Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,973,564 acre-feet of water. The lake level has been steady and slowly rising for the last few weeks. It is currently at 1050 ft. above sea level and 38 ft. from full. The water temperature is 52-54 degrees and crystal clear.
Brianna Bloom of Columbia shows off the first fish she ever caught- a 2+ pound rainbow, caught on orange Power Bait while bank-fishing off of Glory Hole Point. Now is the time to take a kid fishing!
Lisa Ditlerson and Steve Camilleri from San Mateo caught two limits on Power Eggs dipped in Procure Threadfin Shad while bank-fsihing off of Tuttletown.
Linda and Mel Taguinod of Lockeford caught these trout on pink Gulp while bank-fishing off of Glory Hole Point.
Trout: Continues to be amazing! Still seeing a lot of nice, colorful holdovers as well as planters- DFG is planting again next week. Trout are right up in the shallows, spawning. Bank anglers have been using Berkley Power Bait (the scented kinds are working great), Power Eggs, or Gulp Bait- pink, chartreuse and rainbows are the best colors. A Marshmallow/nightcrawler combo or a crawler inflated with a worm blower is also a good choice. It is important that your bait floats. Use small hooks and light leader, and test your bait in the shallows before tossing it out. To catch bigger fish try using minnow-like lures such as Rapala CD7 or CD9, or a shad-patterned spoon such as a Kastmaster or Excel. On overcast days, gold and brightly painted lures will generally attract more fish than silver and natural colored baits- these work better on clear days.
Kyle Wise and Scott Kirkman of Angels Camp show off two limits (and a duck) they caught trolling Rapalas scented with ProCure Bloody Tuna near Long Gulch (south side of lake).
Trolling anglers have been catching nice fish upriver beyond Parrotts Ferry as well as in the south side of the lake. Tie on small flashers or dodgers such as a Sep's Sidekick with a nightcrawler 3-5 feet behind. Try using a small spinner in front of the crawler, like a Wedding Ring. It is very important to use light line when the water is so clear. Light line is good because the fish don't see it and your lures will have better action. A 3-5 foot piece of 4-6 pound fluorocarbon will do the trick. The smaller fish are biting on the surface and the bigger fish are down at 15-25 feet.
Lots of nice browns this week!
Darwin Parrish of Murphys wins the Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest with a big brown he caught trolling crawlers/flashers 20' deep way upriver. The brown weighed 7-pounds, 11-ounces...cleaned! It was probably closer to 10 pounds before he cleaned it. It was 39" long.
Ed Grossman of Wallace caught a 7-pound, 6-ounce brown while trolling shad on the surface upriver above Parrotts Ferry Bridge.
John Stewart of Sonora caught a 4-pound, 12-ounce brown on a shad-patterned jointed Rebel trolled 10' deep near the dam.
Kokanee: Too early to be targeting them, and yet we have seen limits of 15" fish caught already. April is when the kokanee really start biting.
Bass: Pretty good. The fish are in their winter haunts. Most fish are being caught on main lake structure from 25-65 feet deep. The fish are very fat and full of shad. The average size spotted bass in 2-pounds. Most anglers are catching fish using shad-patterned worms on a drop-shot rig. We have also had reports of a pretty decent jig bite. Try using Yamamoto hula grubs in natural crawdad colors. Try targeting the big fish with large swim baits, like a Spro BBZ or a Huddleston if the weather turns. Remember to practice catch and release, especially largemouth bass as we are seeing fewer each year.
Catfish: The catfish are still biting. Try fishing 35-70 feet on deep ledges and main lake points. The catfish will feed at any time during the day- you just have to be patient. It is best to use two rods with two different baits. This way if the fish don't go for one offering they might go for the other. Using baits that are natural such as nightcrawlers or shad will often trick the bigger ones into biting. Soaking your bait in Pro Cure scent will make it even more appealing to those lunker cats. Leave your bail open so the cats can't feel the line if still-fishing. Another way to catch them is to fish a weightless rig. Put enough bait on your hook to have enough weight so you can make a long cast. This rig will sink slowly and drift and roll along the bottom.
Winner of the Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Bill Heinle of Arnold (again!). He caught an 11-pound, 9-ounce cat on shad soaked in Pro Cure Catfish Cocktail.
Crappie and bluegill: Slow. Using small minnows, red worms, and meal worms on a slip-float rig fished 15-25 feet deep will work. Generally 4-6 pound test line will get you more bites and fishing light tackle can be a fun way to catch them.
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