PPS Destinations Report 

California Delta, USA

Date:       Summer 2010  

Reported by Dr. Chris Travis, Laguna Hills, Ca, USA

 The California Delta- A Convergence of 5 Rivers. Fly Fishing for Striped Bass

Just east of the San Francisco Bay lies the largest Pacific coast fresh water estuary in the Western Hemisphere, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.  The rivers intertwine through the greatest farm land in the world and is host to thousands of species of wildlife, including game fish. These fish include King Salmon, Steelhead, Striped Bass, Large Mouth Bass, Small Mouth Bass, and Carp.  

We were there to film two shows and herald the efforts of the people in the Delta to save their water and habitat with the help of American Rivers, Restore the Delta, and other private agencies. In a nutshell, the water is being sold to So Cal for big money, and politics is playing a huge role in the continued sell-off.

The target species we were fly fishing for were the Striped Bass which take flies readily, deep or on top. Stripers can grow to over 60 lbs in the Delta and they are stronger than Peacock Bass in South America.  The boats used were high speed bass boats equipped to handle big rivers and lakes of the Delta. The decks are flat to deal with fly line and we used stripping buckets in case the wind became a problem. The flies used were classic Clousers, Deceivers, Puglisi, Whistlers, popper-style Crease flies and other top water flies.  

My guide was John Sherman, the west coast rep for Simm’s and a world class photographer who has fished all over the world and lives in Discovery Bay, in the Delta.  His very favorite place to fly fish is the Delta for Stripers.

What I noticed when fishing the many rivers and sloughs in the Delta was a lack of people on the rivers. This fishery is relatively unexplored and the fishing is incredible. Prime time is November-December and March-April, with November tipping the scale for beauty and wildlife viewing. It is during this time of the year when the migrating waterfowl from Canada fly into the Delta to winter over. However, the season for striper fishing can go from October through April and be outstanding each month.  Because California had a big winter with snow and rain, we were able to fish the fringe in early May and do well. The waters were still cold from snow melt and the Stripers were hungry. We used 9 wt and 10 wt rods and it took all of the rods to land the Stripers. They fight extremely hard and crush your fly with a voracious appetite.  It wasn’t uncommon to land 20 or 30 stripers in a day, some going over 15 lbs. This is fringe fishing. Can you imagine prime time.

I couldn’t help but draw similarities to the rivers of Northern Argentina when traveling through the maze of rivers in the Delta.  Incredible lush plant life grew everywhere along the banks of the rivers and sloughs.  I had to remind myself that a half a million people live near the Delta. It is flat out gorgeous. Because of the water problems, the fish, including Stripers have come under threat from habitat destruction. The food they eat and the spawning areas are being destroyed. The saltwater from San Francisco Bay is backing up into the Delta and slowly destroying it. It is imperative to make a concerted effort to voice your opinion about saving the Delta.  It is an easy fix….Keep the water.  

I highly recommend visiting the Delta and fly fishing for these strongest of freshwater fish migrating from the ocean to spawn. It is a relatively inexpensive trip, great weather,  no real bugs to speak of and beautiful scenery.  I was very surprised at the whole ecosystem of the Delta. There were miles and miles of vineyards, so there are great places to taste wine in the region.   We saw sea lions, otter, deer, ducks, geese, herons - of all kinds-, Sand Hill Cranes, and a plethora of other wildlife. Close by are cities to shop and stay. It is just a nice area to visit. The Gold Rush was here in 1849, and there are signs of the past all over The Delta and it is quite interesting.  

A very nice book has been written about fly fishing the Delta, called “Fly Fishing the California Delta” by Mike Costello and photographed by John Sherman. We were able to fish with Mike and, ,of course, John was our guide throughout the shows. I recommend getting the book and reading it to see, first hand, what a great fishery this is and realizing it is relatively unknown. The variety of fish and habitat made for an incredible experience.   We sight fished for carp in real skinny water with John boats rigged to be user friendly for fly fishers. Carp fly fishing is becoming very popular and they are considered the poor man’s Permit. I had an absolute great time sight fishing in the glassy flooded farm lands that are tide dependant. One had to be very stealthy, as these fish have senses that rival a permit on the flats.  

If you are interested in fly fishing for some world class Striped Bass in a user friendly environment, log on to John Sherman’s website at www.johngsherman.com and/or Mike Costello’s website at www.fishtrips.net to connect with the two best guides on the Delta. The California Delta is an almost unknown fishery with an incredible game fish that is all one can handle on a fly rod.  

Tight lines,  

Chris