10-28-14 Fishing Report
Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding
516,856
acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped close to a foot this week
and is currently at 861 ft. above sea level and 215 ft. from full. The
water is starting to clear up due to stable and rising water. The water
temperature continues to cool with the average being 68-72 degrees. Tuttletown
launch is closed. Glory Hole Point boat launch is the road leading off
the end of the point. It is a dirt launch without courtesy docks and
4wd is recommended.
Trout:
Slow. The nights are cooling off and the surface temperature continues
to drop, which will encourage the trout to move toward the surface. It
would not be a bad idea to use leadcore line or try top-lining. The
large rainbows will feed heavily on shad. There is an abundance of
smaller one to two inch shad that the fish are spitting up. Trolling anglers
try using small spoons trolled in tandem. It is a good time to use
ball trolls to resemble a school of shad. Umbrella rigs work great
attached to the downrigger ball. To target the large browns try rolling
shad or using a large billed plug. The water is clearing up a little
each day. Natural patterned baits work best in clear water and light
line will get bit more than heavy line. Bank fishing anglers
are starting to catch a few fish but it has been pretty slow. 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 dry fly patterns in the mornings and evenings and fishing nymphs
and buggers mid day. 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: Done. The fish have entered spawn mode and will soon start dying off. We have not seen or heard of any in shallow water.
Bass: Good.
The lake level has been fairly stable for a couple weeks, which has
made the bass more predictable and a bit more comfortable. The bass are
closer to a fall pattern and feeding heavily on shad. The shad are
moving from deep water toward shallow cuts and pockets, the bass are
hunting them in wolf packs. There are a lot of fish that are suspended
in 35-55' of water. Try using a spoon to vertically jig through the
middle of these schools. Mack's Sonic Baitfish is a great spoon that
can be rigged multiple ways to give the fish a different presentation.
Also, it is a good idea to have a drop shot rig set up for when they
quit eating the spoon. There has been a pretty good reaction bite with a
handful of fish biting crank baits, jerk baits and small swimbaits.
The jig bite continues to be productive. Try dragging crawdad patterns
with a matching twin tail grub or swimming a shad patterned jig with a
single tail grub or small swim bait. Try fishing bluffs and points near
major creek channels and the main river channel.
Xperience Fishing Guide John Liechty caught a nice 6-pound largemouth while fishing a rock wall near the main river.
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: Very Good. -SIGN UP FOR OUR NOVEMBER CATFISH CONTEST-
This is a great time of year to target the large cats. With winter
right around the corner they are going to feed heavily in preparation of
the colder winter months. They will move shallow throughout the day
and night to feed primarily on other fish and crawdads. The bass and
trout are ambushing the schools of shad. They will often kill more than
they eat leaving some wounded and dead shad for the cats to clean up.
Some cats become very aggressive and will crash the bait along side
other predator fish. Frozen shad is a good choice of bait for this
reason. Other frozen fish baits like sardines, mackerel and anchovies
will work as well. Also, bring some crawlers and chicken liver. These
two baits have been fooling the cats for years. Another trick that has
been working to catch more fish is, instead of using a swivel, use an
Oregon Tackle Scent Chamber. This will replace your swivel and can be
filled with Pro Cure scent that will slowly leak out and cover the area
with scent.
Glory
Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Floyd Crow of Tuolumne. He
caught an 11-pound, 9-ounce cat while fishing in the Angels Creek arm.
Crappie:
Very Slow. It's been a tough year and we have seen very few crappie.
The crappie will feed on shad along side bass and trout. Live minnows
work best.