Think big – early

Morning bites critical for FLW Series anglers on Cal Delta

OAKLEY, Calif. – Cool morning temperatures dropped a light layer of fog across the sun-warmed California Delta, but despite some early obscurity, the overall picture remains clear for anglers in the Walmart FLW Series National Guard Western Division event – get a big bite early, or grind it out the rest of the day.

As has been the case from the event’s beginning, summer’s leftover heat wave has made the fall transition a brutal one for those seeking the mossback monsters of Delta fame. Bottom line, a couple weeks of sunny, cloudless days with little wind have raised water temperatures to the mid- to upper 70s. Largemouth bass can survive such conditions, but they’re just not in a hurry to move very far very fast.

Look at it this way: When air temperatures hang in the 90s like they have this week in the Delta, would you run to your mailbox during the day, or walk to it in the cool of morning or evening?

That’s the deal with these Delta bass – they’re going to get their chomp on when the water’s coolest. Tournament anglers will have long since departed when the sundown bite cranks up, but the early morning stuff will see hungry bass roaming and eating a lot more than they will after about 10 a.m. Late morning through afternoon will find these green slobs lounging in the cool shadows beneath and among vegetation such as hydrilla, hyacinth and tules.

Current always improves the bass bite and on the Cal Delta, that flow comes from the tides. Pacific water bulges against the Delta’s western extreme and raises water throughout this Central Valley drainage. When the sea retreats, the water drops. The changes from high to low and vice versa generate current as the water moves up and down. This aqueous action moderates temperature, positions baitfish and washes oxygen through the ecosystem; thereby stimulating activity among predators.

The bummer here is that today’s tides, like yesterday’s, will be sluggish. You need those sharp angles between high and low on a tide chart, not the soft bumps that today’s flow brings. The difference is moon phase. The gravitational pull of a new or full moon creates the strongest tides, while quarter moons, well, let’s just say that they’re not exactly the party makers. We’re right on the first quarter, (heading to the full) so the flow just doesn’t have much momentum.

Low tide was around 6 a.m. in areas near the launch site, so anglers will have their best water movement early on the incoming cycle. The high tide will turn around 1 o’clock (depending on location), with a really weak outgoing cycle. That means slow water from late morning through the end of the fishing day.

Most anglers are spending much of their day flipping or punching vegetation to find those lounging fish. In many cases, the rigs are similar, with the main difference being the weight size – lighter for targeted flipping, heavier for punching through thick vegetation.

In the early goings, most will try to take advantage of the cooler morning temperatures by working topwaters or other surface presentations to score a big bite early. Putting something heavy in the well before the heat sends the fish to cover will be a big morale booster when the rest of the day promises grueling doldrums.

Before this morning’s launch, National Guard pro Tim Klinger was tying on a black buzzbait that he’ll keep next to his Pop-R rod for the early bite. “Yesterday, the fish seemed to bite better on topwater in the morning. It seemed like a lot of them were just rolling under the bait, so that’s why I think the Pop-R will probably end up working better. They don’t want to get out and chase, so you have to hit them in the head.”

John Billheimer Jr. of Discovery Bay, Calif., said he plans to go big by throwing a trout pattern swimbait in hopes of starting with a bang. “That’s really my only way of getting a big bite, so I’m going to take a chance and hope something happens. After I throw the swimbait, I’m going to punch the rest of the day to fill out my limit. The crankbait is my Plan B or C. When I’m really stressed out before weigh-ins and I can’t catch one, I’ll pull out the old crankbait.”

Rusty Salewske of Alpine, Calif., leads the Pro Division with 40 pounds, 11 ounces. Having caught his fish mostly by punching, Salewske holds a 3-pound, 5-ounce lead over the Delta’s flipping king Dee Thomas (37-6). Following Thomas is Brett Hite with 36-8. Notably, Hite is throwing a ChatterBait in a secluded little canal – that’s the same scenario he fished during his Delta victory in March 2008.

In the Co-angler Division, J.R. Wright of Truckee, Calif., holds the top spot with 31-9. His leading margin of 5 pounds, 8 ounces will make him a tough catch, but fortunes change quickly on the Delta, so he’ll have to stay sharp. Punching got him a limit of 13-13 on day one and flipping a Texas-rigged finesse worm yielded 17-12 on day two.

Logistics

Anglers will take off from Russo’s Marina, located at 3995 Willow Road in Bethel Island, Calif., at 7 each morning. Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 4893 Lone Tree Way in Antioch, Calif., beginning at 4 p.m.

Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone prior to Saturday’s weigh-in at Walmart from noon to 4 p.m. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a trout pond, a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.

The entire field competes for the first three days of FLW Series events. Co-angler winners are determined on day three based on the heaviest accumulated three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.

Friday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:58 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 58 degrees

Expected high temperature: 92 degrees

Water temperature: 73-75 degrees

Wind: WNW at 5-8 mph

Max. humidity: 70 percent

Day’s outlook: sunny