Matt Luna California Delta Spring List

The Delta is a massive fishery with Delta bass that live shallow and in the thick grass. Some of the best Delta fisherman make their money punching and flipping. So having a solid flipping and punching rod can be very important.  You’re going to want to pair up some braided line with a high gear ratio reel like a Shimano Curado or Davies Tatula SV on that flipping rod. Some good choices of braided line are Berkley X5 Braid, PowerPro Super Slick V2 and PowerPro Braid.  You’re going to want line in the 65lb test range.
 

Some great baits to flip, punch and frog are a Strike King Rage Bug, BioSpawn Vilecraw or a BioSpawn Vilebug and the Spro Frog.  Get a heavy tungsten flipping weight and flipping hook of choice and pitch that combo into some heavy cover and get ready! Stick baits can catch numbers of fish and quality fish all over the country and the Delta is no exception.  Stick baits like Senko, Berkley General, and a Yum Dinger can all be great on the Delta. Pair these up with some Seaguar InvixZ or AbrazX fluorocarbon line and cast on the outside grass lines.  
 

Reaction baits can also entice the Delta bass into biting.  There are a ton of riprap banks that line the Delta and when you hit the tides just right you can load the boat with a baits like ZMan Project Z Chatterbait Weedless, ZMan Project Z Chatterbait, or the ZMan Original Chatterbait. Using some quality fluorocarbon like Seaguar AbrazX or InvizX in the 12 - 15 lb test range is key to being able to land these Delta bass.
 

When it comes to colors on the Delta, red definitely stands out.  Often the Delta has clear water, but there may be areas or times where there is a lot of stained and even muddy water.  When this is the case stick with black and blue colors, or black and red colors. Staple colors like green pumpkin, bluegill patterns and Shad patterns will also work, but for whatever reason those Delta bass seem to key in on red!