Tuesday, May 29, 2012

New Melones FIshing Report 5-28-12 from Glory Hole Sports

Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,852,824 acre-feet of water. The lake level has dropped another 3 feet this week and is currently at 1038 ft. above sea level and 50 ft. from full. Water temperature is in the upper 60s and low 70s, getting warmer every day. Lake is slightly stained, with mud lines forming around the shore on windy days.

Trout: The bite slowed down a bit for the bank anglers, and continues to get better for the trolling anglers. The best bite time has been in the early morning and in the late afternoon. Mid-day the fish will be in deeper/cooler water or near shade. Bank anglers should target deeper water near the main lake. Try using lures first thing in the morning and switching to bait as the water warms up. Try using chrome, chrome/blue, and gold colored Kastmasters. Also, try using nightcrawlers fished with a Berkley Power Egg. This is a great way to float you bait off of the bottom. Trolling anglers have been doing better since the trout have moved off of the bank. Trolling spoons and spinners seem to be producing quality fish. Try using a Needlefish, or a Rocky Mountain Serpent Spoon, trolled behind flashers. Or a Macks Wedding Ring tipped with a crawler. Night Fishing has been picking up. Drop Power Bait or minnows under a submersible light near the spillway/dam, or under the Highway 49 Stevenot Bridge.
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Winner of the Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Michi Marshall of Jackson. She caught a beautiful 4-pound 8-ounce brown trout while trolling a wedding ring near the dam.


Kokanee: Good. We have had many good reports of anglers catching quick limits. Most anglers are picking up 11-14" kokanee. The fish are growing and fattening up daily. Kokanee that are being caught are 5-45 feet deep in the main lake. A few places where anglers have been catching their limits includes: the spillway/dam area and the 49 bridge. Most anglers are catching them on Hoochies, Apex, and spinners. Pink is always a good color on this lake, but green and chartreuse are also working. Be sure to add scent to your bait. Garlic, kokanee special, and anise have been good choices. Don't forget your corn soaked in the same scents.

Bass: Really good. Bass anglers are reporting catching fish all day long. Most fish are 12-15 inches with a few 3-pound plus fish caught. The bass have been in shallow water for the last few weeks, and are starting to move back out to deeper water. It is toward the end of the spawning season and more of a post-spawn bite. They are fattening up and starting to recuperate from the spawn. Try using top water (poppers, spooks, and buzz baits) in the mornings and switching to soft plastics (Stick-baits, creatures, and hand pours) as the sun comes up. Also, bass will feed heavily on blue gill and other sunfish at this time of the year. Keep this in mind when choosing colors and lure presentations. Remember to practice catch and release! If you do keep a bass, please keep the spotted bass and release the big female (largemouth) black bass. Glory Hole Sports can teach you the difference, so you can practice good conservation of the species.

Catfish: Good. Try using frozen shad, mackerel, chicken liver, and anchovies. To target large cats try using a big ball of crawlers. The larger fish are smarter so using a fluorocarbon leader will entice more bites. The larger cats will also feed on natural bait like crawlers or shad.
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Chris and Brooke Limas caught a lunker 11-pound 1-ounce cat, that is good for The Glory Hole Sports Big Catfish of the Week Contest. Christy Limas, Scott Sclegel, and Anthony fish with them. The entire group caught 16 cats total, kept 8 and released 8.

Crappie: Fishing is good!There have been some nice 2-pounders caught.This is prime time to target the crappie. Use Beetle Spins, Mini Jigs, and minnows in 15-25 feet of water. A good trick that has been working, is to use a live minnow in tandem with a mini jig. The color of the jig will draw fish to it, and the live minnow triggers the bite. Target shallow coves, that have rock piles, and scattered wood. Another good way to catch them is on a slip-float rig. Try using night crawlers, crickets, or Berkley Atomic Fry. With a slip-float you can adjust your set up to fish shallow or deep, by sliding the bobber stop to your desired depth.