Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,552,310 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped close to one foot this week, and is currently at 1008 ft. above sea level and 79 ft. from full. Water temperature is warming daily with the average being 54-56 degrees and some parts of the lake 58-62 degrees in the afternoon. The lake is clear, to slightly stained with some debris floating on the surface.

Trout: Good.Most anglers targeting trout are catching limits of rainbows along with some very nice brown trout. Trolling anglers try fishing the main lake over the river channel or near the dam/spillway. For rainbows use Uncle Larry's Spinners and Wedding Rings tipped with a chunk of crawler. Or, thread a nightcrawler onto a straight shank hook and troll it behind a string of flashers. The weather has been fairly inconsistent try using various colors at various depths until you find what the fish want. A good rule of thumb is bright skies, bright lures, dark skies, dark lures. Rolling shad from 30-50' continues to be productive for some lunker browns. Serene Scruggs, picured above landed and released a beautiful 6-pound, 13-ounce brown rolling shad in the main lake.
Steve Olson, Photo #1 fished with guide Gary Burns (Take it to the Limit Guide Service) and caught and released a hefty 7-pound, 5-ounce brown trout. He too was rolling shad in the main lake. Bank anglers struggled a bit with very few limits being caught. A great way to catch some nice fish is with a live minnow fished under a slip-float. This rig is easy to use, and you can target many different depths. All you need is a bobber stop, slip-float, swivel, spit shot, and a mosquito hook. This is a great rig for kids because trout, bass, crappie, bluegill, and catfish will eat live minnows.

Winner of the Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Kenny Colwell. Kenny, Photo #2 caught a nice 2-pound, 9-ounce rainbow near Angels Creek.

Kokanee: Good. There have been a lot of limits showing up. The fish are schooled up in 40-50 feet. Most of the fish are a good size for this time of the year 13-14" and very chunky. Try fishing the main lake with a finesse trolling setup. A Glitterbugs pink Micro Hoochie or an Anglers Market Kokanee Bites trolled behind a small tear drop dodger is great way to get a limit. Pink, watermelon, and silver have been good color choices for dodgers. Another lure that produces a lot of kok's and some large trout every year is an Apex. Randy Parrish, Randall Parrish, and Jack Sysk, Photo #3 each caught a limit while trolling near the spillway. Don't forget to tip your lure with shoe peg corn that has been soaked in garlic, anise, carp spit, or kokanee special Pro Cure scent.

Bass: Good. The big ones are still showing up and more of the smaller easy to catch fish too. The giant fish are being caught on mainly jigs, worms, and swim baits. Try fishing creek channels, flats, coves, and pockets where fish will be spawning. It is a good time to use soft plastics such as Senkos, Brush Hogs, and lizards. These baits will catch their fair share of fish and will also produce an occasional lunker fish. Top water season is right around the corner. It wouldn't be a bad idea to throw a Super Spook or a popper in the morning. We have been seeing a lot of big spotted bass being caught and we possibly have a world record swimming around out there. The current state record and world record was caught May 3, 2001 out of Pine Flat Lake. It weighed 10-pounds, 4-ounces. If you catch a fish that is larger, and want it to be recognized as a state record, it must be weighed on a certified scale. The post office or the grocery store meat department has a certified scale. It is very important to practice catch and release during the spring months! 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. John Martin, Photo #4 caught a nice 7-pound, 1-ounce spot.

Catfish: Good. The water is warming very fast and the larger catfish are moving to shallow water. Melones catfish tend to be fish-eaters rather than bottom foragers, so use live minnows, frozen shad, mackerel, or anchovies for best success. Another rig that produces fish every year is a ball of crawlers. Try using multiple large nightcrawlers on one hook to attract the big ones. The winner of the Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Austin Kane, Photo #5. He caught a 13-pound lunker cat on chicken liver.

Crappie: Good. Spring is here, and the crappie bite is on. There are fish in 15-40 foot of water, in the backs of creek channels near submerged timber. Live minnows or worms fished under a slip-float, with a bobber stop is a good way to target these fish. Also, try using Beetle Spins and mini jigs on light spinning tackle.