Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 2,136,734 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped one foot this week and is currently at 1064 ft. above sea level and 24 ft. from full. Water temperature is 80-83 degrees. Water is green-stained (lots of plankton) with strong mud lines near shore. There is an abundance of shad and other baitfish. Watch for floating debris and unmarked island tops.
Trout: The bite has been good. Fishing at night under a submersible light has produced some nice holdover trout. We have a selection of submersible night-fishing drop lights at Glory Hole Sports. The light attracts plankton, which attracts the baitfish, which attracts the rainbows and brown trout. Anchor the boat in 60-80 feet of water and drop your light down to 10-20 feet. Then fish around and under your light. Drop a nightcrawler/Power Bait combo or a live minnow under the light. Also use a double drop shot rig with a Berkley Gulp minnow or an Alive shad Roboworm. If you wish to troll for trout, fish 35-60 feet off of main lake points and near the mouths of coves. Use a shad-patterned lure such as an Excel, Apex, Needlefish, or Rapala Countdown, and use Bang or ProCure threadfin shad scent on your lures. Also you can use two lures in tandem to simulate fleeing shad. If you are in the mood for a beautiful boat ride, head upriver and still-fish under the logjam. Bank anglers should head to local creeks or fish with a small minnow on a slip float rig 30-40 feet deep off Glory Hole Point or under the 49 bridge.
Kokanee: Haven't heard too much lately. Not a lot of anglers targeting them. Now is the time when they will school heavily and start heading up the creek channels and main river channel. Use larger baits and large dodgers to create more vibration and to draw a reaction bite. They will be anywhere from 60-120 feet deep. Keep an eye on your graph and fish at different depths throughout the day. Try spraying a little Bang Crawdad scent onto your lures and corn in addition to the Pro Cure. Crawdads eat kokanee eggs when they are spawning, so the crawdad scent gets the mature kokanee angry and ready to bite.
Bass: Fair action. With so many bait fish available the bass are very healthy. Timing is very important when targeting bass feeding on shad. Morning and evening are the best times to locate feeding fish. Use lures that mimic injured and fleeing shad. Topwater baits such as Pop-Rs, Spooks, and Gunfish will work best. Also hard and soft jerkbait work well sub surface. John Chiaropotti of Johnny C's Guide Service reported catching some nice 3-4 pound spotted bass on a couple of outings. He fished 8-20 feet deep using a 3/8 ounce sculpin Pro Guide jig. Also it is a great time to fish at night. Be very quiet and move your baits slowly. Dark colored baits work best. Remember to practice catch and release.
Catfish: Very good catfishing right now. Catfish are in coves and in shallower water. A sliding sinker rig, and a ball of crawlers or a piece of anchovy or sardine is your best bait. Leave your bail open so the cats can't feel the line if still-fishing. Successful catfish anglers move their bait often, even dragging it along the bottom and bouncing it into rocky nooks and crannies, rather than letting it sit still. Another good technique is a weightless rig. Use enough bait on your hook, so that you can make a good cast without using any lead. Let your bait sink slowly to the bottom and drift naturally with the current. Fishing for cats is usually best at night, but plenty of anglers catch them during the day as well. There were no fish brought in for the Glory Hole Sports Big Catfish of the Week Contest.
Crappie and bluegill: Crappie, Bluegill and other sunfish will hide under and around large boulders upriver. On warm days they will be in the shade pockets. Try using a small minnow or half of a night crawler on a 1/16 oz jig head. Cast to the bank and bounce your bait down the rocks. Be ready and watch your line closely most of the strikes will come on the initial fall. Night time is a good time to catch crappie use a live minnow under a submersible light.
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