Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 496,040 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped three feet this last week. It is currently at 857 ft. above sea level and 222 ft. from full. The water clarity is fairly clear in most of the lake with a few areas having some stained water. The water temperature has warmed, with the average being 63-68 degrees. Glory Hole Point boat launch is a two lane dirt road leading off of the end of the point. There is not a courtesy dock and 4-wheel drive is recommended.

Trout: Very Good. There is a surprising amount of trout in fairly shallow water and feeding on the surface. These fish have followed the shad that have migrated toward the surface and into shallow water to spawn. Many anglers have reported having much success trolling and casting shad patterned lures.

Trolling anglers have been doing well fishing a top-line 150-200 yards behind the boat. For this presentation a small billed minnow or a trolling fly and crawler will work well. If the surface activity slows, try dropping down to 30-40' of water and target the fish that are holding in the cool water over the main river channel. Spoons are always a good choice. In stained water use gold spoons and in clear water use silver spoons. Bank anglers have been finding a few fish. The trout will feed in the cool hours of the morning. It is best to get to the lake early and try to target fish that are more active and feeding. A good way to cover water and find fish is by casting a heavy spoon and retrieving it quickly. It is important to make a very long cast, to do this try using light line and a heavy Kastmaster. Once the sun comes up, try switching to Power Bait or soaking a mallow/crawler combo.

Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Jazaiha Keliey and Jacob Fender. They brought in a beautiful holdover rainbow that weighed 2-pounds, 12-ounces. They reported catching their trout while trolling Excel Spoons near the dam.

Ben Northington of Altaville caught a couple rainbows and a kokanee while trolling the main lake.

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: Good. Anglers are starting to catch a few nice kokanee. We have had reports of some larger than average kokanee being caught. Please send pictures or stop by the store to have a photo taken of your catch. To target kokanee try trolling in 40-60' of water. Pink and orange have been working well. Anglers have been finding luck trolling with hoochies, spinners and small spoons. Use a short leader, between the dodger/slingblade and lure to get more action out of your presentation. Watermelon is a good color choice for dodgers. Be sure to tip your lures with dyed and scented corn.

Bass: Good. The bass in Melones have been biting and can be caught on a variety of presentations. For those who prefer fishing with soft plastics, try using a bullet weight and fishing your favorite plastic rigged Texas style. Baits that continually produce nice fish include, brush hogs, beavers, Senkos and Roboworms. Natural crawdad, shad, bluegill and baby bass colors work well. Many anglers have also reported having luck with reaction baits. Try using a Lucky Craft Pointer or cranking a square-billed crankbait to target the more aggressive fish. The California Tournament Trails had a two day tournament this last weekend. The conditions were very unstable. It rained on Saturday and was clear and windy on Sunday. The anglers that did well adjusted to the conditions and caught some really nice fish. 1st Place went to Chad Martin with a two day total of 36.70-pounds. 2nd Place went to Phil Garcia with a two day total of 36.26-pounds. 3rd Place went to Chris Gosselaar with a two day total of 34.26-pounds. The bite was much better on day 1 and was really tough on day 2.

Catfish: Good. Each week we are seeing some really nice cats. Typically catfish are known as bottom feeders. On New Melones they tend to feed on small bait fish and can often be caught roaming, suspended off of the bottom. Try using frozen shad, mackerel and sardines to target these fish eaters. Catfish will typically hunt by sense of smell, so it is a good idea to add plenty of scent to your offerings.

Crappie: Fair. The crappie will be holding in the standing timber that lines the lake. The best way to catch crappie is with live minnows. Try using a small minnow fished under a slip-float or casting a Beetle Spin into the brush. Creek channels are a good place to look for crappie and will often have large schools of them. It is also time to drop a light and do some night fishing.


Guide Report from Guide Gary Burns

The bite at New Melones this week was fast and furious with kokanee and rainbow. The Kokanee finally woke up and we have put koks in the boat up to 13-1/2", they are fat and healthy and with a good fight. The bows are hitting the kokanee gear and we getting them up to 18" this week.

The surface temp. went up to 67 degrees and we been putting our downriggers down 44' to 55' to find fish. The dam, rose, and the spillway have been the hot spots for us, using Uncle Larry Spinners, Glitter Bug Hoochies and Wedding Rings in pink or orange. Dodger wise, we have not found one that is tops, they all seem to put fish in the boat.

Watch out the trees don't get you gear.