Water Conditions

New Melones Lake is currently holding 949,821 acre-feet of water. The lake level came up thirteen feet this past week and will continue to rise with the recent and upcoming rainfall. It is currently at 936 ft. above sea level and 147 ft. from full. The water clarity is stained in most of the lake with some areas clearing faster than others. There is scattered debris floating on the surface throughout the lake. The water temperature has cooled, with the average being 51-54 degrees.

THE FOUR LANE CONCRETE RAMP ON GLORY HOLE POINT AND THE TUTTLETOWN RAMP ARE BOTH OPEN!

Trout

We have had weeks of rain and the lake continues to rise daily. This next week appears to be clear, allowing anglers to head out to the lake and wet a line, without getting wet themselves. With the fresh water flowing in the creeks and drainages, the trout should be near the surface and actively feeding. Trolling anglers should look for areas on the lake that have clearer water and less debris. The trout can be found feeding on the surface in main lake pockets, creek channels and wind protected bends upriver. With the fish holding close to the surface, top-lining has been a great approach to catch them. Let out 150'-200' of line behind the boat. The water clarity should start to clear as the week progresses. Brightly painted lures that create sound and vibration will continue to work best. Spoons and billed plugs have been working well. Spice up your lures with a chunk of crawler or a curly-tailed grub. Either add them directly to the hook or run a short leader to have them trail the lure. Bank anglers should do well once the rain stops. The water clarity will start to clear and the trout will be up in the shallows and cruising the shoreline. Try using a Power Bait/crawler combo or a mallow/crawler combo. The dough bait and mallows will serve multiple purposes. They will help float the entire presentation, the bright colors will create more visibility and the scent will draw fish from a distance.

Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Ted Campbell of Sonora. He caught a beautiful 3-pound, 15-ounce rainbow trout while soaking a crawler in shallow water.

We do encourage catch and release of brown trout, as there does not seem to be a large population of them in the lake. Carefully measure, weigh and photograph trophy fish and send us pictures and information.

Kokanee

The season has come to an end and the kokanee most likely are done spawning. April is a good month to start targeting the kokanee again.

Bass

With the water level changing daily, the fish have become very unpredictable. However, with that being said the bite remains good and most anglers are catching some nice fish on each outing. The water clarity will be stained following each rain storm and will clear after a few days of no rain. When the fish are scattered and changing depths and locations frequently, it is best to fish without any preconceived ideas. Fish to the conditions and let the fish tell you what they want. There are fish in deep water, shallow water and suspended. To catch fish that are holding deep, try using a presentation that will stay in contact with the bottom. A heavy football jig or shakeyhead is a good choice for bottom bouncing. The lake is lined with flooded vegetation, making weedless presentation a good choice for fishing up shallow. Some fish will hold near the baitfish and be suspended. A vertical fishing method works great. A jigging spoon or a dropshot can be lower to the fish to trigger strikes. Some anglers have been using large trout patterned swimbaits to catch big largemouth and spotted bass. PLEASE PRACTICE CATCH AND RELEASE. Take photos and carefully release the fish back into to the lake to maintain a healthy fish population for generations to come.

Catfish

The catfish bite during the winter months is generally pretty slow. Most of the cats will be caught by anglers targeting trout with either Power bait or nightcrawlers. During rising water conditions the catfish will move shallow and feed on any critters that have been caught off guard by the changing conditions. A large ball of crawlers will work well during the cold months and into the spring.

Crappie

The crappie are starting to bite and the prime time to catch them is right around the corner. With the recent rising water level the crappie will start to move back into some of the coves and creek channels. They love flooded brush and vegetation. Try using small spinners or mini jigs to locate crappie.