Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,567,255 acre-feet
of water. The lake level has dropped two feet again this week and is
currently at 1010 ft. above sea level and 78 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. Good news, the lower ramp on Glory Hole
Point is open, which makes for an easy walk.
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 Dave Roberts, who spent his day fishing with Gary Burns "Take it to the Limit Guide Service." He brought in a hefty 3-pound 14-ounce rainbow he caught while trolling a chrome/blue spoon 75' deep near the dam.
Most
anglers are picking up mixed kokanee/trout limits while trolling 50-80'
deep in the main lake. The shad are staging in deep, cooler water and
getting ready for their fall migration up the creek channels. The
trout are hanging around the baitfish. Two spoons tied in tandem is a
great way to mimic fleeing baitfish. Try shad patterned Excels, Slim
Fins, and Needlefish to best resemble the natural forage. Also, a traditional flasher and crawler rig is working great, too.
Richard Schmauss and Richard Schmauss caught two very impressive limits while night fishing.
Richard Schmauss and Richard Schmauss caught two very impressive limits while night fishing.
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.
Kokanee: Good, with most anglers getting easy limits of fat small but meaty kokanee with a big rainbow or two thrown in. 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. Most of the fish are schooling in deep (60-90') waters, due to the recent hot weather. 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. The
water has been dropping at least two foot a week for the last four
months. This means the fish are being pushed out of shallow water haunts
each week. Try fishing vertical banks with a 1/8oz. darthead or a
1/4oz. jig. Most fish will strike on the initial fall, so lighter
weighted baits will stay in the strike zone longer. Natural
crawdad and shad patterns are good choices. Also, the shad are starting
to school and will head for shallow water this fall. Bass will follow
the baitfish. Keep this in mind and cover a lot of water with a shad
patterned spinnerbait or a jerk bait until you find fish that are
feeding. 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. Melones
cats tend to be fish-eaters rather than bottom foragers, so use live
minnows, frozen shad, mackerel, or anchovies for best success. Move/drag
your bait slowly across the bottom to cover more water and target fish
that are aggressively feeding. 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. Generally
cats will feed in shallow flats or areas with large chunk rock near deep
water. Larger fish are smarter, so use a fluorocarbon leader to entice
more bites. These fish will feed heavily at night, but anglers have been hooking them at all hours, day and night.
Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of
the Week Contest goes to Fernando Sevantes of Modesto. He caught a
chunky 10-pound 4-ounce cat on chicken liver.