4-9-14 Fishing Report
Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding
1,031,840
acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped one foot this week and is
currently at 947 ft. above sea level and 138 ft. from full. The water
is slightly stained with some areas forming mud lines. There is also a
little bit of debris on the surface. The average water temperature is
58-64 degrees and rising daily. The boat launch ramps on the Glory Hole
side have been moved back out to the end of the point.
Tom Flaherty of Omo Ranch caught a few rainbows in the river arm. He caught them using garlic scented nightcrawlers.
Trout:
Slow. The trout bite has been getting a little tougher each week. The
lake level is dropping and the water temperature is warming. This will
push the trout from the shallows back out to deeper/cooler water. Try
to find areas with clearer water that are protected from the wind and
have deep water access. Also, if you are fishing an area with slightly
stained to murky water, try using bright colored baits and lures. Bank anglers
have been catching very few fish. Glory Hole Point and near the
49-bridge are good areas to try because the main river channel and
cooler water is close. For bait try using nightcrawlers or chartreuse
or rainbow garlic scented Power Bait. Trolling anglers
try targeting the fish with the use of downriggers or leadcore line,
from 30-60' of water. The fish should be near creek channels and the
river channel and heading back out to the main lake. The cooler water
near these areas is where they will be in the hotter summer months.
Brighter colored baits have been working best. Orange, chartreuse and
firetiger will work good for browns and rainbows. When fishing the main
lake and near deep water it is a good idea to have a couple lines in
the water targeting brown trout. Try rolling shad or trolling large
jointed plugs or swim baits. A good area for browns is out in front of
the dam/spillway area or between the bridges. It is also a good idea to
add plenty of scent and remember to reapply throughout the day.
Ken Burns, Dan Williams, and Gary Powell went fishing during some poor weather and caught 8 nice rainbows.
Glory
Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Ken Burns of
Hollister. He landed a beautiful 2-pound, 7-ounce rainbow while
trolling spoons in 20-35' of water near the dam.
Steve
Olson of Vallecito caught a big 6-pound, 11-ounce brown trout. He
reported catching it near the 49 bridge while rolling shad. He
mentioned that he practices catch and release with the brown trout
species but regretfully this fish was fatally hooked.
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.
Kokanee:
Slow. The fish generally start biting again in the spring mid-April
into May, but we've had reports of a few being caught. We expect the
bite to come on any day now. Try trolling a pink hoochie, spinner, or
bug behind a teardrop dodger while trout fishing and you might pick up a
few kokanee. Also, nightcrawler and garlic nightcrawler scent works
best at the first part of the season.
Bass:
Good. The bass are moving into shallow water and staging for the
spawn. To catch shallow fish try using small bright colored crank baits
or spinner baits. To target deeper/staging fish that are staging on
offshore structure, try using a drop-shot rig with a 4-6" straight tail
worm. Another deep water fish catcher is a football head jig. Try
fishing ½ - ¾ ounce jigs in crawdad colors. Brown/purple, green
pumpkin/purple, and green pumpkin are all good color choices. Remember
to use matching trailers. Last but definitely not least is the Yamamoto
Senko. Try fishing them wacky around rocks and Texas rig them around
wood. They come in many fish catching colors but watermelon (194) and
watermelon/red (208) are hard to beat. These baits catch a bunch of fish
and every once in awhile a big one.
Dan Wiliams caught a 4-pound, 3-ounce largemouth.
Please
practice catch and release during the spring months. The fish are full
of eggs in preparation for the spawn. Take photos and carefully release
the fish back into to the lake to maintain a healthy fish population
for generations to come.
Xperience
Fishing Guide and Glory Hole Sports employee John Liechty caught and
released a hefty 8-pound largemouth. This fish had a worn tail and
seemed to be done spawning.
Catfish:
Fair. The water temperature is getting warmer each day which will
encourage the cats to move shallow. Try using frozen shad or a ball of
crawlers to target these fish. Catfish are drawn to bait by scent so it
is a good idea to add additional scent to your bait. Try using garlic,
sardine, anchovy or bloody tuna to increase the amount of bite on each
outing.
Crappie:
Slow. The crappie bite is right around the corner. We expect a fairly
good bite this spring due to the lower water levels and the amount of
standing timber. Try fishing with mini jigs and grubs under a
slip-float. Also a great way to catch them is with live minnows. We
have had a few reports of some pretty nice crappie being caught.
