9-2-14 Fishing Report
Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding
553,486
acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped two feet this week and is
currently at 869 ft. above sea level and 209 ft. from full. The water
is stained in most of the lake. There are mud lines forming near the
shore throughout the day, especially on windy days and days with a lot
of boating traffic. The average water temperature is 76-82 degrees.
Tuttletown launch is closed. Glory Hole Point boat launch is open, and
there are no plans to close it. There will be some transition periods
between launches where launching will be limited to one or two lanes.
Trout:
Fair. The trout fishing is getting a little better each week. Late
summer/early fall is a great time to troll deep water and catch some
hefty trout.
The
lake record rainbow trout was caught at this time of the year, fishing a
deep water pattern. John Gray landed a massive 8-pound, 2-ounce
rainbow while fishing with Take it to the Limit Guide Service.
Trolling anglers
try using shad patterned spoons trolled in 60-90' of water. Excel,
Needlefish and Speedy Shiners are good choices. Another trick that will
trigger strikes is a tandem spoon rig. This is when you troll two
spoons at a time separated by an 18-24" leader. The two baits will
resemble a couple bait fish that have strayed from the school making
them an easy target. Night fishing anglers have been
doing well fishing under a submersible light. Live minnows, Power Bait
and nightcrawlers work well fished under and around the light. Bank fishing has been very slow and usually is during the summer months. Best bet for shore anglers is to head to the high country lakes. Fly fishing anglers
the bite has been pretty good fishing local streams and rivers. Try
using a Parachute Adams, Elk Hair Caddis, or a Light Cahill for rising
fish. Also try using a hopper/dropper setup with a Stimulator and a
Copper John. 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 season is winding down and very few anglers a targeting the
kokanee. Try trolling in 70-100' of water to find the schools of
kokanee. The fish have been schooling on the main lake near the dam,
the spillway, Glory Hole Point and Rose Island. It's a good idea to try
heading up the main river channel in hopes of intercepting the schools
that have started to migrate. The kokanee are getting more aggressive
each day, and are starting to lose their scales as they get ready to
spawn. Some anglers run two sling blades in tandem, or run a hoochie
through and directly behind an Apex to increase the overall size of the
presentation for these more aggressive pre-spawn fish. Don't forget to
add scent to your presentation and tip your hooks with dyed and scented
shoepeg corn.
Bass:
Fair. It's Official the New World Record spotted bass 10.48-pounds
caught by Keith Bryan on February 22, 2014. The bass are in a late
summer/early fall pattern. The shad are starting to school up in the
deep water and the bass are hunting them in wolf packs. Many trout
anglers that are trolling over deep water with shad patterned spoons are
catching chunky 2-pound spotted bass. This can be tricky to target
these fish with a traditional chunk and wind method. Crank baits and
jerk baits are both a good choice to use when targeting these fish.
Also, now is a good time to have a spoon tied on to fish vertically
below the boat when fish appear on the graph. Shad pattern worms fished
on a drop shot or on a shakey head will work too. Wright Bait WB101 is
a great soft pour and comes with various colored blood lines. Fish that
are keying on crawdads can be caught on jigs, brush hogs and beavers.
CRL Jigs has a great selection of colors that work extremely well on New
Melones and other Mother Lode lakes. Please practice catch and
release. Take photos and carefully release the fish back into to the
lake to maintain a healthy fish population for generations to come.
Catfish:
Good. This is a good time of the year to target the catfish. The lake
is really nice in the evenings and through the night and this is when
the big cats come to the shoreline and search for food. Try using shad,
anchovies and nightcrawlers for bait. It is a good idea to use an
ample amount of scent to help the fish locate your bait.
Glory
Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Matt Seldon of Sonora. He
landed a 10-pound, 15-ounce catfish while fishing near Glory Hole Point.
Crappie:
Slow. It's been a tough year and we have seen very few crappie. They
have been hard to find. Your best bet would be to target them at night
with a submersible light. Try using a mini jig with a live minnow on
the back.