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New Melones Lake
Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,603,788 acre-feet
of water. The lake level has dropped two feet again this week and is
currently at 1014 ft. above sea level and 74 ft. from full. Water temperature is in the low 80's. Lake is stained, with mud lines forming around the shore on windy days, and days with a lot of boat traffic.
Trout: Great! We are seeing a surprising number of trout caught, for this time of year. Trolling anglers are bringing in some great trout.
Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Stetson Claire of Visalia, who brought in a 3.2-pounder she caught while trolling a red Glitterbug micro-hootchie 65' deep near Glory Hole Point.
Blake Khuehl of Boulder Creek caught this nice 'bow while trolling a chartreuse Kastmaster 60' deep by the dam.
Patrick Madruga from Colorado trolled Glitterbug micro-hootchies to catch this rainbow.
Most
anglers are picking up mixed kokanee/trout limits while trolling 50-80'
deep in the main lake. Excels and Slim Fins have been good lure
choices, and crawlers are working great, too. Now is the time to tie a ball troll flasher like Vance's Cannonball trolls to your downrigger weights. When
the fish are scattered like they are now, and not holding to a
particular depth, big flashers will attract them to your bait. Using ball trolls allows you to use flashers and still feel the fish on your line without dragging around a bunch of metal. Night fishing under a submersible light is really good right now, and should be for the next couple months. Most anglers that are targeting fish at night are bringing in
limits of fat 2-3 pound rainbows. Try fishing the main lake by the dam
or spillway. Anchor your boat in 50-100 ft of water and drop the light
down as far as it will go. Power Bait, Gulp Eggs, and nightcrawlers have been working well. Bank anglers should
head to the high country lakes and rivers. Try using spinners such as
Panther Martins and Rooster Tails with 4# test on an ultra light
spinning rod.
Kasey, Joey and Emily Ray caught a nice 2-pound, 10-ounce rainbow on a crawler while bank fishing in Melones up Camp Nine Road.
Kokanee: Good, with most anglers getting easy limits of fat small but meaty kokanee with a big rainbow or two thrown in.
Chris and Vincent Hosely show off a typical Melones mixed bag.
Father-son
team Jim and Allen Munroe caught this mixed limit while trolling
crawlers withVance's Cannonball Flashers 40' deep near Carson Cove.
Troll
50-80' deep in the main lake. Kokanee are very aggressive now, and are
starting to lose their scales as they get ready to spawn. Try using a
bladed hootchie behind a sling blade or dodger. To target larger fish
try trolling in deep (60-80') waters with big dodgers, and larger baits,
like an Apex or a Rocky Mountain Super Squid. Some anglers run two
slingblades in tandem, or run a hootchie through and directly behind an
Apex to increase the size of the presentation for these more aggressive
pre-spawn fish. Excel Spoons and Vance's Slim Fins trolled at a faster
speed (2.0-2.5 mph) have also been catching the larger kokanee.
Remember, when trolling deeper water, use darker colors. Be sure to add
plenty of Pro Cure Scent to your dodger and your bait. Garlic, carp
spit, and kokanee special have all been producing. Don't forget to
bring corn soaked in these same scents.
Bass:
fair. The fish are a little harder to find on these hotter days but
they are still biting. Most fish are 12-15 inches with a few 3-pound
plus fish caught. The water is heavily stained, so throw a chartreuse
spinnerbait, a Carolina-rigged 6" worm with a chartreuse tail, or a
Senko fished weightless. Some plastic baits have chartreuse tails, but
you can also use a Spike It dye pen to color any worm or Senko's tail.
There is also a pretty good crank bait bite. Try using shad and crawdad
colored crank baits that dive to different depths. 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
success. Larger cats will also feed on natural bait like crawlers, so
to target large cats try using a big ball of crawlers- many anglers use a
weightless set-up. Target shallow flats or areas with large chunk
rock, these are prime locations for big cats to hang out. Larger fish
are smarter, so use a fluorocarbon leader to entice more bites.
Generally these fish will feed at night, but anglers have been hooking
them at all hours, day and night.
Bill Ferrell of Murphys wins The
Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest with an 11-pound,
10-ounce cat he caught on a Bomber lure while trolling under the Highway
49 Stevenot Bridge.
Justin Ridgway caught this 9-pound, 10-ounce cat on an anchovy while bank fishing off of Glory Hole Point.
Crappie: Fair,
especially for those fishing at night under a submersible light. Use
Beetle Spins, Mini Jigs, and minnows. 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. Look for fish suspended in the middle of main
lake creek channels. Try to find trees and flooded timber in 25-40 feet
of water.
