Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,035,227 acre-feet of water. The lake level rose very little this week and is currently at 947 ft. above sea level and 139 ft. from full. The water is fairly clear in some areas and slightly stained in others. The water temperature will be cooling a bit each week until the lake turns over. The lake has cooled some and is 58-64 degrees depending on what part of the lake you are fishing. The docks have been moved on Glory Hole Point. This makes for an easy launch and very short walk to and from the parking lot.

Pictured Above: Jeff Henry and his son Tristan caught a couple nice rainbows while fishing near Glory Hole Point.

Trout: Good. The trout are biting and most anglers are catching some nice fish on each outing. There are more fish showing up near the surface making them easier to catch for both trolling anglers and bank anglers. With the lake level slowly rising and the water temperature dropping the fish should continue to get better each week.

James Goble of Angels Camp landed a nice 1-pound, 8-ounces rainbow. He reported catching this fish on a shad patterned spoon near the main lake.

Trolling Anglers should try fishing from 30' to the surface. It is a good idea to troll at different depths until find a concentration of fish. Try fishing a tandem spoon rig from 10-30' on a downrigger or with a diving plane. Needlefish, Excel, and Speedy Shiner spoons are good choices. Another good way to catch some better quality fish is by rolling shad. Try using chartreuse dyed shad in shallower water and blue dyed shad down deeper.

Mike Cachero landed a couple while bank fishing with rainbow Power Bait.

Bank anglers have been catching more and more fish each week. Most anglers are targeting fish that are feeding near the bottom. Try using a sliding sinker with an 18-24" leader and a light wire hook. With this set up you will be able to use Power Bait Dough, Power Eggs, marsh mallows, crawlers, or a combination. The key is to use a light wire hook, and before you make a cast, check to see if your bait is floating. There are also quite a few fish feeding and cruising near the surface. The best way to target these fish is with a bubble/crawler, or a bubble/fly rig. Also, casting and retrieving and Kastmaster, is a great way to cover water and find feeding fish.

Glory Hole Sports Big Fish Week goes to Don Brown who caught a nice 1-pound, 14-ounce rainbow. He and his brother Jerry Brown have been catching some nice fish using crawlers and Power Bait.

Kokanee: Done for the season. The kokanee are upriver doing their annual spawn and die.

Bass: Slow. The lake is in transition from summer to fall. The fish seem to be spread out from deep to shallow water anywhere from 5-70' of water. It is very important to use your electronics to locate fish and bait. Most anglers are catching a few while finesse fishing with small baits and light line. Try using a drop shot rig near the main lake. Small shad patterned soft plastics and 4" hand poured worms are producing some fish. Also, the shad are starting to school up in the major creek arms. If you find the bait the fish will be nearby. Try using a spoon fished vertically through the balls of bait. Sonora Bass held a tournament at New Melones on Saturday November 9th, 2013. 1stPlace went to Jim and Courtney Junette they weighed in 12.05-pounds. Larry and Mike Freeman took 2nd with 11.32-pounds. Dave and Carol Krawchuk brought in 10.23 lbs for 3rd Place.

Big Fish of the tournament was a 3.32-pound spotted bass caught by Sue Caldera.

If you do keep bass, please keep the small spotted bass and release the big female (largemouth) black bass. Glory Hole Sports can teach you the difference, so you can practice good conservation of the species.

Catfish: Fair. The catfish are still in fairly shallow water and feeding heavily. At this time of the year we generally see some really large cats being caught, especially if we get a little rain. They will move into feeder creeks and feed on whatever washes into the lake. Try using a variety of different baits until the fish tell you what they want to feed on. Night crawlers, liver, shad, and anchovies seem to produce the majority of fish. It is very important to use a sliding sinker or no weight at all. The fish will drop the bait if they feel any weight. It is a good idea to leave your bail open while waiting for them to bite. Let the fish run with the bait for a few seconds then set the hook. For bigger cats try using a whole mackerel or sardine fished on a double hook rig. Many catfish will roam flats, points, and humps to feed. When choosing a location to fish focus on flat dirt/rock areas near deep water.

Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes Randy Miller of Angels Camp. Randy hauled in a fat 9-pound, 12ounce catfish on anchovies near the Glory Hole Cove.