When one thinks of River Smallmouth fishing on the West Coast, they may dream off to places such as the Umpqua River in Oregon, or the mighty Columbia River also in the Great North West. The California Delta does not conjure up thoughts of scrappy Smallmouth at first glance.

The Delta is known more for being one of the best Largemouth fisheries in the country, maybe the world. Many know or have heard of the Smallmouth, maybe even caught a couple or have seen a few weighed in at a tournament or two, but just haven t found the time to go see what it s all about.

The California Delta Smallmouth range is extensive, covering a tremendous amount of area in the North Delta from Rio Vista, Ca to the upper reaches of the Sacramento River, adjacent sloughs and the confluence of several Sierra Nevada River drainages.. In addition there is also a population in the far south reaches of the Cal Delta where the confluence of several rivers meet the San Joaquin River. The area on the San Joaquin below the Mossdale Crossing (I-5 Bridge) to the south is very tricky to navigate and not recommended for boaters unfamiliar with the area so I m going to focus on the northern population.

TRUST ME...This is one of, if not the most, important piece of your fly fishing equipment.

As far as I am concerned there is nothing worse than leaking waders. However, being totally uncomfortable does run a close second!
As we all know, trout live in cold water and if you have fly fished for very long you have undoubtedly experienced the benefit of leaking waders You know cold numb feet or legs coupled with muscle cramps when you try to wade out.

A Little History

Some 30 years ago I first started out wearing the old Red Ball bootfoot (boot attached) waders. They were made of rubber and were very hot. Thankfully since that time there have been amazing improvements in both materials and comfort.

Hi there to all you fellow fisho's, well you maybe wondering why I am writing a article about fishinig for Bream in Australia, well i live in Tasmania an we have some excellent fishing here.

So if you are interested in what is happening in Australian fishing then read on.

Trying for an Elusive black bream in the Derwent River Hobart Tasmania Australia.

It was an early start to the day leaving home at bird's fart to get to the the Derwent at Day break, it is 2hrs drive from Launceton were I live. This trip was to be one out of the ordinary for I was fishing solo my best mate and fishing companion Tommy was unable to attend this session. This was ok I thought that I would be fine to do this solo, but I never thought rowing a Double Kayak would be so difficult as i set out across Prince of Wales Bay (POW)to find some structure. After a short rowing session of about 20mins, I found what appeared to be an old jetty that was covered in oysters and mussels, prime real estate for a bream, so I quickly dropped over my anchor, pushed on a Berkley Gulp 3" minnow in pumpkin seed on to my jig head, gave it a quick test swim and was ready to deliver the dinner, first cast perfectly into the middle of this mess of broken timber and carnage, I thought to myself "that is the money shot."

Growing up in North Dakota I have come to the conclusion the wind will blow almost everyday. During the walleye season we face many different situations. Wind is definitely one that causes the most problems. I think I can count on one hand how many times we have had the perfect wind in the last ten years.

Windsocks are nothing new for the old walleye veterans, but have become a standard ingredient for walleye anglers the past few years. I use boat breaks all the time to help keep my bait on the bottom. It can be used
in drift situations, or it can slow your boat down while trolling. I carry three different sizes with me at all times. This allows me to adjust my speeds according to the wind speeds. A good rule of thumb while drifting is to keep your line at a 45-degree angle. If it stays pretty close, you are moving at a good speed. When I am unable to keep my line at a 45-degree

By Roger Lee Brown (The Bass Coach)

Everyday it seems that more and more of the general public (men, women, boys, and girls) are starting to take notice that there may be just a bit more to bass fishing that meets the eye than just the Sunday morning bass fishing shows they see on TV. Why is this so? They see bass fishing in regular TV commercials (I’m sure that you have seen the commercial where 3 men are in a boat, fishing with

artificial lures, and one of them throws his lure around a tree branch, and the spokesman says; "even the fish are comfortable"). This advertisement is about clothing! "Jeans." Or, how about the grocery stores...... Yes, even in food stores you will find a picture of a famous Bass Pro on a box of Wheaties. Or, turn on a sports outdoors network anytime during the week and you will find many TV fishing shows geared towards bass fishing. Almost any swamp, lake, river, pond, or sloughs if accessible by boats, you will find bass anglers.... Or, how about all the trailered bass boats constantly going up and down our highways......It’s just about everywhere we look!

— by Steve vonBrandt

One of the biggest obstacles an angler can face is finding and then catching, fish in big lakes or reservoirs where the water levels fluctuate dramatically, such as in Spruce Run, in New Jersey, in the recent past. Many lakes or reservoirs can rise or fall as much as 10 feet. This happened to us at a tournament in Bull Schoals, MO, a few years ago.

There are many factors that cause these fluctuations. Bodies of water that are dammed by hydroelectric plants, have upsurges of power in the extremely hot or cold periods of weather, that cause them to run more turbines and the level of the water drops. Sometimes it is a drought, and even the smaller bodies of water here in the Northeast get drastically low at times. On some lakes, in the East, they lower the water levels for irrigation, to build new launching ramps, to try to

-By Larry Elshere-

If you enjoy the sport of fishing and own a boat, there is nothing like being on the water. When you are on the water, the cares of the world just pass you by. You're whole attitude changes. Your mind is on fishing and not on your daily problems. Your buzzing around from spot to spot. Just having a blast. Catching a few fish. It just doesn't get any better than that. If you spend a lot of time on the water, like me, your boat is your best friend. It doesn't matter if you have a small aluminum boat with an 8 horse power motor or a 20 foot bass boat with a 225. You come to rely on your boat and motor just as much as you're favorite tackle or lure. You spend a lot of time making sure your trailer, boat and motor are in perfect operating condition. You do all you can. The outboard motor is by far the most important and costly part of your setup. You spend a lot of time making sure the motor is in top running

By: James H. Hopkins

On 20 July, 2002 I departed from home with the idea that this year would be the one. I was going to France to Fish for the European Wels on the famous Saône River. I had made this trip the year before with results that were less than stellar.

The weather turned out good, but the fish had a mind of their own. It was late March and the river had risen on 2 occasions and was beginning to fall. In the end, there was 6 days of fishing with NO Takes. No sighting over the week as the fish were Spawning or Mating as some would call it. In the end, we blanked and the staffs of the European Catfish & Carp Trips were at a loss. I was asked if it would be possible to come back this year and try again.

By Joe Martino

One does not have to look very far in this portion of the country in order to find decent stream or river fishing. Unlike lake or reservoir fishing, stream fishing usually does not require a lengthy drive or waiting in line at the boat ramp. In fact, all that is required for a successful fishing outing on a local creek is a rod, reel, line and lure. A sense of adventure doesn’t hurt either.

The serenity of the time spent in the stream is another plus. How much closer to nature can you get than fighting a scrappy Smallmouth in his living room? The first time that an acrobatic smallie jumps at eye level or makes a run between your legs, you’re hooked.

By Capt. John Ford

I must admit "fly fishing" is my favorite way to fish any body of water. But the one thing I have not become is "close minded " to other forms of fishing. Light tackle plugging is one form everyone should leave room for and I guarantee it will improve even your fly fishing results!

Unlike most I'm blessed with the opportunity to be on the water almost everyday. Even when not guiding I'm searching out new holding areas and keeping up with the constant changing conditions. One way that has helped me do this efficiently is plugging. You can cover more water in shorter amounts of time helping you FIND more fish holding areas. Here are some things you should do: