Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,510,706 acre-feet
of water. The lake level dropped one foot this week and is currently at
1004 ft. above sea level and 84 ft. from full. Water temperature has
cooled a bit and is in the mid to upper 70's. The 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.
Stan
Kirkwood and Howard Crider went out with Take it to the Limit Guide
Service and caught two limits of healthy rainbows. They caught their
fish trolling the main lake with chrome/blue Excel spoons.
Trout: Fair! The fish are a little harder to find, but when you do find them they are chunky 2-4 pound fish. Trolling anglers
are catching a few limits in the main lake and in the mouths of major
creek arms. We have had reports of fish being caught from 30-90 feet of
water. On cooler night the fish are moving toward the surface, and on
hotter days they got deep to the comfort of cool water. Pay close
attention to your fish finder, the fish are following bait and moving
locations constantly. The lure of choice has been a shad pattered Excel.
Try tying two lures in tandem to draw more strikes.
The
Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Fred Saulsbury
who caught a few nice trout including a 2-pound 11-ounce rainbow while
trolling with shad, and an Excel lure.
Night fishing
under a submersible light is still producing some quality limits. Try
fishing toward the backs of coves and creek channels. The light will
attract plankton, bait fish feed on plankton, and larger fish will feed
on the bait fish. Be patient, it can take a few hours for this feeding
cycle to occur. Bank fishing has been slow. There is a
good bite on the Stanislaus River. For bait try using salmon eggs and
night crawlers. For casting lures, Rooster tails and Panther Martins are
catching them. Fly fisherman try using large dry flies such as, Stimulators, Humpys, and hopper patterns. Or, high-stick beaded headed nymphs.
Michi Watanabe spent a day on the lake trolling pink hoochies to catch a limit of kokanee.
Kokanee:
Slow. There are still some fish being caught. We have had reports of
some larger fish holding tight to the bottom. Try to fish as close to
the bottom as you can without loosing your gear. Or, some brave anglers
will bounce/drag their ball. This is a very effective way to trigger
fish. Try using a bladed hootchie behind a sling blade or dodger.
Another great setup is a double Sockeye Slammer rig. The two baits
swinging back and fourth behind a large sling blade will coax those
finicky fish into biting. Most of the fish are schooling in 40-60' of
water and traveling upriver. Be sure to add plenty of Pro Cure Scent to
your dodger and your bait. Garlic, anise, carp spit, and kokanee special
have all been producing. Don't forget to bring corn soaked in these
same scents.
Bass: Good. Spotted bass
are ambushing balls of shad on main lake points and in main lake
pockets. Try using top water baits, like Gunfish and poppers in the
morning. Then as the sun comes up, switch to jerkbaits and flukes. Largemouth
bass are in shallow water in the morning and move to 25-45 feet later
in the day. In the a.m. hours try using a Super Spook in areas that have
wood and rock. Once the sun starts beating down use a 3/8oz. or 1/2oz.
football head jig with a matching Yamamoto twin-tail grub. Brown/brown,
brown/purple, and green pumpkin are all good choices. While fishing down
the bank keep an eye on your graph. If you see fish below you try
dropping a 4" Roboworm on a drop-shot rig. Or, use a 1/2oz. spoon to
draw a reaction strike. 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. Use heavy
weights to stir up the bottom and cause more commotion. This will
attract fish from far away. 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.
Crappie:
Good. Anglers that are night fishing, using submersible lights in the
backs of coves are catching some nice crappie. The fish are in 15'-30'
of water near standing timber and brush. Live minnows are working well.
Also, try using red/white mini jigs under a slip-float rig.
