Moulton Mined Overlooked Water At Delta

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

Acting on a tip from a friend, Jim Moulton made a simple tackle change that wound up making a huge difference in his performance at last week's California Delta Western EverStart Series.

After struggling in practice to pull any fish out of the plentiful grass beds, he made the switch to a stiffer rod and hardier line and it paid off in the form of his first FLW victory. It also helped that he was on top of the other factors that can greatly influence fishing success at the delta like the tide cycles and his willingness to fish water others overlooked.

His winning effort was aided by a 26-pound stringer on day 2 and his 3-day total of 59-13 gave him a final margin of 2 1/2 pounds over runner-up Toshitada Suzuki.

The Merced, Ca., resident, who owns two Ranger Boats dealerships among other endeavors, collected more than $34,000 in cash plus a new Ranger for his win.

"It was a hell of an experience," he said when describing his emotions on the final day. "You get that little knot in your stomach and you just hope you have enough."

Here's how he did it.

Practice

He struggled to catch fish in practice on a vibrating jig due to his lighter-duty equipment.

"I kept missing them," he said. "That's when a friend recommended I pick up a stiffer rod and load it up with 70-pound braid."

That way he was better equipped to pull the bait through the vegetation and achieve better hook ups when the bites occurred.

"I needed that rod and the braid to rip it through the grass," he said. "The bites would come right as it would start to fall after I ripped it."

He'd found some fish that would eat a crankbait, but it seemed that many others had as well, and the quality just wasn't there.

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 19-04
> Day 2: 5, 26-02
> Day 3: 5, 14-07
> Total = 15, 59-13

By noon on a drizzly day 1, Moulton had cranked in a tiny 8-pound limit and figured it was time to make some adjustments.

"That's when I went to some fish I'd found along the outer edge of the grass lines," he said. "I loaded the boat between 1 and 3 and culled all but one. That's when the light bulb went off in my head that I had stumbled on the right thing. These post-spawn females were set up just outside the grass and just to the inside."

He'd catch them by ripping the crawdad-colored vibrating jig and matching trailer through the grass.

"The other key was I had to have the tide moving out," he said. "A lot of these fish were in the outside third of the grass. I could catch them first thing in the morning and when the tide would move in in the afternoon."

He said the tide cycled an hour later each day so day 1 offered the longest window and it dwindled from there. His day-1 stringer of 19-04 had him in the Top 20, a few slots below the Top-10 bag he was hoping for.

"I was 2 pounds out of the Top 10, so I was about where I wanted to be," he said.

The rain relented for day 2, but the wind picked up and helped augment the tide.

"I went out and just knew I was on the right pattern," he said. "I did notice I had moving water and that's how I got bites the day before."

Things didn't go as he'd hoped in the morning. By noon, he'd caught only three small fish on the vibrating jig, but he kept his nerves in check.

"My co-angler asked me why I was so calm," he said. "I was waiting for the tide to turn."

When the tide started to recede, he ran to an oxbow where the grass runs tight to the bank and doesn’t come all that far out.

"It's like 15 feet deep, but 10 feet from the boat closer to the bank it's like 2 feet," he said.

He started casting a 5" swimbait parallel to the drop off and immediately caught a 7-pounder. He worked back an outside grass line and stuck a 5-pounder on the vibrating jig as the tide continued to move out.

"I ran back to my day-1 big-fish spots, but never got a bite," he said. "That clued me in that I had to fish all new water and it clued me in that these were all post-spawners. I could catch little ones in there, but no big ones."

He moved to new water with the same grass profile and caught a 6- and 7-pounder to finish off his day. His 26-02 stringer catapulted him to 2nd place, less than 3 pounds back of Stephen Tosh, Jr.

"I was elated that I made it up to 2nd place," he said. "I had a little bit of nerves, but little did I know, there was going to be no tide movement the third day. It was supposed to be a 2-foot tide swing, which is nothing for a 6- or 8-hour period."

He bagged an 8-pound limit in the morning, then started hoping for the tide to move out. The wind kicked up and he was able to cull up to 14 pounds running grass lines and oxbows like he had the first 2 days.

"When the water started moving, I probably caught 20 fish in 90 minutes," he said.

Tosh brought in just four fish for 7-09 and that opened the door for Moulton, who caught 14-07 to notch the win.

"It was a little nerve-wracing in the weigh-in line," he said, "but I guess when the tide shut off everyone struggled."

Pattern Notes

> When fishing the grass lines, he kept his boat about 5 feet from the edge.

"I wanted to throw over the grass and have it come out into the open," he said. "Some of the areas had big flats and I'd go right down the middle of the grass. On day 1, I found an area that was about 50 feet wide and that's where I caught three key fish."

He said the fish were staged closer to the edges on days 2 and 3.

"One or two bites came right on the edge of the grass," he said.

> When throwing his swimbait, he tried to match the forage in the areas.

"I saw other guys throwing bigger swimbaits," he said, "but when I saw the bait fish darting around, they looked like they were 3 to 4 inches so that clued me into throwing the smaller swimbait."

Winning Gear Notes

> Vibrating jig gear: 7'3" medium-heavy Dobyns Rods Champion casting rod, Daiwa Zillion casting reel (6:1 gear ration), 70-pound Daiwa Samurai braided line, 3/8-ounce Revenge Baits Viberator jig (chameleon craw), Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver (big Texan) trailer.

> Moulton said the trailer was a big key because it matched perfectly the crawfish that some fish spit up in his livewell. He had to rig it with the darker side on top, though. "Once I flipped the color the other way, I quit getting bites," he said.

> Swimbait gear: 7'8" heavy-action Dobyns Rods Champion Extreme Mike Long jig rod, Daiwa Steez casting reel (6:1 gear ratio), 15-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line, 1/4-ounce Blade-Runner Spintrix Underspin head, 4.5" Luck-E-Strike Bass Magic swimbait (natural perch).

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – "To win a tournament of this caliber, you need everything to go right, including preparation and execution. I never lost a fish. Every bite I got, I caught. With execution then comes the luck."

> Performance edge – "The Samurai braided line on the chatterbait was the biggest deal for me. I went from losing 50 percent of my fish to none. That was crucial."

Notable

> Moulton is sponsored by Ranger, Mercury, Navionics and Dobyns Rods.

Much of the tackle referenced above is available at the BassFan Store. To browse the selection, click here.

Final Standings

> Field: 124 boats

1. Jim Moulton -- Merced, Ca -- 19-04 (5) -- 26-02 (5) -- 45-06 (10) -- 14-07 (5) -- 59-13 (15) -- $34,636 + Boat

2. Toshitada Suzuki -- Katusikaku, Japan -- 19-08 (5) -- 21-15 (5) -- 41-07 (10) -- 15-11 (5) -- 57-02 (15) -- $12,988

3. Benjamin Byrd -- Moab, Ut -- 23-09 (5) -- 15-04 (5) -- 38-13 (10) -- 17-10 (5) -- 56-07 (15) -- $8,659

4. Stephen Tosh Jr -- Turlock, Ca -- 25-04 (5) -- 23-00 (5) -- 48-04 (10) -- 7-09 (4) -- 55-13 (14) -- $7,793

5. Miles Howe -- San Clemente, Ca -- 23-15 (5) -- 13-07 (5) -- 37-06 (10) -- 16-15 (5) -- 54-05 (15) -- $6,927

6. Timothy Venkus -- Wilton, Ca -- 16-07 (5) -- 20-13 (5) -- 37-04 (10) -- 16-13 (5) -- 54-01 (15) -- $6,061

7. Jeff Michels -- Lakehead, Ca -- 21-03 (5) -- 21-14 (5) -- 43-01 (10) -- 7-14 (5) -- 50-15 (15) -- $5,195

8. Vu Au -- Tucson, Az -- 23-04 (5) -- 16-04 (5) -- 39-08 (10) -- 11-00 (5) -- 50-08 (15) -- $4,329

9. Sean Stafford -- Fairfield, Ca -- 28-12 (5) -- 10-06 (5) -- 39-02 (10) -- 8-15 (5) -- 48-01 (15) -- $3,464

10. Aaron Lesieur -- Rancho Murieta, Ca -- 18-06 (5) -- 19-07 (5) -- 37-13 (10) -- 7-05 (5) -- 45-02 (15) -- $2,598

The following anglers did not make the cut and did not fish on day 3.

11. Mike Saso -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 23-01 (5) -- 14-02 (5) -- 37-03 (10) -- $2,165

12. Tony Lain -- Menifee, Ca -- 17-15 (5) -- 19-02 (5) -- 37-01 (10) -- $2,165

13. Pat Leiser -- Antioch, Ca -- 11-05 (5) -- 25-09 (5) -- 36-14 (10) -- $2,165

14. Kent Brown -- Roseville, Ca -- 21-12 (5) -- 14-14 (5) -- 36-10 (10) -- $2,165

15. Jr Wright -- Truckee, Ca -- 14-06 (5) -- 22-01 (5) -- 36-07 (10) -- $2,165

16. Ken Mah -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 19-10 (5) -- 16-01 (5) -- 35-11 (10) -- $1,732

17. Lorenzo Rossetti -- Stockton, Ca -- 15-00 (5) -- 20-02 (5) -- 35-02 (10) -- $1,732

18. Isaac Budesilich -- Oakley, Ca -- 20-04 (5) -- 14-13 (5) -- 35-01 (10) -- $1,732

19. Aaron Cole -- Salida, Ca -- 23-06 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 35-00 (10) -- $1,732

20. Jason Borofka -- Salinas, Ca -- 17-02 (5) -- 16-14 (5) -- 34-00 (10) -- $1,732

21. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 15-09 (5) -- 18-01 (5) -- 33-10 (10) -- $1,299

22. Roy Hawk -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 17-11 (5) -- 15-11 (5) -- 33-06 (10) -- $1,299

23. Salvador Herrera -- Discovery Bay, Ca -- 17-14 (5) -- 14-11 (5) -- 32-09 (10) -- $1,299

24. Andy Scholz -- Reno, Nv -- 21-10 (5) -- 10-11 (5) -- 32-05 (10) -- $1,299

25. Scott Hellesen -- Whittier, Ca -- 13-10 (5) -- 18-09 (5) -- 32-03 (10) -- $1,299

26. Rob Riehl -- Tracy, Ca -- 15-09 (5) -- 16-10 (5) -- 32-03 (10)

27. Brian Carpenter -- Bethel Island, Ca -- 16-07 (5) -- 15-07 (5) -- 31-14 (10)

28. Russ Barger -- Boise, Id -- 14-14 (5) -- 16-14 (5) -- 31-12 (10)

29. Ed Arledge -- San Diego, Ca -- 17-12 (5) -- 13-14 (5) -- 31-10 (10)

30. Glenn Haupt -- Highlands Ranch, Co -- 18-00 (5) -- 13-09 (5) -- 31-09 (10)

31. Kyle Porter -- Lodi, Ca -- 15-04 (5) -- 16-05 (5) -- 31-09 (10)

32. Mike Iloski -- Escondido, Ca -- 19-10 (5) -- 11-14 (5) -- 31-08 (10)

33. Ken Howden -- Mesa, Az -- 15-09 (5) -- 15-03 (5) -- 30-12 (10)

34. Troy Lindner -- Los Angeles, Ca -- 19-15 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 30-11 (10)

35. Bob Cepek -- Vacaville, Ca -- 21-05 (5) -- 9-04 (5) -- 30-09 (10)

36. Chad Martin -- Nicolaus, Ca -- 17-01 (5) -- 13-08 (5) -- 30-09 (10)

37. Dugan McIntosh -- Palermo, Ca -- 20-01 (5) -- 10-06 (5) -- 30-07 (10)

38. Art Roland -- Brentwood, Ca -- 15-15 (5) -- 14-07 (5) -- 30-06 (10)

39. Tuan Nguyen -- Woodland, Ca -- 13-01 (5) -- 17-02 (5) -- 30-03 (10)

40. Jesse Ochoa -- Tracy, Ca -- 17-09 (5) -- 12-06 (5) -- 29-15 (10)

41. Bobby Barrack -- Oakley, Ca -- 15-11 (5) -- 14-01 (5) -- 29-12 (10)

42. Brian Carnahan -- Flagstaff, Az -- 19-10 (5) -- 9-14 (5) -- 29-08 (10)

43. Robert Matsuura -- Sacramento, Ca -- 18-12 (5) -- 10-12 (4) -- 29-08 (9)

44. Bill Oshinn -- Lakeport, Ca -- 16-04 (5) -- 13-03 (5) -- 29-07 (10)

45. Todd Holverson -- El Cajon, Ca -- 9-00 (5) -- 20-05 (4) -- 29-05 (9)

46. Aaron Britt -- Yuba City, Ca -- 16-05 (5) -- 12-13 (5) -- 29-02 (10)

47. Nick Welton -- Galt, Ca -- 12-00 (5) -- 17-01 (5) -- 29-01 (10)

48. Taylor Parsons -- Plymouth, Ca -- 17-01 (5) -- 11-15 (5) -- 29-00 (10)

49. Joseph Menegos -- Spring Valley, Ca -- 15-08 (5) -- 13-08 (5) -- 29-00 (10)

50. Hideki Maeda -- Japan, Jp -- 12-08 (5) -- 16-07 (5) -- 28-15 (10)

51. Phillip Dutra -- Antioch, Ca -- 13-04 (5) -- 15-11 (5) -- 28-15 (10)

52. Joe Uribe Jr. -- Lake Forest, Ca -- 15-03 (5) -- 13-11 (5) -- 28-14 (10)

53. Michael Moreno -- Salida, Ca -- 17-07 (5) -- 11-06 (5) -- 28-13 (10)

54. Travis Huckaby -- Modesto, Ca -- 16-06 (5) -- 11-13 (5) -- 28-03 (10)

55. Eric Lippincott -- Daniel, Wy -- 16-07 (5) -- 11-09 (5) -- 28-00 (10)

56. Mark Daniels Jr. -- Fairfield, Ca -- 13-08 (5) -- 14-07 (5) -- 27-15 (10)

57. Matt Newman -- Agoura Hills, Ca -- 11-06 (5) -- 16-06 (5) -- 27-12 (10)

58. Zack Thompson -- Alameda, Ca -- 14-10 (5) -- 13-02 (5) -- 27-12 (10)

59. Howard Hughes -- Redding, Ca -- 17-13 (5) -- 9-14 (5) -- 27-11 (10)

60. Robert Lee -- Angels Camp, Ca -- 15-08 (5) -- 12-03 (5) -- 27-11 (10)

61. Greg Leonard -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 15-03 (5) -- 12-07 (5) -- 27-10 (10)

62. Mark Mendez -- Brentwood, Ca -- 18-02 (5) -- 9-07 (4) -- 27-09 (9)

63. Chris Costello -- Gilroy, Ca -- 18-05 (5) -- 8-15 (5) -- 27-04 (10)

64. Marco Valdez -- Gilbert, Az -- 16-08 (5) -- 10-11 (4) -- 27-03 (9)

65. Alex Sanchez -- Manteca, Ca -- 13-02 (5) -- 13-13 (5) -- 26-15 (10)

66. Randall Cnota -- Tucson, Az -- 14-04 (5) -- 12-04 (5) -- 26-08 (10)

67. Brian Ankrum -- Loveland, Co -- 14-12 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 26-06 (10)

68. Kazuki Kodama -- Torrance, Ca -- 14-04 (5) -- 12-02 (5) -- 26-06 (10)

69. Jordan Pinasco -- Galt, Ca -- 9-12 (5) -- 16-08 (5) -- 26-04 (10)

70. Phil Burgess -- Kerman, Ca -- 16-10 (5) -- 9-03 (5) -- 25-13 (10)

71. Clay Lippincott -- Goodear, Az -- 12-08 (5) -- 13-00 (5) -- 25-08 (10)

72. Vincent Alvarado -- Modesto, Ca -- 12-08 (5) -- 13-00 (5) -- 25-08 (10)

73. Keith Beever -- Mission Viejo, Ca -- 18-03 (5) -- 7-02 (5) -- 25-05 (10)

74. Nathan Chandler -- Fremont, Ca -- 11-15 (5) -- 13-06 (5) -- 25-05 (10)

75. Gary Dobyns -- Yuba City, Ca -- 11-02 (5) -- 14-01 (5) -- 25-03 (10)

76. Travis Moran -- Carmel, Ca -- 16-02 (5) -- 8-10 (4) -- 24-12 (9)

77. Wayne Breazeale -- Kelseyville, Ca -- 9-07 (5) -- 15-04 (5) -- 24-11 (10)

78. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Ca -- 11-08 (5) -- 13-00 (5) -- 24-08 (10)

79. Bill Spence -- Livermore, Ca -- 9-12 (5) -- 14-11 (5) -- 24-07 (10)

80. Keith Kitchen -- Bend, Or -- 12-13 (5) -- 11-08 (5) -- 24-05 (10)

81. James Lima -- Reno, Nv -- 14-12 (5) -- 9-08 (5) -- 24-04 (10)

82. William Rowles -- Madera, Ca -- 15-12 (5) -- 8-06 (5) -- 24-02 (10)

83. Gregory Halliman -- Littlerock, Ca -- 11-09 (5) -- 12-08 (5) -- 24-01 (10)

84. Hunter Schlander -- Modesto, Ca -- 12-00 (5) -- 12-00 (5) -- 24-00 (10)

85. Dee Thomas -- Brentwood, Ca -- 14-15 (5) -- 8-12 (5) -- 23-11 (10)

86. Mike Frederick -- Tracy, Ca -- 13-08 (5) -- 10-02 (5) -- 23-10 (10)

87. Garrett Dixon -- Durham, Ca -- 8-08 (5) -- 14-14 (4) -- 23-06 (9)

88. Kevin Moore -- Reno, Nv -- 12-00 (5) -- 11-05 (5) -- 23-05 (10)

89. Beau Joudrey -- Oakley, Ca -- 12-15 (5) -- 10-03 (5) -- 23-02 (10)

90. Bryant Smith -- Castro Valley, Ca -- 12-10 (5) -- 10-05 (4) -- 22-15 (9)

91. Gino Campiotti -- Manteca, Ca -- 15-10 (5) -- 6-12 (5) -- 22-06 (10)

92. Phil Tilbury -- Stockton, Ca -- 12-00 (5) -- 10-05 (5) -- 22-05 (10)

93. Terry Flowers -- Salida, Ca -- 11-12 (5) -- 10-09 (5) -- 22-05 (10)

94. Kevin Gray -- Hermiston, Or -- 7-07 (5) -- 14-13 (3) -- 22-04 (8)

95. Brett Leber -- Dixon, Ca -- 12-04 (5) -- 9-08 (5) -- 21-12 (10)

96. Tracy Cardwell -- Veneta, Or -- 9-07 (5) -- 11-14 (5) -- 21-05 (10)

97. Mike Cato -- Lockford, Ca -- 10-07 (5) -- 10-08 (5) -- 20-15 (10)

98. Chris Parks -- Eugene, Or -- 11-08 (5) -- 9-06 (5) -- 20-14 (10)

99. Ricky Shabazz -- Rialto, Ca -- 9-01 (5) -- 11-05 (5) -- 20-06 (10)

100. Mike Folkestad -- Orange, Ca -- 10-05 (5) -- 10-01 (5) -- 20-06 (10)

101. Mike Nichelini -- Napa, Ca -- 8-06 (5) -- 11-11 (5) -- 20-01 (10)

102. Jim Hawkes -- Apache Junction, Az -- 9-01 (4) -- 10-15 (5) -- 20-00 (9)

103. Roger Fischer -- Castaic, Ca -- 9-04 (5) -- 10-12 (5) -- 20-00 (10)

104. Jeff Erickson -- Phoenix, Az -- 6-02 (2) -- 13-10 (5) -- 19-12 (7)

105. Todd Woods -- San Dimas, Ca -- 11-00 (5) -- 8-03 (4) -- 19-03 (9)

106. Mike Birch -- Oakley, Ca -- 6-00 (3) -- 12-15 (5) -- 18-15 (8)

107. Justin Kerr -- Simi Valley, Ca -- 18-09 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 18-09 (5)

108. Shane Mcafee -- Salmon, Id -- 7-11 (5) -- 10-13 (5) -- 18-08 (10)

109. Jon Griffith -- Mesa, Az -- 7-15 (4) -- 10-02 (5) -- 18-01 (9)

110. Brian Trusso -- Covina, Ca -- 7-12 (5) -- 10-04 (5) -- 18-00 (10)

111. Sean Kimble -- San Ramon, Ca -- 8-08 (5) -- 8-13 (5) -- 17-05 (10)

112. Maurice Miller Ii -- Cerritos, Ca -- 9-13 (5) -- 6-12 (4) -- 16-09 (9)

113. Danny Miller -- Orangevale, Ca -- 3-14 (2) -- 12-02 (5) -- 16-00 (7)

114. Keith Reed -- Bethel Island, Ca -- 15-09 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 15-09 (5)

115. Melvin Williams -- Chula Vista, Ca -- 8-01 (5) -- 6-14 (4) -- 14-15 (9)

116. Donald Davis -- Discovery Bay, Ca -- 14-13 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 14-13 (5)

117. Ronald Hammett -- La Mesa, Ca -- 14-09 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 14-09 (5)

118. Donald Gage -- Brent Wood, Ca -- 6-15 (5) -- 5-03 (4) -- 12-02 (9)

119. Edward J Schneider Jr. -- Stockton, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 11-11 (5) -- 11-11 (5)

120. Eric Norlin -- Corona, Ca -- 3-13 (3) -- 6-08 (1) -- 10-05 (4)

121. Kenneth Roa -- Antioch, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-03 (5) -- 7-03 (5)

122. Clyde Evans -- Las Vegas, Nv -- 6-04 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-04 (4)

Roy Jones -- Henderson, Nv -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

John Weisfuss --Oxnard, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

Big Bass

> Day 1: Dugan McIntosh – 7-14

> Day 2: Nick Welton – 11-09