Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 2,074,637 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped two feet this week and is currently at 1059 ft. above sea level and 29 ft. from full. Levels will continue to drop, as room needs to be made to accommodate upcoming winter rains. Water temperature is cooling, and is currently about 75-77 degrees. Water is slightly stained, with mudlines forming in the afternoon. There is an abundance of shad and other baitfish. Watch for unmarked island tops.
Trout: The trout bite is on! Action at Melones has been better this week than we have seen in years. Trollers have been having great luck picking up easy limits of 1-3 pound, 16-17" rainbows. Trout are feeding heavily on shad- use your graph to locate shad balls- the rainbows will be there, too.
To target rainbows and browns, troll 20-50 feet near mouths of coves and creek arms such as Carson or Coyote Creek. Remember- now that the trout are moving shallower, it is important to leave plenty of line out behind your boat, so your lure is away from your boat chop. The hot lure right now is a Cop Car Needlefish, but anything resembling a shad will work. Try a variety of shad-patterned or firetiger lures such as Excel, Apex, Needlefish, or Rapala Countdown. Use Bang or ProCure threadfin shad scent on your lures. Most trollers report best luck with no additional attractors, so forgo the flashers or dodgers for now. Try using two lures in tandem to simulate fleeing shad. Fishing at night under a submersible light has produced some nice holdover trout. The light attracts plankton, which attracts the baitfish, which attracts the rainbows and occasionally 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.
Tom Dutil of Dutil's Fishing Charters got into some fat rainbows on a recent night-fishing trip. As good as the trolling has been, we are expecting the shore-fishing to turn on any day. Tie on a slip float rig with a minnow or crawler, and fish 30-40 feet deep under your bobber. Or throw a chrome/blue Kastmaster from the bank. Glory Hole Point and under the 49 Bridge are good places to bank fish.
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.
Bass: Fish are moving into deeper waters and pulling off shore due to falling water levels, and bite has really slowed down. Shad imitations are your best bet, as fish are feeding heavily on shad right now. Tie on a split shot rig with 6" Roboworm Hologram shad or Prism Shad. Try topwater baits such as Pop-Rs, Spooks, and Gunfish in the early morning and late evening hours. 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: Good. 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment