Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,973,675 acre-feet of water. The lake level has been steady and slowly rising for the last few weeks. It is currently at 1050 ft. above sea level and 38 ft. from full. The water temperature is 52-54 degrees and crystal clear.
Chad Carr and F.J. Suchomel of Sacramento show off two limits of rainbows, caught on Power Bait while bank-fishing off of Glory Hole Point.
Dad Ben Tsutaoka, along with his sons Jake and Josh from San Mateo, went trolling with Larry Akers to catch these trout. They used Speedy Shiners upriver, past the Parrotts Ferry Bridge.
Bob James of Murphys soaked scented Power Bait in Angels Cove and brought home dinner.
Joey Ray of Angels Camp shows off his 3+-pounder, caught on crawlers/marshmallow in Angels Cove.
Trout: Good! Still seeing a lot of nice holdover and planted trout. The bite picked up this last week, with most anglers catching their limits. We finally got a little winter weather. Whenever it rains the creeks and drainage ditches will wash nutrients, crawlers, and other terrestrial insects into the water. These are great places to target fish. Bank anglers have been using Power bait (the scented kinds are working great), marshmallows, and nightcrawlers to catch them. It is very important that your bait floats. Use small hooks, plenty of Power bait, and a worm blower to float a crawler. Also, to catch bigger fish try using minnow-like lures. These larger fish feed on other fish. A Rapala CD7 or CD9 is a great bait to use for large predator fish. On overcast days, gold and painted lures will generally attract more fish than silver and natural colored baits which work better on clear days. Trolling anglers have been having most of their luck with a less is more approach. Try trolling small flashers and dodgers with a nightcrawler 3-5 feet behind. Sep's sidekick, and micro mini's work well and don't spook the fish. Also, a minnow like lures fished alone without any flashers has been working too. It is very important to use light line when the water is so clear. Light line is good because the fish don't see it and your lures will have better action. A 3-5 foot piece of 4-6 pound fluorocarbon will do the trick. The smaller fish are biting on the surface and the bigger fish are down at 15-25 feet.
Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest was won by Eddie Maple of Lodi. He caught a 6lb brown trout while trolling a custom, hand painted J7 Rapala. Notice the weather- good fishing in the rain!
Kokanee: Done for the season? We thought. We have seen some nice one's being caught toward the surface by anglers targeting trout. Also, we have had reports of people catching limits of fish up to 15". This is not common for this time of the year, but neither is the weather.
Bass: Pretty good. The fish are in their winter haunts. Most fish are being caught on main lake structure from 25-65 feet deep. The fish are very fat and full of shad. The average size spotted bass in 2-pounds. Most anglers are catching fish using shad patterned worms on a drop shot rig. We have also had reports of a pretty decent jig bite. Try using Yamamoto hula grubs in natural crawdad colors. If we ever get any wind, rain or cloud cover. Try targeting the big fish with large swim baits, like a Spro BBZ or a Huddleston. Remember to practice catch and release, especially largemouth bass as we are seeing fewer each year.
Catfish: The catfish are still biting. We have had a few reports of anglers targeting trout catching some nice cats. Try fishing 35-70 feet on deep ledges and main lake points. The catfish will feed at any time during the day- you just have to be patient. It is best to use two rods with two different baits. This way if the fish don't go for one offering they might go for the other. Using baits that are natural such as nightcrawlers or shad will often trick the bigger ones into biting. Soaking your bait in Pro Cure 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. Another way to catch them is to fish a weightless rig. Put enough bait on your hook to have enough weight so you can make a long cast. This rig will sink slowly and drift and roll along the bottom.
Winner of the Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Gatlin Hampton of Douglas Flat. He caught a hefty 6-pound 4-ounce cat on Powerbait eggs while trout fishing.
Crappie and bluegill: Slow. 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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