and turn left into a quiet backwater slough. There is a car-top boat launch ramp there, although you will need to park on the street. Herman and Helen’s Marina is another eastern Delta launch site that is surrounded by lots of productive water. Once again, you will find largemouths everywhere, so don’t be afraid to try different areas that I haven’t mentioned. Most launch fees for kayaks and car-tops are in the 5-to-10-dollar range.
Kayak Tactics
If you are patient and diligent, you will find plenty of Delta bass within an easy distance of your launch site. I generally look for quiet areas that have access to lots of open rocky levee walls, coves, and cover, and I fish them methodically and thoroughly. The majority of my catches come tight to the levee rock walls. I like to position my kayak close to the levee and cast parallel to the bank. By doing so, I can show my offering to many more fish, as opposed to positioning myself off the bank and casting at a right angle to it. This is where a kayak has a distinct advantage over a regular boat.
Fishing along tule beds and riparian cover also produces, but not as consistently as the rocky levees. The area between the levee rock structure and a weed bed that lies 5 to 10 feet off of the wall is the optimal go zone, especially for top-water summer fishing.
In order of prime target areas, I fish levee riprap first, followed by tule beds and riparian structure. As a general rule, I hit the areas around docks on my way back to the ramp. When fishing docks, cast a crawdad or minnow pattern close to the bank and dock structure and let it drop with a few twitches. It is easy to maneuver the kayak to the areas between the dock or boathouse and the levee. Boats usually can’t get in there, and some of the biggest bass I have caught in the Delta were hooked in these places.
The best times of the year to fish are during the warmer months. On occasion, the prespawn period, which usually occurs in late February or early March, can be good, but a week of warmer weather, which raises the water temperature a few degrees, is usually required to trigger a prespawn bite. Otherwise, the colder months can be slow for bass fishing. I do not target spawning bass. Leave them alone so they can create the next generation of fish for us to catch. A killer way to get lots of fish to eat is a modification of the trout dry-and-dropper technique. I use a popper with a baitfish imitation dropper on about 2 feet of leader. The bass generally don’t like to look up into brightness, although on several occasions l have had bass hit the popper all day. More often than not, though, when the sun is on the water, the disturbance on the surface from the popper will get their attention, but they will eat the subsurface fly. This is an especially effective technique for smallmouths.
Another very effective technique for all species is to attach a MOW integrated floating and sinking tip or a 8-to-12-foot piece of sinking tungsten core line to the tip of your floating line with a baitfish or crawdad imitation on about 5 feet of tippet. A short-head integrated sink-tip line can also be used for this purpose. This will get your presentation to the depth where the bass are holding along the riprap and do so with minimal snags. Make the cast as close to the riprap as you can. Less than a foot off the rocky levee bank is best. Make six to eight strips with a few two-to-four-second pauses between strips. The pause gives the presentation a wounded baitfish look, and I pick up as many fish on the pause as I do on the strip.
In low-light conditions or if the fish are cooperating when the sun is on the water, fish poppers — the top-water bass bite is as good as it gets. Let the popper settle and allow pauses between your strips. Pop, stop, pop, stop is the preferred tempo of the strip. Most grabs will come during the settling phase between pops. Locating f ish is easy. If you have a peddle kayak, position it close to the bank, put it in reverse, and troll your offering, or if you are fishing top-water, cast and move until you get bit. Often you will find that these fish like to hang with their friends, and one strike is likely to produce more.
Trolling is a lot more difficult, but not impossible, with a paddle kayak. You are using both hands to paddle and will miss many hookups by not having a hand on your rod. You can still use this technique to locate fish, though. Anchor a little upcurrent from where you got the grabs and make casts from there.
Also, look for overhanging vegetation and try to sling your cast as far into the shadows as you can. There are sidearm casting techniques that keep your line closer to the surface of the water and allow you to do this. However, until you are proficient at that type of cast, expect frustrating hang-ups. The reward can be a photo-worthy fish that has outcompeted the smaller ones for a prime spot.
Gear and Flies
This is not a sophisticated game. If you fish only one rod, use one that is stout enough to cast bigger flies, especially top-water bugs, matched with a line and leader that will turn these flies over. A 7-weight covers all the bases. There are times, however, where a lighter rod is a hoot, for example, when fishing for smallmouths using small or medium-sized poppers on a summer evening. A smallmouth over three pounds is rare. Most of the smallies are in the 8-to-12inch range and are scrappy as they get. I have a ball casting to these guys using a small popper and a 5-weight glass or a 4-weight graphite rod. I expect to catch several on any outing. None of the fish in the Delta are line shy. What is most important is that your leader is strong enough to turn your fly over and get the fly back if it gets hung up. I usually use 10-pound or 12-pound test and have used 15-pound or even 20-pound test if I am fishing heavy structure. A Clinch Knot for top-water bugs and a Loop Knot for subsurface flies, and you are good to go. The reel is not a critical piece of equipment — most of your fish will be hand-stripped in. Bass pull hard and are very scrappy, but they do not run. You do not need a whole box of fly patterns, either. Poppers in soft or hard foam or hair poppers work well. I have caught many large bass on smaller poppers, which are easier to cast. However, also have a selection of large ones, especially if fishing for largemouths, including weedless poppers for fishing around weedy, reedy, or heavy surface structure. If I had to carry one subsurface pattern, it would be a Clouser. I have an assortment of colors and sizes, ranging from 4 to 2/0. One color that is stellar for both smallies and largemouths when fishing rocky riprap is brown over burnt orange. To the fish, these look like swimming crawdads, one of their favorite foods. Crawdads are not normally found in areas that are occupied by underwater vegetation or reeds, so change to another color, such as yellow or chartreuse over white, when fishing those areas. I tie all of my Clousers with red dumbbell eyes. Bloodshot eyes are a sign of a wounded baitfish.
Always have some actual crawdad patterns on hand, as well. Cast them to the rocky levee riprap and let them tumble down the rocky face with the occasional twitch. Twitching them on the bottom next to the riprap is also highly effective. I get hours of enjoyment out of my kayak because it gives me options for bass fishing in the Delta that I did not have before. In addition, if the fishing is slow, I can put the rod up and just go for a paddle. Either way, I’ve had a great day.
The Right Kayak
Choosing the right kayak to fish the Delta depends on the kind of fishing you will do and your comfort level with these watercraft. Google “kayak fishing,” and you will find hours of YouTube videos on the subject. My own peddle kayak is an inflatable Mirage made by Hobie, as shown in the photo. I also own a hard-shell paddle-only sit-on-top kayak — it was my first foray into kayak fishing. I found that the inflatable suits my purposes best. I can have it set up in 10 minutes or less. Deflated, it fits into my vehicle easily and can be stored in a corner of my garage. A hard-shell kayak, conversely, doesn’t require time spent inflating it and can be carried on a roof rack, trailer, or in the bed of a pickup. Many retailers sell both types and usually have demo programs. I suggest you demo every kayak you are interested in to make an educated decision about the kayak that best suits you.
Whatever kayak you choose, strongly consider a sit-on-top model that is stable. These are slower than kayaks built for other purposes, but plenty fast for the needs of fly fishers. It is better to be upright than fast, especially in the Delta.
— Chris Smith
