11-5-12
Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,477,149 acre-feet
of water. The lake level dropped very little this week, and is
currently at 1001 ft. above sea level and 87 ft. from full. Water
temperature has cooled a bit and is in the 60's. The lake is clear, to
slightly stained. The lake will "turn over" when surface water cools to
the same temperature as the deeper water- around 53-54 degrees. This
usually happens around Thanksgiving, and then the trout bite really
turns on for bank-anglers and trollers alike. Good news, the middle ramp
on Glory Hole Point is open, which makes for an easy walk.
Trout: Slow!
Trolling anglers had very little luck this week fishing the main lake.
The trout seem to be in transition from deep to shallow water. We have
had reports of fish being caught from 5-65 feet of water. With the water
temperature dropping we should start seeing more fish being caught
toward the surface. Try using shad patterned trolling spoons such as,
Needlefish, Excels, Slimfins, and Speedy Shiners. Another great setup to
try when fishing is a little tough- is a crawler/flasher combo.At this
time of the year we will start to see more days of rain and cloud cover.
These can be great days for fishing. Try using bright colored baits,
like fire tiger, and hot steel Rapalas. Also, gold and copper blades
seem to work better than silver during low light conditions. Bank
fishing has been slow, but should start to pick up as the water
temperature cools down. We have had a few reports of fish being caught from the shore.
Also, try fishing small feeder creeks and inlets whenever we get some
rainfall. Cooler running water attracts fish, and also washes nutrients
and insects into the lake.
Dale
Knight of Angel Camp caught a nice limit of trout still fishing from a
boat near the dam. His biggest weighed 3-pounds, 5-ounces which is good
for The Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest. River and stream season ends on November 15th.
Kokanee: Slow. The
schools are heading to the back of creek arms, and upriver for their
annual spawn and die. Most of the kokanee being caught are dark with
hooked mouths. Some clean silver fish are showing up in the dam/spillway
area, but are fairly small. They are taking standard kokanee setups,
sling blades and hoochies in pink, orange, and green. 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. The bass are
feeding on shad and crawdads. They are fattening up for the colder
winter months. Try using. ½ and ¾ oz. vertical jigging spoons around
bait balls. Also, be sure to tie a barrel swivel 8-12" above your bait
to prevent line twist. California Reservoir makes jigs in specific
colors for targeting Mother lode lakes. They have come out with, a new
bait called "Melones Craw" that has all the right colors to trick these
large fish into biting. Other colors that work well are: Sculpin, Zoom
Green Pumpkin, Cinnamon/Purple, and Brown/Green Pumpkin/Purple. Try
using a twin tail grub or a Baby Brush Hog as a trailer. 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. The
catfish seem to be moving shallow and feeding on cloudy/rainy days. The
weather forecast for the next couple weeks shows we might be seeing some
of these kinds of days. This would be a good time to get out your
umbrellas and rain gear. Hit the water and soak some bait for a chance
at a lunker cat. Melones catfish 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. Generally cats will feed in shallow flats or areas with large
chunk rock near deep water.
Glory Hole
Sports Big Fish of the Week contest goes to Roy Grover of Manteca. He
caught a chunky 10-pound, 9-ounce lunker using red and yellow trout
bait.
Crappie: Slow. There
are fish in 15-40 foot of water, in the backs of creek channels near
submerged timber. Live minnows or red worms fished under a slip-float,
with a bobber stop is a good way to target these fish. Also, try using
red/white mini jigs, small grubs, and 4" soft plastic worms. Crappie
too, will gorge themselves on shad. Try to locate the bait in shallow
areas and the fish shouldn't be far.
