Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 267,121 acre-feet of water. The lake level remained stable this past week. It is currently at 798 ft. above sea level and 288 ft. from full. The water clarity is fairly clear in most of the lake and stained in some of the creek arms. The water temperature continues to cool, with the average being 55-58 degrees. The dam area has been buoyed off due to current that is created when releasing water. Glory Hole Point boat launch is a one lane dirt and gravel road leading off of the end of the point. There is not a courtesy dock and it is best to launch with a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

Trout: Slow. We had hoped this last little cold snap would put the trout bite into full swing. Unfortunately, we have not seen the large populations of trout moved up yet. Each morning the ground has been frozen and the nights have been extremely chilly. These are the conditions that will drastically cool the surface temperature and help accelerate the lake turn over. Bank anglers should focus on making multiple casts to ensure they cover plenty of water. The first trout that move shallow will be cruising just below the surface. Try using casting spoons, such as Kastmasters and Krocodiles. When choosing a lure, be sure to keep the light conditions in mind and switch colors accordingly. If the skies are bright, try using a natural color and if the skies are dark, switch to gold or firetiger. Boating anglers should try top-lining a small minnow-like plug or a small crankbait. Some of the trout that move up first will be fairly aggressive and willing to chase. A faster trolling speed will often draw some heavy strikes. Some of the bays and pockets will have trout move into them. These areas are difficult to troll and using a cast and retrieve method will work best. To avoid spooking the fish try to use the wind or an electric trolling motor to fish these areas. Once you find a few fish try pulling the boat onto the shore and switching to a standard bait fishing rig. Garlic Power Bait has always been a good choice for catching nice trout on New Melones. Use a light wire hook and light line to ensure your bait is floating up off the bottom. 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. We have had a couple reports of kokanee in the river and there are a bunch of eagles near the bridges. This usually indicates the kokanee are in the area and dying off.

Bass: Good. We are still receiving many reports of anglers catching a handful of chunky bass. The bite did slow up a little, but it is definitely worth launching the boat and making a few casts. The fish have moved to a winter-like pattern and slower moving baits are working best. There is a good amount of fish holding in 35-55' of water. Try using soft plastics rigged on a shakey head or on a dart head jig. The fish have been targeting shad for months. A shad patterned worm is a good choice. Be sure to be patient and not work your baits to fast. The fish are slowing down and not as willing to chase. A soft plastic worm crawling along the bottom will catch the attention of nearby bass and coax them into biting. Occasionally you will find an area where the fish are in a feeding frenzy and actively feeding on balls of shad. When you locate these actively feeding fish, try using a reaction bait to trigger bites. A Lucky Craft Pointer, Flash Minnow or Staysee would be a good choice. One other thing that is a must have for this time of the year, is a rig that can be fish vertically directly under the boat. Many times when fishing down the shoreline, you will glance at the fish finder and realize you are positioned over the top of the fish. Try fishing a jigging spoon or a drop-shot rig to catch the fish you find on the graph. PLEASE PRACTICE CATCH AND RELEASE. The bigger fish are the future of our lake. Take photos and carefully release the fish back into to the lake to maintain a healthy fish population for generations to come.

Catfish: Fair. The catfish bite has slowed up a little due to the recent cold weather and dropping water temperatures. However, if you want to do some bank fishing, catfish are a good species to target. You might not get many bites, but the ones you do are generally big. The catfish are on the tail end of their feed before winter pattern and are fat and full of shad. Try fishing near large rock piles that are located just off of the main river channel and major creek channels. Catfish are opportunistic feeders and are more likely to move for a large meal. Try using large chunks of mackerel or using the entire fish with a couple of oversized hooks. Also, a catfish would rather grab a few shad off the bottom than just one. Use a double-hook and thread two or three shad onto each hook. Remember catfish have very poor eyesight and will feed by scent. It is a good idea to add additional scent.

Crappie: Fair. We have heard of quite a few crappie being caught. The crappie will school up during the cold months and once you locate them you can catch a bunch. They will also be near creek channels and will feed on small shad that are in that area. To catch them try using a live minnow rigged on a mini jig.!