The Costa FLW Series is headed to the California Delta May 19-21 for a tournament presented by Power-Pole when as many as 400 pros and co-anglers will take to the water for the final stop of 2016 in the Western Division.
“At this event, anglers will be able to target bass that are in all three spawning phases,” said Walmart FLW Tour pro Mark Daniels Jr., a California-native who spent his early years fishing the Delta. “This time of year it’s tough to pin down a particular winning pattern, but that means we’re going to see many different techniques in play.
“The Delta is one of those fisheries where you don’t need to be in a specific area to catch big ones,” continued Daniels. “It can be won literally anywhere on the lake. I think we’ll see everything from topwater baits, swimbaits, to drop-shot rigs being utilized. Personally, I bet that a flipping stick will be most productive. It’s always a dominant choice on the Delta. I see the biggest limits coming from flipping matted grass, water hyacinth and primrose.”
Daniels went on to say that there a couple of different options for bait styles and colors for anglers choosing to go the flipping route.
“On the Delta there’s a lot of crawfish and bluegill,” said Daniels. “When I go out flipping, I always have crawfish imitators in different shades of red rigged up, as well as a handful of green-pumpkin bluegill imitators. You can’t go wrong with those on your deck.”
Daniels said that fans should expect a three-day catch worth 65 to 68 pounds to win the derby.
“It will definitely take more than a 20 pound a day average, no doubt about it,” said Daniels. “If someone brought in a limit pushing 30 pounds, I wouldn’t be shocked. The fishery is truly that good.”
Anglers will take off from Russo’s Marina located at 3995 Willow Road in Bethel Island at 6 a.m. PDT each day. Weigh-in on days one and two will be held at the marina beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday’s final weigh-in will also be at the marina, but will begin at 2:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. This event is being hosted by Russo’s Marina and Sugar Barge RV Resort & Marina.
Pros will fish for a top award of $40,000 plus a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2016 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 3-5 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros.
By: Brian Johnson, FLW
