Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,633,191 acre-feet
of water. The lake level rose one foot this week, and is currently at
1017 ft. above sea level and 72 ft. from full. Water temperature has
cooled and is 48-52 degrees. The lake is clear, to slightly stained
with some debris floating on the surface. The lake has turned over.
Trout: Fair.
Department of Fish and Game is now planting rainbow trout weekly at New
Melones. The lake has turned over. The trout are still scatter
throughout the lake from 0-30' deep. Trolling anglers
should target major coves and creek arms, with baits trolled near the
surface. While top-lining 150-200' behind the boat, try using plugs that
dive to different depths to locate the fish. A Rapala Shad Rap and a
Rapala Jointed Minnow are to great bait to use. The Shad Rap has a
larger bill and will dive deeper than the Jointed Minnow. The fish are
feeding on large shad. This would be a good time to try rolling frozen
shad for brown trout and large rainbows. Another technique that has been
producing limits is a crawler fished behind a teardrop shaped flasher. Bank fishing
and still-fishing from a boat has produced the most fish. Walking the
bank as you cast will help you find the fish. A 1/4-3/8 ounce Kastmaster
seem to be the most productive "chuck and wind" lure. The key to
fishing a casting spoon is mixing up the speed and presentation.
Sometimes the fish will take a slow, steady retrieve, and other times
they prefer a faster, more erratic presentation. For bait fishing, try
using garlic scented Power Bait
(rainbow or chartreuse), or put on a Gulp Egg or a
marshmallow/nightcrawler. Or, use Pro Cure garlic scent on colors of
Power Bait that don't come pre-scented. If you fish an area for an hour
or so without having any luck, pick up and move down the bank. Sometimes
you might be just a few yards away from a quality limit, or a
productive feeding route.
Johnny
Roberts and Cliff Larrew of Rippon caught 9 rainbow trout from shore,
weighing 22-pounds (total weight). They caught their fish on the Glory
Hole side of the lake using night crawlers and moving location
frequently throughout the day.
Winner
of the Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Ed Castro
of Murphys. He fished from the bank near the 49 bridge to catch a
3-pound, 6-ounce rainbow. He caught this hefty rainbow with rainbow
Power Bait.
Kokanee: Done for the season.
Bass:
Fairly tough. Most anglers are having trouble locating quality fish.
The water temperature drastically dropped over the last few weeks. The
fish seemed to have moved into deep water for the winter. They are
feeding on main lake points throughout the day. But, with such cold
water they will feed a lot less than normal due to a slower metabolism.
Now is a good time to fish finesse style presentations, such as a
drop-shot rig. Small, slow moving baits will trigger more bites.
Anglers should try using 3-4" hand poured worms in natural shad and
crawfish hues. Another way to catch them is by "dead-sticking" your
bait. Try using a 5" Senko on the bottom, motionless, and moving it a
little at a time every 2-3 minutes. bass will feed heavily on crawfish
at this time of the year. Try using a heavy 1/2oz. or 3/4oz. football
head jig fished in deep water 40-60'. Try using darker colors in deep
water such as, black/blue, and brown/purple. California Reservoir Lures'
jigs are designed for Mother Lode lakes. A great color is "Cash Call"
it is green pumpkin, purple, with gold flake, and matches Yamamoto color
(331). The swim bait bite is getting better. Try using smaller swim
baits to catch spots and nice largemouth. If you want to catch a huge
fish throw an 8" rainbow trout swim bait. 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:
Haven't seen any this week, but they are out there. 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.
Crappie:
Slow. There are fish in 15-40 foot of water, in the backs of creek
channels near submerged timber. Live minnows or redworms fished under a
slip-float, with a bobber stop is a good way to target these fish.