Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 517,907 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped just inches this week and is currently at 861 ft. above sea level and 215 ft. from full. The water is stained in most of the lake and starting to clear in a few areas. The average water temperature is 74-78 degrees. Tuttletown launch is closed. Glory Hole Point boat launch is the road leading off the end of the point. It is a dirt launch without courtesy docks and 4wd is recommended.


Trout: Slow. There are a few anglers on the lake that are starting to find some nice rainbows while trolling the main lake. The larger trout will school in deep water and feed on balls of shad. Trolling anglers try using spoons trolled in 45-65' water. To target the large browns try rolling shad or using a large billed plug. Another thing to keep in mind is the water clarity. Bright colored baits or baits with rattles will attract fish in stained water better than lighter more natural patterned baits. Bank fishing has been very slow and usually is during the summer months. Best bet for shore anglers is to head to the high country lakes. Fly fishing anglers the bite has been pretty good fishing local streams and rivers. Try using dry fly patterns in the mornings and evenings and fishing nymphs and buggers mid day.


Kokanee: Almost Done. The season is winding down and very few anglers are targeting the kokanee. The fish are heading upstream for their annual spawn and die. Some fish will migrate later than others. To target these fish try trolling in 70-90' of water. Darker colors will work best and larger baits and blades will get more strikes. Be sure to add scent to your presentations.


Bass: Good. The lake level has been stable for a couple weeks, which has made the bass more predictable. The bass are in a late summer/early fall pattern. The shad are schooled up in the deep water and the bass are hunting them in wolf packs. Shad patterned worms, grubs and small swim baits have been working extremely well for fish holding tight to structure and for fish that are suspended in deeper water. Try using a shakey head when fishing around brush and switching to a drop shot in open water. There has been a pretty good reaction bite with a handful of fish biting crank baits, jerk baits and spinner baits. The jig bite continues to be productive. Try dragging crawdad patterns with a matching twin tail grub or swimming a shad patterned jig with a grub or small swim bait. Try fishing bluffs and points near major creek channels.


Catfish: Very Good. This is a great time of year to target the large cats. With winter right around the corner they are going to feed heavily in preparation of the colder months. They will move shallow throughout the day and night to feed primarily on other fish and crawdads. The bass and trout are ambushing the schools of shad. They will often kill more than they eat leaving some wounded and dead shad for the cats to clean up. Some cats become very aggressive and will crash the bait along side other predator fish. Frozen shad is a good choice of bait for this reason. Other frozen fish baits like sardines, mackerel and anchovies will work as well. Also, bring some crawlers and chicken liver. These two baits have been fooling the cats for years. A little extra Pro Cure scent is a good idea especially when fishing in stained water or at night.


Crappie: Very Slow. It's been a tough year and we have seen very few crappie.