New School Nation III - Delta Bass Bugs

“nothing gets my heart pounding quite like bed fishing in the spring”

We are back again for the next installment of New School Nation. For those of you new to the site, New School Nation is an on going interview series with anglers, artists, lure makers, and other people from around the Bass fishing industry. This time, we caught up with Bradley Pultz the angler and fly tier behind Delta Bass Bugs. Bradley ties some top notch flies and fishes the California Delta. Check out the rest of the interview to learn a little more about Bradley, Delta Bass Bugs, and what its like to have the CA Delta in your back yard.

Background, where are you from, where do you live?

My name is Bradley Pultz. I am 23 years old and I have lived California my entire life; more specifically Oakdale and Escalon.

How long have you been fishing?

I have been fishing all of my life. I grew up fishing bass tournaments on the back deck of my father's bass boat. I started fly fishing about 7 years ago and and 5 years ago seriously changed the focus to 100% fly fishing.

Conventional, spinning,fly rod?

I started on and for most of my life have fished conventional gear with my father; he off and on has fly fished for over 20 years but I never participated until 7 years ago. Now I exclusively use a fly rod.

What’s the main body of water you fish?

My home water is the California Delta and love the southern-most part of the Delta. More often than not launching out of the Tracy Oasis Marina. But the Motherload lakes of California hold a spot in my heart, in particular Lake Tulloch.

What makes this body of water special?

Where else in the world can you fish for a week straight and never hit the same place twice AND have a chance at a double digit fish at every stop. From the rock and smallmouth of the north delta rivers to the largemouth and big timber of the south delta, you can find gigantic bass both on conventional gear and on a fly. I barely fish for the stripped bass but those monsters live there too.

Tell us a little bit about Delta Bass bugs?

I am just a fly tieer that loves art, geeky things, and fly fishing for monsters. I have always felt the fly world should be affordable to everyone and have really pressed that fly fishing for bass should be looked at as a technique like a drop shot or punch rig. I would love to see a fly rod on the deck next to the conventional gear on tournament boats. It can be just as effective and in some situations it can even be more productive.

How long have you been tying flies?

I started tying shortly after I first picked up a fly rod 7 years ago but became serious about it with the start of Delta Bass Bugs 5 years ago.

What makes Delta Bass bugs unique from other flies?

My Grandfather Neal Pultz of Pultz Poppers has been known for producing some of the toughest balsa wood poppers on the market for years. So when we started to manufacture our own popper we knew we had to match his quality. We worked for over 6 months to find a clear coat that was tough enough to be beat on the rocks but remained flexible when cured. This allowed us produce one of the toughest foam poppers on the market.

Do you prefer catching fish on flies you have tied?

I'm not picky I tie some nice flies but this world is full of awesome tiers why would I not want to have them all. I fish a lot of our own flies because it's good for promotion but if you produce a fly that catches big fish I want it.

What’s your favorite fly in the Delta Bass Bugs lineup?

It is hard to choose when they’re all your babies. If I have to choose one it would probably be our Delta Stage Diver. It is one the most versatile flies I tie. I call it our rip bait fly. My dad prefers a solid white one, I like a chartreuse and white one.  It can be fished shallow on floating line or down deep with a full sink line. It has an erratic action that almost suspends in the water column. In my life I have caught more fish on this fly than any other fly in my box, it produces just like rip baits do all over the bass fishing world.

What’s your PB on a fly you’ve tied?

I got a 7lb largemouth earlier this year on a Howitzer Crowd Surfer prototype I tied the night before.

Anything we should look for from DBB in 2019?

More Big Flies; we have a lot of flies that are in the testing process right now and will be released early in 2019. Including some new foam products produced by me. On top of that I have decided to get my captain's license and guide license. Not to be a full time (right now) guide but recently I have had a lot of people request trips to come fly fish with me and it would be another awesome income stream.

What’s an ideal day on the water like for you?

Peaceful and warm, I'm not much of a fan of winter fishing(way too cold!) but nothing gets my heart pounding quite like bed fishing in the spring as well as the solitude of being on the water it’s a great way to escape everyday stress.

Shore, boat, wade?

I have always had a boat in my life. I was crawling around the bottom of one before I could walk. Actually there's a picture of me as a little kid in my grandpa's aluminum boat floating in our flooded street. I have a lot of respect for shore and wade fisherman but I feel it's a little more limiting for what I do.

If you could fish anywhere in the world where would it be and why?

Northern Europe,in particular the Scottish Highlands, the idea of chasing gigantic pike let alone all the other local species while surrounded by history and beauty would be incredible.

Is there any one person responsible for getting you started or involved with fishing

My father is probably my biggest supporter and teacher in fishing and without him none of this would have been possible. That being said; he would agree with me that my grandfather Jerry Prince brought the love of fishing to both our lives and without him neither one of us would have had the opportunity to learn this great sport. He is no longer with us but on those really quiet mornings when I am fishing one of his spots I know he's there.

Outside of the fishing world is there anything you could see yourself doing every day?

Quirky off-beat art of some kind it's what I love most about life. I have a lot of punk rock influences in my life (thanks to my dad) and have spent a lot of time learning about and creating art. I've spent as much time in an art class or in front of a canvas as I have fishing and there's been a little bit of overlap with the two.

Is there anything about the bass fishing industry that you would change?

I am not really involved in the fishing industry. I know one thing that has really bothered me is the cost of fishing and fly fishing is worse. I know people need to make money, me included. But we need to encouraging new youth and making sure there are good quality components at a really good price is a huge priority. A major issue is you search the internet and you see all the local pros on Facebook or message boards bad mouthing the less expensive option. It does discourage people from buying products that will serve them well for many years. I recently saw on FB Nick Smith (the Informative Fisherman) defending his new rod line in comments. Guys were saying they were cheap Chinese rods even before they had put their hands on them. That is unfair, there are a lot of people that worked to develop that rod, shouldn't you at least let a few hit the market before you express your opinion? I have held the rods and feel they were a decent rod. Yes they're not a Dobbins, but never claimed to be. Long rant made short; companies keep your stuff affordable and fishermen be nice, it may not be for you but someone may enjoy it and it may be what it takes to make someone fall in love with the sport.

Have you seen any big changes in the Bass fishing industry as well as the community from when you began to the the present day?

I think the pros are way more accessible with social media. Growing up it was a big deal for me to see Iaconelli. Now we have had several internet interactions and a lot of people can say that about almost all the pros. The internet has also opened the world to learning new techniques. Some young kid doesn't need a person to teach him to fish anymore. The internet can teach him that or get him someone who can teach him. Now we need to work on giving them easy access to safe fishing locations and opportunities such as school based fishing programs.

Where do you hope to see the bass fishing world ten years from now?

I hope to see more growth in both numbers of people in the bass fishing world but the restoration and enhancement of fish populations that have been hurt by years of not caring by our governments and fishermen not thinking about what they take. The ecological side has always been important to me. Yes, eat fish but you should know how you impact the environment by doing so. If a population is strong and doing well by all means take a few home to enjoy, fish is delicious after all. Just be cautious about your long term impact even 1 fish a week adds up but if it's you taking 1 every week let alone all the other fishermen taking 1(or more) the math gets exponentially higher.  In places where the population is hurting we all need to work together to restore the environment and replenish the population. This goes for all species from trout to bass to even the insignificant and unheard of.

Thanks for reading our interview with Bradley, if you or someone you know should be our next New School Nation feature, apply here! Thanks for your continued support.

-Mike