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Bethel Island, a community located in the center of the California Delta, is also the heart of Delta black bass fishing. This unique island community hosts more major bass tournaments than any other locale in the Delta.
The island consists of 5.1 miles of land surrounded by fish-filled Delta waterways, including Franks Tract, San Mound Slough, Piper Slough, False River, Old River and Holland Cut. A census-designated community in Contra Costa County, the population was 2,312 at the 2000 census.
Russo’s Marina, located on the west side of the island adjacent to Piper Slough, is the “big bass” headquarters of the island. The facility recently hosted the first-ever Berkley Big Bass Challenge on October 18 and 19, 2008.
The event featured a unique format that matched an angler's fishing skill with an hourly weigh-in strategy. Each competition day was a six-hour period, where anglers could weigh-in one fish each hour. Anglers with the heaviest five fish during each hour would receive cash awards, with the overall biggest fish for the two days crowned the Berkley Big Bass Challenge champion, according to the Future Pro Tour's Vince Harris, the tournament director.
“Bethel Island is an ideal location to fish from because it is about an equal distance from all sections of the Delta,” said Vince Harris, the tournament director. “And because the area is protected from the wind, even when the water is rough on the San Joaquin River and main river channels, you can find excellent bass fishing in Sand Mound Slough, Franks Tract and other local waters.”
Amateur angler Pete Moore of Tracy brought the event’s overall big bass, an 8.30 lb. largemouth, to the scales during the fourth hour on the tournament’s second day of competition.
"The catch was especially significant because Moore had not caught a single fish during day one, and while struggling to put something together in the waning hours of day two, found an area with converging current," said Harris. "This was a perfect place to throw the new Berkley 5-inch Hollow Belly swimbait he had received during registration."
“I only made four turns of the handle and that fish just about ripped the rod out of my hand," noted Moore, still dazed from the encounter of fighting the biggest fish he had ever caught.
Kevin Looper won second place in the overall big fish division with a 7.68 lb. largemouth, taking home $750. He also won the big fish trophy for the first day. Rob Riehl finished third with his 7.58 lb. largemouth, winning $300.
Fifteen-year-old Alex Sanchez easily won the youth division’s big fish trophy with his 2.85 lb. largemouth. Alex was fishing with his dad, David, and 11-year-old Jarred Lawrence when he hooked the bass.
None of the huge 10 to 15 pound class bass that the Delta has produced in recent years showed up in the tournament – the fish were in the 6 to 8 pound class event, typical for this time of year.
The spring is generally the best time for anglers to capture trophy size bass on the Delta, though monsters are caught every month of the year, including the hot summer days when frog and top water fishing is at its prime.
“We’ve had a Berkley Big Bass tournament in Texas for the past 3 years," stated Andrew Marks, Senior Marketing Manager for Berkley, “and it has grown to be a classic. Our purpose for having these tournaments is for anglers to have fun and a chance to win some cash and prizes while also being exposed to all of our great baits and other Berkley products”
One angler with big bass in his blood, Ramon Fonseca of Sacramento, fished the event. Fonseca is the great grandson of George Perry, who caught the still-standing word record 22 lb. 4 oz. largemouth bass at Lake Montgomery, Alabama on June 2, 1932.
Although Ramon didn’t place in the Berkley event, he has caught a number of big trophy largemouths in the Delta and California lakes – and hopes to follow in his great grandfather’s footsteps by catching a record bass.
“I caught a 10 lb. 9 oz. largemouth bass while ripping a Lucky Craft Bait in Taylor Slough in the last National Guard FLW Tournament,” he said. “My biggest bass to date is a 17 pounder that I caught at Lake Perris 15 years ago, while I caught a 12 lb. 7 ounce largemouth on a Senko in the Delta.”
Although there are many choice waters in close proximity of Bethel Island and Russo’s, Franks Tract is definitely the most productive and popular. The tract, situated between the San Joaquin River and Bethel Island, was originally reclaimed for farming in 1902. However in the winter of 1937, the False River levee crumbled and the tract was inundated, according to Hal Shell’s Cruising the California Delta. The tract flooded again in 1938.
Since that time, the tract has functioned as a tidal lake. Very few land forms remain exposed, with the exception of remnant levees. The tract is now a State Recreation Area only accessible by water.
“The tract has expansive shallow areas that draw lots of bait, including crayfish, threadfin shad, bluegill, and other small fish,” said Harris. When the stripers move into the area in full force, it can actually make catching black bass tough.”
“The striped bass fishing is fun, but it can be terrible for pro anglers fishing in a tournament. Sometimes the tournament anglers will report catching 4 or 5 limits of stripers while trying to get their limit of bass,” quipped Harris.
The Delta is one of the top bass fisheries in the nation, if not the best for the size and volume of fish that it produces. The Delta bass fishery offers a healthy, world class fishery in a time of collapsing Central Valley salmon populations and Delta pelagic species, including delta smelt, longfin smelt, threadfin shad and striped bass, due to massive increases of water exports in recent years and other factors.
The large number of trophy bass caught in the Delta over the past decade is attributable to four main factors. The first is the introduction of the Florida-strain bass, a larger class of fish than the northern-strain, to the Delta by the DFG. The fish now found in the Delta are northern-strain/southern strain hybrids.
The second is the abundant forage Delta bass have to feed on, including threadfin shad, bluegill and a variety of native minnows. The third factor is the long growing season that the bass have in the myriad waterways of the Delta. The fourth factor is the wide scale practice of catch and release, which allows more fish to reach a trophy size.
Numerous fish beside black bass abound in the waters around Bethel Island, including striped bass, channel catfish, white catfish, black and white crappie, and white sturgeon. Steelhead are also occasionally hooked by anglers fishing in local waterways for other species. The abundance of a variety of gamefish provides ambitious anglers an opportunity to catch an array of species while using different methods on the same day.
For more information on next year's Berkeley Big Bass Challenge, contact Vince Harris, 916-786-0938, vince@futureprotour.net, www.anglerspress.net.
Bethel Island Area Facts
Location: The Bethel Island area includes a myriad of sloughs, cuts, islands and river channels. This area has become most famous for the huge largemouths that it yields to anglers using swimbaits , plastic worms, frogs, jigs, crankbaits, top water lures, ripbaits, jigs and other lures.
Camping and Lodging: Motels and r.v. camping facilities are available in Antioch, Oakley and Bethel Island. For more information, contact the Bethel Island Chamber of Commerce, 925-684-3200, http://www.bethelisland-chamber.com, and California Delta Chambers & Visitors Bureau, 925-757-5314, www.californiadelta.org.
Franks Tract State Recreation Area: is only accessible by water and is located southeast of Brannan Island between False River and Bethel Island. Call 916-777-6671.
Boat Ramps and Marinas: Russo’s Marina is located at 3994 Willow Road, Bethel Island, phone: 925-684-2024. Berthing, dry storage, boat launching, guest docks, RV's, restrooms, showers, ice, groceries, bait, fuel are available. Other marinas on Bethel Island include Beacon Harbor, 925-684-2174; Bethel Harbor, 925-684-2141; Caliente Isle Marina, 925-684-9979; Carol’s Harbor, 925-684-2803; D’Anna’s Bethel Island Marina Resort, 925-684-3720; Emerald Point Marina, 925-684-2388; Frank’s Marina, 925-684-2101; Harris Marina, 925-684-2204; Hennis Marina, 925-684-3333; Lundborg Landing, 925-684-9351; Marine Emporium, 925-684-2330; Mariner Cove Marina, 925-684-2166; Mazikeen’s Landing, 925-684-2002; Rusty Porthole Marina, 925-684-3607; Seahorse Marina, 925-684-3606; Sugar Barge Resort, 800-799-4100; Sunset Harbor, 925-684-3522; Willowest Harbor, 925-684-9041; and Woods Yacht Harbor, 925-684-9550.
Fishing Information: Hook, Line and Sinker II, PO Box 720, 3995 Willow Road (end of Piper Rd. in Russo's Marina) Bethel Island, CA 94511, 925-684-0668.
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Pete Moore took first place in the two day event with a 8.30 lb. largemouth, winning $4,000. The angler’s victory shows how on the Delta you can go from loser to winner with just one “big” bite.
Just about every one of the 104 participants in the tournament caught fish, according to Harris. Although a variety of Berkley lures worked, fishing the Berkley Hollow Belly swim baits and flipping with the new Berkley Chigger Craw yielded the top results.
The possibilities of catching trophy bass on the Delta were demonstrated when Galen Jensen of Brentwood, a dedicated tournament angler, set the current Delta bass record when he bagged an 18.62 pound largemouth bass in Old River on February 10, 2002.