Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 648,792 acre-feet of water. The lake level came up three feet this past week and continues to rise daily. It is currently at 887 ft. above sea level and 198 ft. from full. There is still some snow to melt in the high country, hopefully the runoff will continue to fill the lake and offset releases. The water clarity is clear in most of the lake. The water temperature is gradually rising, with the average being 74-80 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: Fair. Some anglers continue to catch some pretty nice trout in the main lake over deep water. As the water temperatures warm, the trout will move down deeper in the water column. Trolling anglers have been finding success using shad patterned spoons trolling in 30-40' of water. Many anglers targeting kokanee with bright colored presentations have been catching trout and kokanee. Night fishing anglers are starting to catch some fat healthy trout under a submersible light. Try anchoring the boat in 30-60' of water, and dropping the light 15-25' feet down. Be patient, it may take awhile for the light to attract plankton, baitfish, and trout. Some anglers will also drift over the main lake with a submersible light. To catch them, try using live minnows, mini jigs, Power Bait, and crawlers. Bank anglers should head to the high country and fish some of the lakes and rivers.

Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Bob Byrd who caught a 1-pound, 8-ounce trout while trolling a flasher/crawler combo.

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. The water continues to rises and is flooding more vegetation daily. This is great for the plankton population and will continue to feed the already healthy kokanee in New Melones. This year the kokanee are extremely fat and can be caught in the 14-16" range. We have seen fish over 16" and expect them to reach 18" by the end of the kokanee season. The bite has not been fast and furious, but once you hook into a few it will be well worth your efforts. Anglers are using a variety of lure and blade combinations. Rocky Mountain Tackle and Uncle Larry's Spinners trailed behind a full size sling blade has been a good choice. Some anglers do well downsizing and fishing micro presentations. Try using a Glitterbug's micro hoochie trailed behind a teardrop blade or a Murphy's Magic behind a Murphy's mini dodger. Pink, blue and purple have been a good color choice for lures. Gold, copper, pink and watermelon have been good color choices for blades and dodgers. Try fishing a short leader from 8-12" between your dodger and lure. This will allow the action of the blade to swing the lure violently from side-to-side. Kokanee will strike out of aggression, so it is best to offer a presentation that will disturb them. Scent is also very important and should be applied and reapplied throughout the day. To ensure your presentation is creating a scent slick, use an Oregon Tackle Scent Chamber tied inline above your blade. Be sure to put some dyed and scent corn on each hook. Garlic, anise, krill and bloody tuna are all good choices.

Bass: Fair. The bass will continue to bite throughout the summer and it is best to target them in the early morning and evening. The fish will be more aggressive under these low light conditions. The bass are done spawning and in a post spawn stage. During this time of year the larger bass will be eating bluegill and baby bass. Keep this in mind when making bait selections. Try using topwater poppers and walk-the-dog style baits fished near the shoreline. If the fish don't want to come to the surface try using soft plastics that can be fished in the middle water column and on the bottom. Some fish will be very reluctant to chase baits and want a very slow moving presentation. Try fishing a dropshot rig and leaving the bait in one spot for a few seconds. This will trigger strikes from fish that are not feeding. To cover water, try using a shakeyhead or a football jig and drag and hop it across the bottom. The key to getting bites is to keep your bait on the bottom and to bump into structure and cover. PLEASE PRACTICE CATCH AND RELEASE. Take photos and carefully release the fish back into to the lake to maintain a healthy fish population for generations to come.

Catfish: Good. We have had reports of some nice catfish being caught out of New Melones. It is not uncommon to catch 6 to 10-pound fish. Most anglers have been using frozen shad, mackerel and anchovies to catch their fish. Also, a ball of nightcrawlers is a good choice and will catch multiple species.

Crappie: Okay. The night fishing bite is picking up. Try dropping a submersible light around standing timber in the coves and creek channels where the crappie will hold. The light will attract shad and the crappie will soon follow. Use live minnows under a slip-float.