Summer 2023
W
ith 1000 miles of waterways, continuous
changing conditions of the tide, weather
temps that spike over 100 degrees, heavy boat traffic and summertime on the Delta can be extremely
difficult to master – even more so from a kayak. This year
as the weather warms, the California Delta is amidst an
unparalleled start to the fishing season; but we all still want
to catch the big ones.
To gain more insight on the summer fishing months,
WesternBass interviewed three very accomplished kayak
competitors – Shane Jones, Daigo Kobayashi and Griffith
Garrabrant – for insight on breaking down the tidal water
fishery. Here is what each had to say:
WB: Our California Delta has over 1000 miles of fishable shoreline. How do you decide where to launch your kayak during the summer months?
Garrabrant: When picking a spot to fish for fun or when I’m out practicing for a tournament, I’ll try to find an area that has access to deep water, flats, and docks. In a kayak you don’t have the luxury of being able to cover tons of water like in a bass boat, so it’s key to pick an area that doesn’t limit you to fishing a single feature or technique. The Bethel Island area is a great place to start. There you will find plenty of docks to fish, deeper cuts of 20+ foot deep water, and the biggest flat on the delta, the famous Franks Tract.
Kobayashi: During the summer, I prefer sloughs and pockets close to the main channel because of the current has colder water. A marina close to the main channel can have huge residential schools of bass inside, it has to have healthy weed growth.
Jones: I would focus on fishing areas with less boat traffic, strong currents and areas that have boat docks. I prefer a back water area compared to the main channel because of heavy boat traffic during the summer months.
WB: What type of structure would you fish?
Kobayashi: I focus on any structure that stands out, something different. This can be trees hanging over the water, sunken boats, riprap points grass mats and tule clumps.
Garrabrant: In the mornings, during summer months, I like to start out by fishing grass or tule lines in open water. The morning is the best time to target those areas because as it warms up during the day, those fish are going to tuck farther into the cover to get out of the sun. As it warms up, I’ll transition to fishing docks. Docks are a great provider of shade, are generally in deeper water, and serve as an ambush point for fish.
Jones: You can find me all over the place fishing docks, weeds and mats or the rocky banks. I really try to focus on these areas as much as possible, until I figure out a piece of the puzzle. I try and keep it simple while fishing the delta. It’s either a ChatterBait, Senko, topwater, spinnerbaits, crankbait or flipping/ punching and of course a weedless swim jig / underspin. Around docks, I love throwing Senkos and trying to skip them under the docks or throwing a ChatterBait around them. For weeds and mats especially around low tide, I focus on the holes. When you look at the weeds at low tide, you can see highways where the fish move in the weeds, I make as many casts and flips as possible into these areas. Rocky banks are usually productive during the high and outgoing tides with square bill crankbaits and chatter baits.
WB: Which lures would you use for a specific tide and structures?
Griff Garrabrant: In the summer months, you can often find an incredible topwater bite on the Delta. Popper and walking-style baits are a great place to start in open water during high tide. If the tide has dropped, that can make it difficult to fish lures with treble hooks. Switching to a buzzbait or a frog on top of grass mats are a great option.
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