I usually don't work very hard when I'm fishing. I'm out there to relax and occasionally catch a monster fish. In fact, the last one I caught in 2018 was over 8 ft long, belly-hooked at mid-length and then tailwrapped on the other rod. She was longer than my fishing rod and heavier than me!
I fought her for 1 1/2 hrs. It's a long story but I had to catch her twice, once on each rod with the help of a second boat coming to assist me. It was quite a day and I was still sore but still smiling for 7 days after that!
Yes, the waters are pretty well charted but winter storms can always rearrange the local shoaling. Then there are those one or two shoals that are marked but not too prominently. Several friends and I have bumped one in particular during our travels. Both were members here, too. In almost all cases, it's a very forgiving mud bottom that only polishes the props...if you're lucky.
A reliable rule of thumb for delta anchoring...never anchor in less than 15 ft of water. Any less and the weed growth can foul your anchor. The winds are fairly predictable out of the SW and finding wind protection on serpentine waterways is pretty simple.
I'm happy to share delta anchorages with anyone who asks. I gratefully accept bribes for the Secret Cove coordinates.
We have a thread in the Cruising and Events-West Coast section here on TF that covers many of the destinations.
Here's the link...
http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s28/ca-bay-delta-cruising-guide-6139.html
My 2018 Personal Best...