Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,472,364 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped five feet this week, and is currently at 1000 ft. above sea level and 87 ft. from full. Water temperature is warming daily with the average being 62-64 degrees and some parts of the lake 68-70 degrees in the afternoon. The lake is clear, to slightly stained with some debris floating on the surface.

Trout: Fair.The trout are starting to show up in main lake pockets and over the river channel. The trout are targeting large balls of shad in deep and shallow water. The trout will feed heavily on these bait balls during the late spring and summer months. Watch for surface activity, once you locate feeding fish try casting a shad patterned lure toward them. Trolling anglers try using your electronics to find these large balls of shad. The trout will be near them waiting for a few to stray away from the school. Use shad patterned Needlefish, Excel spoons, and Rapalas, to target these fish. The brown trout bite has been good for a few weeks now.
Bank anglers have been catching a few trout using a Power Egg/crawler combo. Try using a few different color eggs and a chunk of crawler on a light wire Kahle hook. Also, to locate feeding fish, try fan casting a shad patterned Kastmaster.

Kokanee: Good. There have been a lot of limits showing up. The fish are schooled up in 30-50 feet. Most of the fish are a good size this year, 12-14" and very chunky. The dam, spillway, and Rose Island have been the hot spots so far this year. Try using a small tear drop dodger, or a sidekick dodger with a small hootchie, bug, or spinner tied 10-18" behind. A couple of hoochies that consistently land fish are Mag Tackle Mini Mags and Glitterbugs Micro hoochies. The Lolipop colored bug made by Father Murphy's has been working well, and Uncle Larry's Spinners Pinky or Copper Pop are good choices. Another good bait to use that catches kokanee and trout is an Apex. Watermelon is a very versatile color that will attract both species. Be sure to tip your lures with corn that has been soaked in scent. A few Pro Cure scents that work well early season are nightcrawler and krill.

Bass: Good. The fish are in three different modes, pre-spawn, spawn, and post spawn. There are a lot of fish being caught shallow. The larger fish will be in deeper water either preparing to spawn or recovering from the spawn. Early morning top water bite is on. Try using a walk the dog type bait such as a Spook, Rover, or Sammy. Or, twitch a popper near the shoreline. Add a feather tail to your bait to improve the action and get a few more blow-ups. Once the top water bite dies switch to a soft plastic presentation. A Carolina rig with a brush hog is a great way to cover water and fish at various depths. 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.

Catfish: Good. The larger catfish are moving to shallow water to spawn a feed. Melones catfish tend to be fish-eaters rather than bottom foragers, so use live minnows, frozen shad, mackerel, or anchovies for best success. Also while bait fishing, it is a good idea to drag your bait across the bottom every few minutes to attract nearby fish. Use a sliding sinker with a bead to create a ticking noise as your bait is moving.

Crappie: Good. Try using crappie jig with live minnow, fished under a slip-float. The crappie will suspend in standing timber and brush. Try casting near past the cover and fishing your presentation into it.

Photos:
Pictured Above: Robert Metz, Josh Ainsworth, and Tom Turner caught a 5-pound, 9-ounce brown on an Apex, along with a handful of kokanee.
Photo #1: Bob Seybold of San Diego landed a massive 13-pound brown trout, on 8-pound line. He reported catching the fish east of the dam, in 30' of water, on a nickel/blue Speedy Shiner. This is the fourth 13-pound brown trout caught in the last three years that we know of. We do encourage catch and release of brown trout, as the Department of Fish and Game is no longer going to plant them in the lake.
Photo #2: Scott Schlegel, Chris Limas and his daughter Brooke, and Anthony Limas caught a few massive cats.
Photo #3: The Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes 4-year old Brooke Limas. She landed the biggest fish, a giant 14-pound, 10-ounce cat.