New Melones fishing report from Glory Hole Sports 6-18-12

Water Conditions:  New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,788,937 acre-feet of water. The lake level has dropped three feet this week and is currently at 1032 ft. above sea level and 56 ft. from full.  Water temperature is in the mid-70's, and climbing.  Lake is slightly stained, with mud lines forming around the shore on windy days.

 
 

Most anglers are targeting kokanee, but pick up a nice rainbow or two in the process, like
 Logan Ringeisen, Ken Burton and Jerry Durham did in this photo- they were trolling pink hootchies 40-60 feet deep by the dam.

 

Trout: Trolling anglers are catching quality fish- usually mixed kokanee/trout limits.   Trolling spoons and spinners seem to be producing quality fish. Tie on a Needlefish, or a Rocky Mountain Serpent Spoon trolled behind flashers, or a Mack's Wedding Ring tipped with a crawler.  

 Mark Schon of Stockton wins The Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest with a big 6-pound, 3-ounce brown trout, caught on a pink Vance's Sockeye Slammer trolled 45' deep.  Bank anglers- Slow (head to the local creeks for better action).  Bank-anglers fishing Melones should target deeper water near the main lake and throw shad or rainbow trout patterned Rapala Countdowns, or other minnow style baits.  Or use a worm threader to thread a nightcrawler on the hook and fish it with a Berkley Power Egg or a marshmallow to float your bait off the bottom.  Night Fishing under submersible lights has been very good.   Drop Power Bait, Gulp Minnows, or live minnows under a submersible light near the spillway/dam, or under the Highway 49 Stevenot Bridge.  Be patient- it takes some time for the trout to start biting once you drop your light in the water.
 

 

Robert Mercer III and IV with two limits caught on hootchies trooled 48-52 feet in the main lake.

Kokanee:  Good, with most anglers getting easy limits of fat 13-14" fish. The fish are growing quickly now.   Troll 40-80 feet deep in the spillway/dam area or near the 49 Bridge.  .  To catch larger fish, use baits that have a large profile and produce a lot of action.   Try using Rocky Mountain Super Squid or an Apex to target these larger fish.   Pink is always a good color on this lake, but the fish are moving into deeper, darker waters, and pink/purple, watermelon, and blue will be more visible to these deeper fish.  Troll all baits behind a dodger or Slingblade, or the new Fatal Attraction dodgers- they really create an erratic action that kokanee can't resist.  Be sure to add scent to your bait. Garlic, carp spit, kokanee special, and anise have been good choices.  Don't forget your corn soaked in the same scent.

  

 

Bass: Good.  Bass anglers are reporting catching fish all day long. Most fish are 12-15 inches with a few 3-pound plus fish caught.  Bass are post-spawn, and have moved out to main lake structure. Try using topwater (poppers, spooks, and buzz baits) in the mornings and switching to soft plastics (Stick-baits, creatures, and hand pours) as the sun comes up.  There is good drop shot bite on submerged island tops and main lake points at 25-45' deep. Also, bass will feed heavily on bluegill 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:  Wide open.  Melones cats tend to be fish-eaters rather than bottom foragers, so use frozen shad, mackerel, chicken liver, or anchovies for best sucess.  Larger cats will also feed on natural bait like crawlers, so to target large cats try using a big ball of crawlers.  Larger fish are smarter, so use a fluorocarbon leader to entice more bites.  

Charlie Catario of Sonora wins Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest. He and 3-year-old Hailey Hopson caught an 11-pound, 3-ounce cat on chicken liver while bank-fishing near Tuttletown. 

Other anglers who caught big cats of note this week include Linda Cox (10-pounds), Michael Royce (9-pounds, 6-ounces), and Amiel Romano (7-pounds, 7-ounces).

Crappie: good, especially for those fishing at night under a submersible light.   This is prime time to target the crappie. Use Beetle Spins, Mini Jigs, and minnows in 15-25 feet of water. Try 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.