Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 635,220 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped just over a foot this past week. It is currently at 884 ft. above sea level and 201 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 with a slight stain in some areas. The water temperature is gradually rising, with the average being 76-81 degrees.

Trout: Fair. The trout that are being caught are very healthy and gorging themselves on shad. The shad have moved out to deep/cool water and the trout are right there with them. Look for intersections where the creek channels meet the main lake and existing river channel. These areas provide cool water for the fish and they will use them as routes to feed. Trolling anglers have been catching some nice trout while trolling for kokanee. The trout will bite brightly painted spinners out of aggression and curiosity. To specifically target trout try using a shad patterned Rapala and trolling from 20-45'. Night anglers are starting to catch some of these chunky trout while fishing under a submersible light at night. Try anchoring in 40-80' of water and dropping your light down to approximately 20'. The light will attract plankton, which will attract small fish and then larger fish. It may take a while for this cycle to occur. Not only trout can be caught under a light. Many anglers will catch crappie, bass and catfish as well. Live minnows, night crawlers, Gulp Minnows and spoons are all good choices. Bank anglers will have better luck heading to the high country to target trout.

Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Bob James of Murphys. He caught a beautiful 2-pound rainbow trout while trolling a shad patterned Rapala on 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.

Kevin and Rachel Smith of San Mateo caught three nice kokanee and one trout. They used Apex's trolled in 40-50' of water from the spillway to Rose Island.

Kokanee: Good. The kokanee bite improved this last week and many anglers reported catching their limit of very quality sized fish. The kokanee in New Melones are extremely fat and healthy this year. We have measured fish up to 17" and weighed fish close to 2-pounds. They continue to grow and we hope to see some 18-19" fish toward the end of the season. The kokanee are holding over the deep/cool water. The main river channel and creek channels leading into the main body are good spots to look for schools of kokanee. The fish have moved down a little deeper and can be caught in 30-50' of water. Many presentations have been work well. Try using a large slingblade with an 8-12" leader and a hoochie or a Super Squid. Put a slight bend in your blade to increase the side-to-side swing motion. If the fish don't want a large offering try downsizing and fishing a smaller finesse style rig. Teardrop dodgers with micro hoochies, Plankton, mini kokanee flies and Kokanee Bites will coax bites from finicky fish. Gold, watermelon, blue and pink are good color choices for blades. Pink, purple and blue have been good color choices for lures. It is very important to add scent to your lure and blade combination or fish with an Oregon Tackle Scent Chamber tied inline. Stop by the store and get some dyed and scented corn, maggots or Crappie Nibbles to tip each hook. Garlic and Garlic Bloody Tuna have been two of the most productive scents.

Casey Strom of Livermore/Angels Camp caught a few nice largemouth bass in the morning using a walk-the-dog topwater bait and a Senko.

Bass: Fair. The water temperature continues to rise and the lake level is dropping. This will pull the fish off of the shoreline and out to deep main lake structure. However, the fish will move up in the mornings and evenings to feed on baby bass and small sunfish that are holding in cover near shallow water. There are a few fish to be caught on topwater baits and often they are quality fish. Small crankbaits and spinnerbaits will also work well when targeting fish that are feeding. Once the bite dies and the sun is out it is best to switch to a slow moving presentation fished on the bottom. Shakey heads and Texas rigs work well and can be fish in and near heavy cover. Try using baby bass and bluegill colors. When fishing deep structure it is hard to beat a football headed jig. With a jig you will maintain bottom contact and be able to work the bait through submerged brush and rock without getting stuck. Add a twin tail grub, beaver or brush hog to give your jig a bigger profile and some action. California Reservoir Lures makes a great selection of jigs that work extremely well on New Melones and other Mother Lode Lakes. We currently stock many of the best colors and have a few new colors that are going to put fish in the boat. 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. Anglers are catching plenty of nice cats with average size being 4-8 pounds. Most fish are in shallow water from 5-20". Melones catfish tend to be fish-eaters rather than bottom foragers, so use live minnows, frozen shad, mackerel, or anchovies for best success. Also, chicken liver and night crawlers work well to. To attract fish at night try soaking your bait in anchovy scent, bloody tuna scent or garlic scent. Some big catfish can be caught near the dam and toward the South end of the lake.

Crappie: Okay. The crappie bite at night has been hit-and-miss. The crappie will be in an area one day and you can load the boat, a few days later they seem to disappear. Try fishing with live minnows or mini jigs under a submersible light at night.