Cal Delta Top 10 Baits
May 22, 2016 by Kyle Wood
The Costa FLW Series Western Division finale presented by Power-Pole on the California Delta was dominated by reaction baits – even though the conditions made for a tough bite. Covering water efficiently made several of the top pros reach for a variety of moving baits, while others took the soft plastic approach. Regardless of preference, these baits are the deal on the Delta.
1. Charley Almassey grabbed his first Costa Series title with three primary weapons. He used a 3/8-ounce Bobby D’s Grinder in a bluegill pattern tipped with Assault Lures Ringer paddle-tail plastic, a 3/8-ounce custom made swimjig paired with a 4.8-inch Keitech Swing Impact FAT and a new ABT Lures bluegill glide bait. All of these were thrown on a variety of Spiralite Rods – which he has helped to develop.
2. Mike Birch targeted postspawn fish with a Lucky Craft BDS 2 square-billed crankbait and a Bobby D’s Grinder tipped with a Lake Fork Live Magic Shad.
3. To claim his third top-10 finish of the season and the 2016 Strike King Angler of the Year title Roy Hawk employed two baits. A Yamamoto Flappin Hog and a vibrating jig that he tipped with a Yamamoto D Shad were all he needed.
4. Robert Lee tossed a black and blue Bobby D’s Grinder matched with a Zoom Brush Hog and Lucky Craft BDS 3 to catch the bulk of his weight. He also pitched a Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket with an 1/8-ounce weight to pluck fish from holes in the grass.
5. For his second top 10 of the season, Michael Caruso employed a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko and drop-shot with a 6-inch Roboworm Fat Straight Tail Worm in margarita mutilator. Both were fished on a Megabass Levante Shakey Head spinning rod.
6. Delta legend Bobby Barrack threw a Snag Proof Wobbletron Frog on a Falcon Cara T7 Bobby’s Perfect Frog Casting Rod and a Dandy Baits Spinnerbait (SLK color) paired on a 7-foot, 6-inch heavy Falcon Bucoo Micro Guide.
7. Harvey Pulliam kept it simple with a Texas-rigged Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver (rythm&blues color) on a 1/4-ounce Picasso Tungsten weight, a wacky-rigged 6-inch Yamamoto Senko (black and blue) and white spinnerbait.
8. Bryant Smith used some Delta favorites for his finish. A homemade vibrating jig tipped with a Strike King Rage Twin Tail Menace Grub, a 6-inch Yamamoto Senko (green pumpkin) and a River2Sea Whopper Plopper got it done. He threw them on several different Dobyns casting rods.
9. Benjamin Byrd caught them on a Pepper Custom Baits jig with an EverSoft Custom Baits craw and a weightless Texas-rigged 6-inch Yamamoto Senko (black and red flake).
10. Strike King KVD HC 1.5 and 2.5 square-billed crankbaits and an H2O Express CRS Crankbait did all the heavy lifting for Dane Mitchell. He upgraded the stock hooks to Gamakatsu EWG Treble Short Shank 2X Magic Eye in size 2 on the 1.5 and size 1 on the 2.5. He cranked the 1.5 on a 7-2 Enigma Fishing Aaron’s Edge Crankbait rod on 16-pound Sunline Super FC Sniper Fluorocarbon and he threw the 2.5 on a 7-foot medium Enigma Fishing Casting rod with 20-pound Sunline Sniper.
