Water Conditions:
New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,633,191 acre-feet of water. The lake level rose one foot this week, and is currently at 1017 ft. above sea level and 72 ft. from full. Water temperature has cooled and is 48-52 degrees. The lake is clear, to slightly stained with some debris floating on the surface. The lake has turned over.

Trout:
Fair. Department of Fish and Game is now planting rainbow trout weekly at New Melones. The lake has turned over. The trout are still scatter throughout the lake from 0-30' deep. Trolling anglers should target major coves and creek arms, with baits trolled near the surface. While top-lining 150-200' behind the boat, try using plugs that dive to different depths to locate the fish. A Rapala Shad Rap and a Rapala Jointed Minnow are to great bait to use. The Shad Rap has a larger bill and will dive deeper than the Jointed Minnow. The fish are feeding on large shad. This would be a good time to try rolling frozen shad for brown trout and large rainbows. Another technique that has been producing limits is a crawler fished behind a teardrop shaped flasher.

Bank fishing and still-fishing from a boat has produced the most fish. Walking the bank as you cast will help you find the fish. A 1/4-3/8 ounce Kastmaster seem to be the most productive "chuck and wind" lure. The key to fishing a casting spoon is mixing up the speed and presentation. Sometimes the fish will take a slow, steady retrieve, and other times they prefer a faster, more erratic presentation. For bait fishing, try using garlic scented Power Bait (rainbow or chartreuse), or put on a Gulp Egg or a marshmallow/nightcrawler. Or, use Pro Cure garlic scent on colors of Power Bait that don't come pre-scented. If you fish an area for an hour or so without having any luck, pick up and move down the bank. Sometimes you might be just a few yards away from a quality limit, or a productive feeding route.

Johnny Roberts and Cliff Larrew, pictured above of Rippon caught 9 rainbow trout from shore, weighing 22-pounds (total weight). They caught their fish on the Glory Hole side of the lake using night crawlers and moving location frequently throughout the day.

Winner of the Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Ed Castro, Photo #1 of Murphys. He fished from the bank near the 49 bridge to catch a 3-pound, 6-ounce rainbow. He caught this hefty rainbow with rainbow Power Bait.

Kokanee:
Done for the season.

Bass:
Fairly tough. Most anglers are having trouble locating quality fish. The water temperature drastically dropped over the last few weeks. The fish seemed to have moved into deep water for the winter. They are feeding on main lake points throughout the day. But, with such cold water they will feed a lot less than normal due to a slower metabolism. Now is a good time to fish finesse style presentations, such as a drop-shot rig. Small, slow moving baits will trigger more bites. Anglers should try using 3-4" hand poured worms in natural shad and crawfish hues. Another way to catch them is by "dead-sticking" your bait. Try using a 5" Senko on the bottom, motionless, and moving it a little at a time every 2-3 minutes. bass will feed heavily on crawfish at this time of the year. Try using a heavy 1/2oz. or 3/4oz. football head jig fished in deep water 40-60'. Try using darker colors in deep water such as, black/blue, and brown/purple. California Reservoir Lures' jigs are designed for Mother Lode lakes. A great color is "Cash Call" it is green pumpkin, purple, with gold flake, and matches Yamamoto color (331). The swim bait bite is getting better. Try using smaller swim baits to catch spots and nice largemouth. If you want to catch a huge fish throw an 8" rainbow trout swim bait. Remember to practice catch and release! If you do keep a bass, please keep the spotted bass and release the big female (largemouth) black bass. Glory Hole Sports can teach you the difference, so you can practice good conservation of the species.

Catfish:
Haven't seen any this week, but they are out there. Melones catfish tend to be fish-eaters rather than bottom foragers, so use live minnows, frozen shad, mackerel, or anchovies for best success. Move/drag your bait slowly across the bottom to cover more water and target fish that are aggressively feeding. Generally cats will feed in shallow flats or areas with large chunk rock near deep water.

Crappie:
Slow. There are fish in 15-40 foot of water, in the backs of creek channels near submerged timber. Live minnows or redworms fished under a slip-float, with a bobber stop is a good way to target these fish.