When talking fly fishing the California Delta, most anglers think first of striped bass and largemouth and smallmouth bass — the “headliners.” There’s a lot more there to be fly-caught than those glamour species, though — the panfishing for redear sunfish, bluegills, and crappies can be stellar on the fly. That’s true almost year round, particularly in the late spring through the early summer and later in the fall. Winter isn’t a bad time, either, if you know where to find them and use the proper lines and approach.
Admittedly, I don’t pursue Delta panfish as often as I should, especially in the fall, when I can’t keep stripers off my mind, but when I do, I’m almost always rewarded with quality fish and a great time. I’ve always loved fly fishing for panfish, especially for redears and bluegills, with crappies coming in a close second. While the panfishing isn’t what it was when I first started fishing the Delta back in the early 1990s (nothing is), it’s still damned good by any other standard, and some serious rod benders can still be had — redears in the 10-to-12-inch range or bigger and crappies that top a couple of pounds. Redears that size really pull and are as precious to me as a 20-pound striper. Back in the mid-1990s, Delta regular Tony Buzolich sent me a photo of a 3-pound redear he’d caught on Franks Tract on a 3/0 Whistler while fishing for stripers. What a Moe!
During October a couple of seasons ago, I caught several stunning redears not 100 yards from my boat barn at the Sugar Barge Marina, working Franks Tract along the Piper Slough flats on the southwest side. They were true “pan sized” (one to a pan) and on a 6-weight were as much fun as any fish I’ve caught on a fly. Even average-sized redears are a hoot on a light stick. The beauty of Delta panfishing is that there are literally thousands of productive areas, more than anyone could f ish in a lifetime, most not far from any Delta marina, with some of the best fishing right around those marina docks and boat slips. These fish can be caught from shore or a dock, too, but a boat, kick boat, or kayak will get you to more productive water, with some of the best opportunities in the no-wake zones in protected waters around private docks and marinas — Bethel Island and Piper and Sandmound Sloughs come to mind. I still recall Delta regular Doc Cedar casting off my boat dock at the Sugar Barge Marina, early in the morning and evening, with a 4-weight or 5-weight floating line and small nymph, catching a fish on nearly every cast. If conditions were right, he’d put on a foam spider or small popper and get them on top. This was in the fall, but he did the same with crappies in December and January.
Redears are significantly more abundant than bluegills, although I do catch a ’gill on occasion. And while I’m told there are still a few Sacramento perch in the system, I’ve never caught one in the Delta. Crappies, both black and white, are plentiful at times, but as with other Delta species, their numbers are not what they once were. Overfishing, salt-water intrusion, and other environmental degradations are to blame, with overharvest by meat fishers hurting numbers the most. Ditto for redears and bluegills. Still, satisfying results can be had on most outings if conditions are right and the proper tactics and flies are used.
The Seasons
Although they’ve just passed, let’s start with late spring and early summer. As I stated earlier, you can catch Delta panfish nearly year-round, but in my view, mid-May to the end of June can be the best time of the year in terms of opportunity and pure fly-rod fun. Once the water warms to 65 degrees and a bit more, the fish move into the shallows to spawn. You can often sight fish for big spawning redears and bluegills in water so shallow you’ll have to pole your skiff to reach them. I recall old friends and Delta regulars Roger Case and Doug Lovell recounting stories of catching dozens of big, spawning redears on top-water foam spiders and small poppers. Roger talked about taking his young grandson out fly fishing for the first time and the lad scoring over 50 fish from a single area — sight fishing for them. Now that’s a way to get a kid hooked on fly fishing for life. That was many years ago, in the mid-1990s. It can still be done today, though. I know, because I’ve done it. Some of the largest of the species will be on their spawning beds at that time of year.
Once the spawn ends and water temperatures soar into the high 70s and 80s (which is likely happening as you read these words), redears move deeper, into cooler waters ranging in depth from 10 to 15 feet or more. Redears tend to like deeper water than bluegills. You’ll need to change your approach — but more on that later.
Crappies will also aggregate for spawning, beginning as early as April, but they will most often be found in deeper water, 10 to 15 or so feet deep. A depth sounder–fish finder will give you a huge advantage when looking for schools of crappies. Once they’re found, fast and possibly plentiful action can be had if the fly is presented at their level.
When the water cools below 60 degrees in the late fall and winter, redears and ’gills can be tough to find, but during this time crappies often school in huge numbers around docks and in creeks, channels, and holes, especially those spots with a mild tidal current that will sweep bait and other foods to them. Bays such as those found at Discovery Bay can be stellar at times, especially if a lot of baitfish are around. Again, finding the bait and the fish requires a sounder, although diving birds can be a clue. Winter, prespawn crappies are not always around structure and cover such as docks, boat berths, and deadfalls. They can often be found suspended in open water, feeding on pelagic bait such as shad and smelt species. Here’s what Delta crappie veteran Dave McKenzie says about them.
“I prefer prespawn fish with temperatures in the low to mid-50s. That is normally from late December through early February. Tide isn’t really that important, but natural creeks hold fish better than dead-end cuts. I like good water exchange without ripping current, and bait is essential to finding numbers of quality fish any time of year. Crappies are homebodies, and they won’t be too far from the spawning grounds, because they do not migrate far. That is why overharvesting will wipe out a school in one or two seasons.
“Slack backwaters with decent clarity help, and I use a 5-weight with a stillwater sinking line — a slow retrieve just above the fish, with stop-and-drops, and it’s usually a mush bite. Crappies are always looking up and have a small strike zone that time of year, so it’s important to pay attention to the depth at which they are holding and biting.
“Small white, white/tan, and chartreuse Clousers or any other threadfin shad imitator will score. They don’t want to be around current at this time and are feeding heavily, bulking up for the spawn. Marinas and dead-end sloughs with some natural flow and baitfish are the ticket. Stagnant dead-end sloughs don’t seem to hold them in numbers.”
Tackle and Techniques
If you have a trout outfit — a 4-weight to 6-weight 9-foot rod with a weight-forward floating line — and a box full of the usual trout nymphs and some indicator floats, you’ve got a good start when it comes to pursuing Delta panfish. But to cover all the bases, you’ll need a few more lines.
Because covering a lot of water, particularly in the stillwater portions of the Delta, is important once the spawn is over and the fish spread out, I prefer a line that lets me easily cast long distances. There are lots of great fly lines available from a number of excellent manufacturers. My favorite comes in three useful densities: a floater, an intermediate, and a Type 3 sinker. If you are a steelhead angler who loves traditional shooting heads and a mono shooting line, you’ve probably already got a compact line wallet with every line density needed to cover the water column from the top to any depth where the fish may be holding.
Because redears hold deeper than bluegills, once the water temperatures soar in the mid to late summer and fall, schooling as deep as 15 feet or more, I like using a traditional sinking shooting head from Type 3 to Type 4 and even a head of T-11 with 20-pound mono shooting line, which gives me distance and depth with ease and a great sense of feel for the soft eats. Of course, if you prefer, you can use a small-diameter coated shooting line with loop-to-loop connections. I like something around .024-inches in diameter in an intermediate density shooting line, although a floating shooting line will work OK.
Crappies will suspend fairly deep, too, under schools of baitfish, and as Dave McKenzie says, they are usually looking up. They also like a slow, in-their-face retrieve. The intermediate density line or a Type 2 or 3 sink-rate head will shine most of the time, especially in the winter months. If I had to pick only one of these densities for crappies, it would be the intermediate.
Leaders
When I’m using a floating line and fishing without an indicator, I love a twisted mono leader with a 50-pound Spro swivel to connect the tippet. John Quigley makes and markets one of the best-twisted leaders I’ve used. Attach the class tippet of 8-pound to 10-pound mono to the swivel for a total leader length of about 9 feet. For everything else, I use a tapered mono leader of the same length and tippet strength. If you like to fish a brace of flies, it’s simple and effective to tie the dropper leader to the top eye of the swivel.
Indicators
Indicators are normally associated with trout fishing, but they can be deadly effective when fishing for both redears and crappies. Like almost everything that swims in the Delta, most of the panfish are current oriented — remember, the Delta is a tidal system — and feed best with some amount of current flowing, although they don’t like it ripping. That’s where indicator fishing comes in. I learned about panfishing with a floating line and indicator from an old friend and superb fly angler, José Silva.
In slow-moving sloughs and creeks, José would fish the edges of the weed beds, particularly around points, with a floating line and indicator. He would cast upcurrent with a fly and spit shot, the fly set at a proper level below the indicator, and let the works drift back toward the boat, setting on any dipping or hesitation of the bobber. This is a deadly technique that can also score big time with shallower suspended crappies. I love this approach when it works — it takes me back to my bobber-and-worm days as a youngster. It is particularly effective when fishing a current seam running through a break in a tule berm, if the water is not too deep. And using the indicator system around docks and pilings, well, you can just imagine. . . .
When the Fish Are Deeper
When the redears hold deeper, just off weed edges, especially in bays such as those found at Discovery Bay and Delta Coves (Bethel Island), a deadly approach is to position your boat right on the weed edge and cast a fast-sinking line or head of Type 4 to T-11 toward deep water, then work the fly “uphill” after a long count to get the fly down. Working uphill toward the weed edge from deeper water can be brilliantly productive at times. This can also be done while fishing from a dock or even a bank, if you have back-cast room. Casting parallel to the weed edge can be stellar, as well. There’s more than one way to skin this cat.
Sight Fishing for Spawners
Sight fishing for shallow-water fish is the most exciting and fun way to pursue any fly-rod species. I can tell you without hesitation that it’s a hoot when the redears are in the shallows. Look for what I call “back bays” or “back pockets,” usually behind a line of tules on flats in lakes or even on a tule berm on the major rivers and sloughs. Look for the nests — cleared areas in the weeds or on sand bottoms. Those big spawners will be hanging around the nest to protect their eggs. This is when a foam spider or small popper shines. Expect this action to peak in late May or June, when water temperatures are right for spawning.
Flies
I mentioned earlier that if you have a box full of classic trout nymphs, you are in business for redears and bluegills. Delta weeds are loaded with a variety of bugs, including dragonflies and damselflies, scuds, and other creatures. One of my favorite patterns for catching slab-sized redears is a nymph I designed and that I call the Dragon Bugger, a combination of dragonfly nymph and Woolly Bugger. It’s tied on a size 4 to size 6 60-degree-bend jig hook with 1/8-inch black bead-chain eyes. It has a foam wing pad to help keel the fly and to also make it sink a bit slower — it’s not quite a suspending fly, but one that can be worked over the tops of weeds without hanging up too badly. I like to tie them in rust, olive, and black, all with banded rubber legs — they’re extremely buggy looking. Not only do big redears love them, so do largemouth bass and even stripers, and you’ll possibly catch some of these when targeting panfish — a nice bonus.
While my Dragon Bugger is a fairly large nymph, smaller flies, down to size 10, often produce better, so keep this in mind. Fishing a brace of flies of differing sizes is a good way to learn what the fish prefer.
Crappie flies can range from small nymphs like Dragon Buggers in both light and dark shades to small marabou streamers tied on 90 degree jig hooks, perfect for suspending under an indicator — deadly at times! Small Clousers ranging in size from size 1 to 6 and in the usual baitfish colors also work especially well. Fly wings made from craft fur or marabou provide lots of tantalizing movement. Remember, crappies don’t like too fast a moving target; working slow is better than fast most times.
Although I’m usually targeting the bass species when fishing the Delta, I always have my panfish gear and flies with me. Often, when the wind is howling or I just want to do something different, I’ll target panfish. I’m rarely disappointed when I choose to go that route. As I said, there are few places on the planet that offer better fly fishing for panfish, especially if you want to tag a trophy-sized fish. So if you’re like me and love fly fishing for these species, you won’t find a better, more productive place to do it than the California Delta — year-round.
