Summer 2024
N
orthern California angler Greg Blanchard is one
of the most well-known kayak anglers in the
West. With almost 900 videos and over 130,000 subs, you may know him from YouTube.
Greg has been fishing kayak tournaments since 2014
and has witnessed and helped with the growth of the
tournament-rigged kayak. He has won several major kayak
tournaments and has captured Angler of the Year honors
throughout his fishing career.
WesternBass had the opportunity to interview Greg
about how he catches fish on the famous California Delta
during the hot summer months. Here is what he told us:
WB: When and how did you start fishing? and who got you interested in fishing? How long have you been competing in Kayak competition?
Blanchard: My grandpa got me fishing when I was probably about four or five-years-old. I grew up in New York and he would take me bank fishing on the canal or the lake. We used worms, minnows, crawfish, that is where the addiction started.
My first tournament was in 2014. It was in New York on Conesus Lake, a small event with only 15 anglers. The last hour of the tournament I hooked a big fish and ended up getting 2nd place. That feeling just was crazy, I’ve never looked back.
WB: Which Kayak and equipment do you use?
Blanchard: Currently, I am running a Native Watercraft Titan 10.5 X. It’s the newly released rig. It’s pretty sick. It’s basically made for what we compete in nowadays and has
the ability to
be outfitted
with motors,
batteries, and
electronics. I’m using two HumminBird Helix nines – one with the 360 Mega imagining. For the motor, I have the NK 300 Newport, powered by two 36-volt, 30-amp hour Newport batteries. I cover a ton of water. Nowadays, you have to have a motor on your kayak if you are going to be competitive.
WB: What’s your advice for trophy bass during the summer months?
Blanchard: At the Delta, 12 noon to 1 o’clock I would say is the best time to catch a big fish because that’s when you can go punching and throw a frog. This is when those big fish are more susceptible to biting. I think to get a trophy fish, you have to get your lure to them. I think those fish are hunkered down more often than not and you’re not going to get as many bites. But I do believe that if you’re going to catch a giant, I put my money on punching and frogging on a low tide at high noon in the summer.
WB: What are your baits of choice during the summertime?
Blanchard: I throw a ton of stuff in the summer. I like to start with topwater in the morning. That is my go-to. I’m going to throw a popper, or a Choppo, or a Whopper Plopper first thing in the morning.
You want to get there an hour before light, I think that is overlooked, so make sure that you get out there really early. Those big fish come up and eat in the dark and just after the sunrises. So, in the summer, getting out there in the low light hours is important. The tide is also very important too.
A high tide, at 7 a.m. to outgoing is best during the summer. Be sure to check the tide tables and find a day that has a high to outgoing tide. It is the best day to fish at the Delta.
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