Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 516,856 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped close to a foot this week and is currently at 861 ft. above sea level and 215 ft. from full. The water is starting to clear up due to stable and rising water. The water temperature continues to cool with the average being 68-72 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. The nights are cooling off and the surface temperature continues to drop, which will encourage the trout to move toward the surface. It would not be a bad idea to use leadcore line or try top-lining. The large rainbows will feed heavily on shad. There is an abundance of smaller one to two inch shad that the fish are spitting up. Trolling anglers try using small spoons trolled in tandem. It is a good time to use ball trolls to resemble a school of shad. Umbrella rigs work great attached to the downrigger ball. To target the large browns try rolling shad or using a large billed plug. The water is clearing up a little each day. Natural patterned baits work best in clear water and light line will get bit more than heavy line. Bank fishing anglers are starting to catch a few fish but it has been pretty slow. 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. 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: Done. The fish have entered spawn mode and will soon start dying off. We have not seen or heard of any in shallow water.


Bass: Good. The lake level has been fairly stable for a couple weeks, which has made the bass more predictable and a bit more comfortable. The bass are closer to a fall pattern and feeding heavily on shad. The shad are moving from deep water toward shallow cuts and pockets, the bass are hunting them in wolf packs. There are a lot of fish that are suspended in 35-55' of water. Try using a spoon to vertically jig through the middle of these schools. Mack's Sonic Baitfish is a great spoon that can be rigged multiple ways to give the fish a different presentation. Also, it is a good idea to have a drop shot rig set up for when they quit eating the spoon. There has been a pretty good reaction bite with a handful of fish biting crank baits, jerk baits and small swimbaits. 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 single tail grub or small swim bait. Try fishing bluffs and points near major creek channels and the main river channel.


Catfish: Very Good. -SIGN UP FOR OUR NOVEMBER CATFISH CONTEST- 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 winter 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. Another trick that has been working to catch more fish is, instead of using a swivel, use an Oregon Tackle Scent Chamber. This will replace your swivel and can be filled with Pro Cure scent that will slowly leak out and cover the area with scent.


Crappie: Very Slow. It's been a tough year and we have seen very few crappie. The crappie will feed on shad along side bass and trout. Live minnows work best.