Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,963,809 acre-feet of water. The lake level has been steady for the last few weeks, and is currently at 1048 ft. above sea level and 40 ft. from full. Water temperature is really dropping now, and is currently 56 degrees. The lake seems to have turned over, by the great trout fishing we have seen this week.
EJ Suchomel, and Chad and David Carr used Kastmasters and Power Bait from shore at Glory Hole Point to pick up dinner.
Trout: Great action! The Department of Fish and Game is planting Melones every week now, plus we are seeing some beautiful 2-to-3-pound holdovers. Trout are feeding heavily on schools of small shad. Most the fish are being caught in the top 10 ft of the water column. Bank anglers have been bringing limits of planters, as well as some 2-3-pound holdovers. Glory Hole Point, Angels Cove, and Glory Hole Cove have been the most productive areas. When you are fishing lures, they work well if you cover a lot of water. Walk up and down the bank until you start catching them. Throwing spoons has been working well. Using casting spoons such as Kastmasters and Krocodiles in chrome/blue, gold or rainbow-trout patterns. Power Bait, Power Eggs, or night crawler/marsh mellow fished on a sliding sinker rig and a 24" leader are the two best set-ups for anglers walking the bank. Bank anglers who brought in trout this week include: Jon Segale, Josh Renzi, F.J. Suchomel, Chad Carr, David Carr, Robert Moore, Bill Lease, and Winter and Coral Reeves.
Winner of the Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week contest goes to Harold Sanders of Sonora Ca. He caught two nice holdovers using a Roostertail and a Kastmaster. His biggest fish was a 2-pound 8-ounce rainbow.
Trollers should target coves and creek arms close to shore. A great lure to use is a Rapala CD5, CD7, SR5, and SR7. With clear weather and clear water, more natural color will work better. Needlefish and Excel spoons are also catching a lot of fish. Add a piece of crawler or a trolling grub for a trailer. The use of scent will get you a few more bites. ProCure Threadfin shad, Shad and Garlic Plus are tried and true scents. Anglers who caught rainbows while trolling this week include: Dave and Willa Johnson, Kyle Wyse, and Ernie Biagi.
Kyle Wyse and his buddy had a good day trolling!
Kokanee: Done for the season.
Bass: Pretty good. The fish are healthy and full from gorging on shad. Most fish are holding on structure from 10-35ft. On Saturday Dec. 3, Norcal Bass had a tournament. First place went to Aaron Cole & Colin DeGeough. They caught 5 fish weighing 19.08 pounds with an 8.04 pound big fish. 18 out of 24 boats weighed in a limit that was 9 pounds or better. Those anglers who did well reported catching their better fish on jigs and swim baits. Also, there were many fish caught using a drop shot rig with 4-6 inch straight tail Roboworms. We are still seeing an occasional large fish caught while trolling for trout.
This week Jeff Palatini brought in a 5 pound 12 ounce spotted bass. He was using an Excel spoon fishing the main lake near the 49 bridge. Remember to practice catch and release, especially largemouth bass as we are seeing fewer each year.
Catfish: We didn't have any cats weighed in this week. But some of the biggest fish on our wall of fame were caught in November, December, and January. Catfish are in coves and in shallower water. A sliding sinker rig, and a ball of crawlers or a piece of anchovy or shad is your best bait. Soaking your bait in Pro Cure garlic/nightcrawler scent will make it even more appealing to those lunker cats. Leave your bail open so the cats can't feel the line if still-fishing. Successful catfish anglers move their bait often, even dragging it along the bottom and bouncing it into rocky nooks and crannies, rather than letting it sit still. Fishing for cats is usually best at night, but plenty of anglers catch them during the day as well.
Crappie and bluegill: Slow to fair. Try using small minnows, red worms, and meal worms on a slip-float rig fished 15-25 feet deep will work. Generally 4-6 pound test line will get you more bites and fishing light tackle can be a fun way to catch them.
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