Water Conditions:
New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,057,104 acre-feet of water. The lake level rose a bit this week and is currently at 950 ft. above sea level and 136 ft. from full. The water is very clear in some areas and slightly stained in others, with a little bit of debris on the surface. The average water temperature is 52-55 degrees with some areas reaching 57-58 degrees on warm sunny days. The boat launch ramps at Tuttletown and Glory Hole Point are both open.

Trout:
Fair. The trout bite has been really good this winter. With warm sunny days the trout have left the surface and transitioned into a spring pattern. The fish are still fairly shallow, cruising the shoreline in 15-30' of water. The Department of Fish and Game has had multiple plants of rainbow trout. Bank anglers are catching fish off of Glory Hole Point and near the Tuttletown boat launch. Try fishing wind protected pockets, drainages and coves just off of the main lake. Power Bait and Gulp Eggs fished off of the bottom will work well. Also, crawler/mallow combo will work well. Be sure to use a light wire hook to insure your bait is floating off of the bottom. A good way to cover water and locate fish is by fan casting a lure. Kastmasters, Krocodiles, and Sonic Baitfish are great for this presentation because they are heavy enough to make long casts. Trolling anglers should try fishing on and near the surface in the early morning and in the evening when the sun is off of the water. During the mid morning and afternoon try dropping your baits down to 15-25'. The Rapala Scatter Rap is a great lure for top-lining and can be fished at all depths with the use of a downrigger. It can be fished fairly fast and be used to search for fish and cover water. Also, a teardrop dodger with a threaded crawler has been and is always a good fish catching presentation. Be sure to let out plenty of line 150-200". Scents work really well in the winter and early spring months. Try adding garlic, shad, or nightcrawler scent to your baits.

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:
The fish generally start biting again in the spring mid-April into May. We might have an earlier start to the season due to the abnormally warm weather. Try trolling a pink micro hoochie behind a teardrop dodger toward the end of March while trout fishing and you might pick up a few kokanee. We have had reports of some 10-13" fish here and there but not enough to consistently target them.

Bass:
Good. The bass bite is getting better each day. This spring-like weather has made them a bit more active. Most fish being caught are healthy 2-4 pound spotted bass with the occasional 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, pound spot in the mix. Last spring Randy Pierson of Oakdale caught a 10-pound, 1-ounce spot that fell, 2-ounces shy of The World Record. The fish are spread out from deep to shallow and are in transition. A great way to search for fish is by using baits that crawl across the bottom. A Carolina Rigged Brush Hog or Senko will work well as a slow dragging presentation. Or a ?? oz darthead tube or grub fished on the fall and twitched back to the boat will work. There has been a decent jig bite and should get better with fish moving up for pre-spawn. ??- ?? oz. football jigs are good sizes that are easy to fish at various depths. Try using a crawdad colored twin tail grub, Brush Hog, or Beaver as a trailer. California Reservoir Lures makes very durable jigs that are designed specifically for our Motherlode lakes. Also, use plenty of scent and reapply multiple times throughout the day to help the fish locate your bait. With the Department of Fish and Game planting rainbows now is a good time to target giant fish with trout patterned swim baits. If you do keep a 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:
Slow. The catfish will be moving to deep water near rock piles and ledges. Most anglers don't target catfish at this time of the year. But, the ones that do will hook into some lunkers. Melones cats tend to be fish eaters. Frozen shad, anchovies, sardines, and mackerel work well for bait. The water temperature is warming faster than most years due to lack of rain and extremely warm weather. In past years some giant cats have been caught in shallow water during and a few days after a winter rain.