1-7-14 Fishing Report
Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding
1,050,027
acre-feet of water. The lake level rose very little this week and is
currently at 949 ft. above sea level and 137 ft. from full. The water
is fairly clear in some areas and slightly stained in others. The water
temperature is in the mid to low 50's. The lake has turned over. The
docks have been moved back to the middle ramp on Glory Hole Point.
Glory
Hole Sports employee Josh Hutton took his daughters Rowan and Hayden
fishing. They each got to land a fish on their princess fishing poles
they got for Christmas.
Trout:
Very Good. We had another week of beautiful weather and great trout
fishing. The fish have moved from the main lake toward the coves and
creek channels. Most fish are being caught in fairly shallow water.
The surface temperature has dropped to a stable winter temperature. This
has moved the majority of the trout out of the deeper water. The
Department of Fish and Game has had multiple plants so far for the month
of December and will continue planting fish in January as well.
12-year old Michael Seely caught a nice rainbow while fishing with a crawler and orange Power Bait.
Amy Silva of Jackson caught caught a very nice 3.17-pound rainbow off of Glory Hole Point.
8-year old Carly Singleton and 7-year old Corrina Singleton caught a few on the Tuttletown side using a crawler/mallow.
Bank anglers
have been doing really well of off Glory Hole Point and near the
Tuttletown boat launch. Try floating Power Bait or Gulp Eggs off of the
bottom. Many different colored dough baits and eggs seem to work with
rainbow, chartreuse, salmon egg, and pink being favorites. Also, the
fish seem drawn to the garlic scented bait. If you are fishing with a
color that is not scented try adding some garlic scented oil to entice
more bites. For anglers who prefer using artificial presentations, try
fan casting Kastmasters and Krocodiles. Also there are fish feeding on
the surface in the morning and evening. To target these fish try using a
bubble/fly or fly fishing. Trolling anglers should
try fishing from 30' to the surface. With a large majority of fish
moving to shallow water, it's a good idea to troll near the shoreline or
use a side planer. Trolling spoons have been working well. Speedy
Shiners, Needlefish, and Excel Spoons are all good choices. Bright
colors have been producing well. Firetiger, chartreuse, and fluorescent
orange have been drawing many strikes. Be sure to let out plenty of
line, 150-200'. Trout will often react to a faster troll speed from 3-5
mph. This is a great time of year to catch some large brown trout.
When trolling with multiple rods it's a good idea to have one setup for
browns. Try using large jointed plugs or rolling shad. When that rod
hits it could be a fish of a lifetime. 
Glory
Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Marty Morfey of Lodi. He
landed a hefty 4.4-pound rainbow while trolling a Rebel minnow near the
dam.
We do
encourage catch and release for the brown trout as The Department of
Fish and Game will no longer be planting them. Carefully measure, weigh
and photograph trophy fish and send us pictures and information.
Gretchel Ray, Joey Ray, Austin Faull, Wes Harper, and Adie Ray caught a bunch by floating nightcrawlers off the bottom.
Kokanee: Done for the season and done spawning upriver. The fish generally start biting again in the spring mid-April into May.
Bass: Fair.
The bite seems to be getting better for most anglers. The spotted bass
in Melones are chunks. When you do catch them they are usually quality
2-4 pound fish. Most fish are schooling in deep water from 40-70' and
moving up throughout the day to feed. It is very important to use your
electronics to locate fish and bait. Try using vertical jigging spoons
near the balls of bait. A great cold water tactic is drop shot rig.
Try using small shad patterned bait and light fluorocarbon line to get
these finicky fish to bite. Another good thing to keep in mind is with
cooling water their metabolism will slow also. Try slowing down a bit
and using baits that crawl across the bottom. A ¾ oz. football jig is
hard to beat for this style of fishing. Try using a crawdad colored
twin tail grub, Brush Hog, or Beaver as a trailer. Also, use plenty of
scent and reapply multiple times throughout the day to help the fish
locate your bait. With the Department of Fish and Game planting rainbows
now is a good time to target giant fish with trout patterned swim
baits. If you do keep a bass, please keep the small 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:
Slow. The catfish will be moving to deep water near rock piles and
ledges. Most anglers don't target catfish at this time of the year.
But, the ones that do will hook into some lunkers. Melones cats tend to
be fish eaters. Frozen shad, anchovies, sardines, and mackerel work
well for bait.
