VOL . 43 • ISS . 3

March 8 , 2024

5

on the Sacramento River if the current was still coming upstream . Once we reached the main river , I slowly passed a channel marker and saw no current . I relayed the plan to Lee , “ We ’ ll head down to my spot and wait for the outgoing tide to start ”. There was a decent amount of floating debris from recent storms , but we were able to travel several miles west to the ‘ Power Lines ’ near channel marker fourteen . I anchored the boat in thirty-three feet of water , and we threw out rods baited with chicken livers . The tide started moving out , but we only had a few light nibbles , probably from Sacramento Pikeminnows . Once the tide got moving ,

These egrets roosting in trees along Threemile Slough resembled a Victorian-era oil painting on February 12 . Stark Titanium White birds contrasted against dark Hunter ’ s Green foliage generated a polkadot motif backdrop for the author ’ s fishing trip . Their reflections cast in the murky waters below completed the composition . This painting was provided by a well-known Master - the California Delta .

Photo by Jack Naves , The Fish Sniffer

On February 12 , Lee Kubiak of Elk Grove shows off a sneaky striped bass that picked up his bait so lightly that he didn ’ t even see the bite ! This fish was already hooked when Lee went to reel up , proving that even the most lethargic stripers are still on the hunt for food - even in the cold , muddy waters of the California Delta .

Photo by Jack Naves , The Fish Sniffer aquarium weeds like hydrilla immediately started to foul up our lines . “ We ’ re going to have to move ”, I announced to Lee , so we pulled lines and headed further west . With enough experience , you will start to figure out areas on the Delta where drifting weeds don ’ t seem to concentrate . One such area is the east side of Broad Slough . After several of my best spots revealed too many drifting weeds , we anchored on Broad Slough in twenty-two feet of water . Our rods were cast out to both the deep side towards the channel , and a shallow shelf by some tulles . My rod on the deep side was the first to get some action . At first , it looked like more weeds had loaded up on my line . The rod tip vibrated and then slowly dipped down . “ More grass ”, I mumbled , and moved into position behind the rod holder to bring it in . The rod tip popped back up and went slack as if the line had snapped ! Next , the rod slowly pumped downwards again . Still thinking it was debris hitting my line , I watched carefully , when the rod tip quickly surged down twice in a row . “ This is a fish !” I shouted , and slowly reeled in hopes that the circle hook would do its job . The rod loaded up as if I was hooked on a ball of weeds , but then pumped several times . It finally pegged downwards , almost bending far enough to touch the water . “ Fish on !” I exclaimed , and pulled the rod out of its holder . As I reeled the fish closer to the boat , it immediately surged downwards into deeper water , peeling line off my level-wind reel . “ Oh man !” Lee uttered , and I told him to get the net . This was a keeper for sure ! It made several more runs , but my sliding sinker and swivel finally broke the surface . Lee jabbed the net under the fish , which was barely visible in the muddy water , giving up only about two inches of visibility . It turned out to be about a seven-pound striped bass , a great way to finally break the ice on what had been a slow morning . Only minutes later , Lee picked up his rod that was cast on the opposite side of the boat towards shallower water . “ I think there ’ s a fish on here ” he pronounced in disbelief . He started reeling and said , “ Yeah , there ’ s a fish here !” The water temperature was only 51 degrees on that day , and water conditions like that can make striped bass surprisingly lethargic . It was a nice little striper going about three pounds , the perfect size for fish tacos ! I bled the fish and had it on ice a few minutes later . I picked up one more striper in that location before the tide slowed . When anchoring with bait on the Delta , I like lots of current . When slack tide hits , it ’ s usually a waiting game for the next tide to turn the bite on . However , in the wintertime when river flows are high , the incoming tide is sometimes neutralized by all the muddy water pushing downstream . This makes for weak , and sometimes slack tides during the incoming , or flood tide periods . To avoid this , I ran several miles upstream to catch the end of the outgoing tide . We anchored in a new spot near Rio Vista , but to no avail , there were no stripers in the area . I told Lee that a month in the future , the same area would be host to a wide-open trolling bite . However , we were still stuck in a winter pattern of cold-muddy water . There was nothing to do but enjoy the passing whistling swans , snow geese , and occasional flocks of noisy whitefronted geese cackling across the sky . We rolled back to the ramp around noon , with another stunning winter ’ s day on the Delta under our belts . Travelling back to I-5 across Bouldin Island , grinders of light and dark geese painted the sky like tornadoes cast out of a salt and pepper shaker . Afternoon drives out of the Delta are something I will never get tired of . To cap it all off , my wife and I enjoyed grilled striped bass tacos later that week for dinner . If you can find a break in the weather , tranquil winter days on the Delta will never disappoint . Even when the fishing is slow , the scenery and atmosphere will provide

Los Vaqueros Recreation Co . 9990 Los Vaqueros Rd . Byron , CA , 94514

Fish Sniffer author Jack Naves displays a nice Delta lineside on February 12 that gobbled up some chicken livers on a still winter ’ s morning on Broad Slough . Even when the waters are cold and muddy , fish like this are out there - scavenging for an easy meal resting on the bottom .

Photo by Lee Kubiak , Elk Grove , CA

a relaxing day for your enjoyment . Look for me on the water , listening to geese and hoping for my rod tip to surge down at any time …

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