Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 442,471 acre-feet of water. The lake level came up four feet this past week. It is currently at 845 ft. above sea level and 240 ft. from full. The water clarity is clear in many areas and stained in a few due to wind and rainfall. There is some debris floating on the surface. The water temperature remains cool, with the average being 51-54 degrees. The dam area is buoyed off due to current that is created when releasing water. Glory Hole Point boat launch is a two 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: Okay. The DFG continues to plant rainbow trout in New Melones. We are receiving reports of anglers catching a few trout and an occasional limit. The trout that are being caught are the few that have actually moved to shallow water. On calm days we are seeing trout breaking the surface. The main lake is showing some sign of life, but the main river channel continues to produce the majority of fish. Bank anglers have been catching fish near the 49-Bridge. This area has good deep water access and the fish will move up and down throughout the day. Try using a standard bait rig with an offering that will float up off the bottom. A crawler/mallow combo is a good choice and Power Bait will work as well. Use a long 3-4' leader to ensure your bait is floating above the brush and rock that is on the bottom of the lake. While your bait soaks try casting and retrieving a shad patterned spoon. Boating anglers have been having most luck trolling over the main river channel above the 49-Bridge. Try using light weight spoons trolled near the surface. Shad patterns will work best under bright light conditions and gold and painted spoons will work best in darker conditions.

Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Joe and Sydney Hutchinson. They spent the day fishing with Take it to the Limit Guide Service. They caught a nice 1-pound, 4-ounce rainbow trout on a shad patterned Needlefish.

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: Slow. It is a little early in the season to catch kokanee. Some anglers will start to target them, but generally we will start seeing a few fish caught in April and limits from May to September.

Bass: Good. The bass bite on New Melones continues to be productive and most anglers are catching and releasing a bunch of fish. The weather feels much like spring and some of the fish appear to be moving closer to shallow water. Some fish are still out in deep water and can be caught using winter time tactics. The best way to find some good fish is to keep an open mind and fish a handful of areas in both deep and shallow water. The water temperature is still cool and slower moving baits are working best. Try using a few different soft plastic presentations until you determine what the fish want. A Texas Rig or shakey head will work when fishing around cover and switching to a dart head or dropshot rig is best when fishing in areas void off wood. Use natural crawdad colors such as green pumpkin, watermelon, brown and purple. There have been a few big fish caught in the last couple weeks. Some have come on swimbaits, but most have been caught on bulky soft plastic baits and jigs. Try using baits that resemble what the fish are accustom to eating. The majority of fish will feed on shad and crawdads. Shad patterned worms and small swimbaits will entice bites from fish that are targeting shad. Jigs and bulky soft plastic will attract the crawdad eaters. PLEASE PRACTICE CATCH AND RELEASE. The spawn is near and many fish will be holding eggs. Take photos and carefully release the fish back into to the lake to maintain a healthy fish population for generations to come.

Kevin Dye of Arnold caught a handful of fish while fishing out of a kayak. He report it being a tough bite and caught his fish on a jig in 25'. Slow retrieve worked best, catch and release like always!

Don Noble caught a nice one near Glory Hole Point. He was using a rubber worm and fishing in 15' of water. The fish hit at 11:30am in the morning.

Catfish: Good. This warming trend will start to bring some giant catfish into shallow water. Generally the largest fish will become active first each spring. Try using large chunks of frozen bait. The fish will generally be more active towards the afternoon after the sun has warmed the water. Look for areas that have plenty of sun light throughout the day.

Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Mark Schneider of Angels Camp. He caught a 7-pound, 1-ounce catfish while soaking a worm on the south end of the lake.

Crappie: Okay. Some anglers are starting to catch crappie. There is a lot of wood near the shoreline that the crappie will move into this spring. Fish near the brush in coves and pockets off of the main lake.