Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 637,441 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped one foot this past week. It is currently at 885 ft. above sea level and 200 ft. from full. The water clarity is clear in most of the lake. There is some debris floating on the surface. The water temperature is gradually rising, with the average being 62-70 degrees. The dam area is still buoyed off. Glory Hole Point boat launch is a two lane concrete ramp with a courtesy dock in place.

Trout: Good. The trout bite has really picked up in the last couple of months. There are plenty of nice rainbows in the main lake over deep water. The lake level came up almost 100' since December and the fresh water has made trout more comfortable and willing to bite. Boating anglers have been trolling the main lake with downriggers and leadcore line to find success. The trout will be near the surface in the mornings and evenings and drop down to deeper water when the sun is out. Try fishing a top-line first thing, then drop down 15-30' to target them late morning and afternoon. Needlefish, Excels and Speedy Shiners have been working well. A string of flashers trailed by a crawler has also been a good choice. Bank anglers have been having little luck fishing for trout from the shore. Try using a mallow/crawler combo or a live minnow fished under a slip-float.

Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Earl and Tyler Natirass. They caught a limit of trout and koknaee and their largest trout weighed 1-pound, 4-ounces. They used hoochies and slindblades near the dam to find their luck.

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.

Guide Gary Burns caught a limit very healthy kokanee (full report below).

Kokanee: Good. The kokanee bite is on! Most anglers that are fishing for kokanee are catching some chunky 14-15" kokanee and some nice rainbows. The kokanee are not very deep and can be caught in 20-35' of water. One trick to catching the kokanee is to troll at slower speeds. The fish are holding in the main lake near the deepest water. The spillway and the dam have been the most productive areas. Rocky Mountain Slingblades and Glitterbug's teardrop dodgers have been working well. Watermelon, pink, gold and silver are all good choices for blade colors. Behind the blade run a micro hoochie, Uncle Larry's Spinner or Father Murphy's Bug. Pink has been a good color choice and multi-colored baits will appeal to fish in various light conditions. Be sure to add scent to your bait and dyed and scented corn to each hook.

Bass: Good. This is the perfect time of the year to target bass. The weather is nice and the bass will bite all day. The fish are in three different modes, pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn. This means that fish can be caught near the bank and in deep water in many areas of the lake. The bass will stage near main lake coves and creek channels and then move shallow to spawn. Soft plastic baits with a little red flake work well during the spring months. Red seems to agitated the bass when they are near the spawn. Many baits and rigging methods will work, but it is hard to beat a Texas rigged worm when fishing near brush and wood. Try using baby brush hogs, beavers and Senkos. There is a topwater bite in the early morning. Small poppers and walk-the-dog style baits will coax bass to the surface. Reaction type baits will work once the sun comes up. Try fishing soft plastic reaction baits like Zoom Flukes and small swimbaits. PLEASE PRACTICE CATCH AND RELEASE. The spawn is here and many fish are holding eggs. Take photos and carefully release the fish back into to the lake to maintain a healthy fish population for generations to come.

Catfish: Good. The water has warmed to a very optimal temperature for the catfish to become active. Many catfish are moving into shallow water and feeding often throughout the day. Catfish are commonly mistaken as bottom feeders, but they will actually hunt and feed on other fish and creatures much like a bass would. Try using shad or nightcrawlers to offer a presentation they would naturally feed on. Catfish have very poor eyesight and feed by scent as well. Add scent to help the fish locate your bait.

Gary McCoy of Manteca brought in a giant crappie that weighed close to 2-pounds. He caught it on a mini jig out of 15' of water.

Crappie: Great. It has been a great spring and anglers are catching a ton of crappie. To locate the crappie, try fishing in main lake coves near timber. It is best to use a small reaction bait to find where the fish are hanging and then switch to a live minnow to load the boat. Beetle Spins, small square bills and small Rapalas are all good search baits. Use a slip-float to adjust the depth of your presentation. The crappie population is on the rebound so it is best to only keep what you can eat and catch and release the rest for fun.