California Delta Fly Fishing Report
Mark Pinto Reports on 7.12.20
Top-Water Largemouth time! I never thought I'd utter those words.... When I first started guiding the Delta in 1992, Stripers were all I really targeted, I must admit to saying," Oh, it's just a Largemouth" , how shortsighted I was being in retrospect...About 10 yrs. ago, I really came to love the whole top-water Bass game for many of the same reasons most anglers love dry fly fishing.
For me, casting is fun, especially when having a very specific target, you see the spot, get your fly there and anticipate the take. Actually ,"Blow -Up" is a more appropriate term when describing the Largemouth take, although many of the larger fish take with a fairly subtle swirl or gulp. So often, when we fish, we are nymphing with little or no line on the water, my guiding career was founded on short-line techniques in 1984 and still is used very often on my rivers. Many anglers fish for years without really doing much casting, especially at distance. The Delta Bass are a great way to work on your casting skills, after a day on the water with me, you WILL be a better caster.
A great tune-up or primer for saltwater trips is a day or 2 on the Delta. You will learn casting, both forward and the ever useful backcast as well as line-control, stripping and hook setting skills. Why waste valuable fishing time when travelling to more exotic and expensive destinations to learn basic skills when you can get your game dialed in close to home? This was and still is the main premise for my," Home Waters Guide Service"....
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