Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 2,129,994 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped one foot this week and is currently at 1064 ft. above sea level and 25 ft. from full. Water temperature is 78-80 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 unmarked island tops.
Trout: Great! Trout fishing has really turned on for trollers this week. Trout are feeding heavily on shad- use your graph to locate shad balls- the rainbows will be there, too. Troll 35-50 feet near mouths of coves and creek arms such as Carson or Coyote Creek.
Use a shad-patterned or firetiger lure such as an Excel, Apex, Needlefish, or Rapala Countdown, and use Bang or ProCure threadfin shad scent on your lures. Gary Burns of Take It To The Limit Guide Service has been having great luck with Shasta Tackle Cripplures, while Danny Layne of Fish'n Dan's Guide Service brought in rainbows, brown trout, and kokanee on Cop Car Needlefish. Also you can use two lures in tandem to simulate fleeing shad. 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. 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. Melones bank fishing will pick up as soon as the water and weather cools down a bit.
Kokanee: Done for the season, although people are still catching the occasional koke in with their trout limit. 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 jerkbaits work well sub-surface. Fall 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.
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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