Delta bass and crappie settle into a fall pattern

What's biting

What's next

Expect the cooling trend to continue, which typically pushes bass and panfish toward baitfish-heavy flats and edges near deeper water. Smallmouth Bass and other bass species tend to feed hard on moving baits when the water falls through the mid 60s, so a bladed swimbait fished along those edges is a sound first choice, as Tactical Bassin (blog) suggests.

Flow is worth watching. Gauge 11455420 shows 31,100 cfs, a large volume moving through the system, and gauge 11447650 shows 3,600 cfs. Strong current can scatter bait and shift fish to eddies and slack water behind structure, so plan around slower pockets rather than the main flow.

The First Quarter moon gives decent light in the evening. Plan the best windows around dawn and the last couple of hours of daylight, when baitfish are active near the surface and topwater can draw strikes. Midday, slow down and work jigs or soft jerkbaits closer to cover.

Context

Mid October is typically the shift from summer patterns to fall feeding on the Delta. Water in the mid 60s is cooler than the summer peak, and bass usually follow baitfish into creeks, flats and shaded edges. Fishing the Midwest notes that weeds die back this time of year, concentrating fish on the green growth that remains. Crappie and Bluegill generally hold tighter to cover as the water cools. Conditions are broadly on schedule for the season.