11-10-14 Fishing Report
Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding
503,798
acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped just over a foot this week
and is currently at 858 ft. above sea level and 218 ft. from full. The
water clarity is stained in some areas, and clear in others. The water
temperature continues to cool with the average being 65-69 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:
Okay. Cooler nights have moved the trout into shallow water and some
trolling anglers are starting to bring limits of fish to the boat. 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 top-lining a Rapala JSR plug. Let out plenty of line to
ensure your lure is clear of the boat wake. Spoons are working well
too. Needlefish and Excel spoons in shad patterns are always a good
choice for fall fishing. The erratic wobble of a spoon will look like a
wounded or fleeing shad and will trigger strikes from nearby fish.
Bank fishing anglers are starting to catch a few fish but it has been
pretty slow. It would not be a bad idea to fan cast a ¼ oz Kastmaster
for roaming fish. Also, try floating a ball of rainbow or chartreuse
Power Bait with a long leader off of the bottom.
Glory
Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Bob James of Murphys. He
caught a couple limits this week and his biggest fish weighed in at
2-pounds, 2-ounces.
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. Once you locate the bait fish you will be able to catch a bunch
of bass. Spooning and drop-shotting are two great methods that can be
used to catch fish that are keying on balls of shad. Mack's Sonic
Baitfish, Kastmasters and Duh Spoons are good choices when selecting
spoons. Smaller spoons have been working best. Roboworms and Berkley
Minnows have been producing fish on a drop shot rig. 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. The jig bite continues to be productive. C.R.L.
makes some awesome colors that are tied specifically for our Mother Lode
lakes. Crawdad browns and greens work best for dragging the bottom and
shad patterns work well swimming off of the bottom. Be sure to add
shad scent to shad patterns and crawdad scent to crawdad patterns. The
scent will help fish locate the bait and once they bite they will hold
on. Try fishing cuts, bluffs and points near major creek channels and
the main river channel. 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. Frozen fish
baits like shad, sardines, mackerel and anchovies will work well. Try
dragging/moving your bait a few times on each cast, this movement will
often get the attention of nearby cruisers. Also, bring some crawlers
and chicken liver. These two baits have been fooling the cats for
years. Stink baits and Power Bait are often overlooked but will
sometimes attract cats that don't want to mess with larger offerings.
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 Elmo Baur of Merced. He
brought a massive 17.25-pound catfish to the scales. He reported
catching this lunker near the boat ramp on Glory Hole Point.
Ted Campbell of Sonora brought in a 12.26-pound catfish that fell victim to a ball of Power Bait.
Chris Walker of Sonora caught a chunky 11.07-pound catfish on a night crawler near the 49-bridge.
Robert Singleton of Angels Camp weighed a nice 9.76-pound cat that he reported catching on chicken liver near the dam.
Harold Odahlen of Burson caught a couple this week his biggest weighed 8.95-pounds.
Dale Knight caught three that each weighed close to 7-pounds.
Keith Rosa of Angels Camp caught a 4.61-pound cat fishing at Ted's secret spot.
NOTE: Not all of the catfish pictures are contestants of the Catfish Contest.
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.