Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 269,437 acre-feet of water. The lake level came up one foot this past week. It is currently at 799 ft. above sea level and 287 ft. from full. The water clarity is clear in most of the lake and stained in some of the creek arms. The water temperature continues to cool, with the average being 54-57 degrees. The dam area remains 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. The trout bite is right around the corner. Any day now, we should start to see some trout moving into shallow water. Last year in the first week of December anglers were bringing in limits of holdover trout. This week we expect to get a little rainfall and then some cooler temperatures. These weather patterns will continue to help with the lake's fall/winter turnover. There have not been very many anglers targeting trout, but the ones that have are coming up empty handed. Boating anglers should try fishing near the mouths of major creek channels. Mormon Creek, Carson Creek and Angels Creek are all good choices. Try using a bright colored spoon to trigger a reaction strike. Trolling around 3 mph, in approximately 20-30' of water is a good starting point. This is a good way to target trout that are staging and getting ready to move shallow. For anglers who would rather cast than troll, use the same approach and fish the same areas, just switch to a heavier casting spoon and make multiple casts. Bank anglers and anglers who prefer to fish with bait, try using a Power Egg and nightcrawler combo. Thread the crawler onto a light wire hook and then cap it with a scented Power Egg. Be sure to use light line, and it's not a bad idea to use a worm blower to inflate the crawler and add additional buoyancy to your presentation. 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.

Scott Boynton from San Mateo caught this beautiful spotted bass on a Panther Martin while trolling for trout on New Melones.

Bass: Good. New Melones has a great population of spotted bass and largemouth bass. Anglers continue to report having much success catching and releasing fish all day, week after week. The average spotted bass is from 1 to 2-pounds and extremely feisty and fun to catch. The water temperature continues to drop and the water clarity has cleared drastically in the last few weeks. We are still in transition from fall to winter and the fish can be found shallow and deep. Light line and finesse presentations are a good choice and will ensure you get a few more bites on each outing. Try using a small 4" to 6" worm fished on a light dart head or shakey head. Shad and crawdad patterns work well and a little purple will work best when fishing in deeper water. You can fish an open hook around rock, but if you are fishing near wood it is best to use a weedless rigging method. A Texas rig with a light weight and a bead will work well fished near the standing timber. With water cooling daily the fish have slowed down and there is not much of a reaction bite. For those who prefer hard baits over soft plastics, try using a deep diving suspending rip-bait or fishing a lipless crank near the bottom. It is a good idea to keep a spoon tied on and have it ready to drop under the boat when you graph fish or bait. 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.

Glory Hole Sports employee John Liechty caught a hefty New Melones spotted bass. The fish hit a swimbait fished over deep water 3-times before finally hooking up.

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. Try adding some additional scent.

Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Troy Morris of Angels Camp. He caught a 2-pound, 13-ounce catfish on an anchovy.

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.