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Posted by: thepinetree on 05/12/2014 08:07 PM Updated by: thepinetree on 05/12/2014 09:56 PM
Expires: 01/01/2019 12:00 AM
:



New Melones Fishing Report ~ from Glory Hole Sports

Angels Camp, CA...New Melones Lake is currently holding 860,083 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped five feet this week and is currently at 922 ft. above sea level and 163 ft. from full. The water is slightly stained with some areas forming mud lines. The average water temperature is 68-72 degrees and rising daily. The boat launch ramps on the Glory Hole side have been moved back out to the end of the point which makes for a short walk.

Kyloe and her friend caught some trout and some kokanee on pink spinners.




Trout: Fair. A few trout are being caught by anglers who are targeting kokanee. The fish are at many different depths and scattered about. In the next couple months they will definitely be favoring the cooler water near the river channel in the main lake. Trolling anglers try fishing various depths from 10-60'. Excel, Needlefish, and Speedy Shiner spoons are all good choices for trolling. The brown trout will often hang around schools of small kokanee. It is a good idea to have one rod setup to catch the larger browns while trolling for rainbows and kokanee. Try rolling shad or trolling large jointed plugs to coax them into biting.

Ken Vignati of Santa Rosa caught a 2-pound, 5-ounce rainbow on a Simon Baby Wobbler while fishing with Gary Burns from Take it to the Limit Guide Service.

The Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Dick Stockton of Valley Springs. He caught a really nice 4-pound, 2-ounce rainbow on a pink micro hoochie.

Bank fishing for trout has been very slow. Trout season is open for rivers, and streams, it might be best to try your luck in these areas. If you do choose to target trout from the bank try using chartreuse or rainbow garlic Power Bait. Night anglers have been having some success fishing under submersible lights. The fish will be in deep water throughout the day and move into shallower water at night to feed. Nightcrawlers and Power Bait will work well and also live minnows are hard to beat. Try using a slip-float and a bobber stop to set your presentation at exact depths.

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.

Jacob, Elaine, Alex and Jesse caught a bunch of nice kokanee off of Glory Hole Point. The caught them on pink Wedding Rings with carp spit scented corn.

Kokanee: Good. The kokanee bite continues to get better each week. The weather is gradually getting warmer, which usually makes the fishing really good. The main lake has been holding schools of kokanee. Rose Island, the dam and the spillway have all been producing limits. There are also fish being caught near the 49-bridge and Coyote Creek. Most of the fish are staring to look rather healthy measuring from 10-13". They have been biting an assortment of lures including Uncle Larry's Spinners, Glitter Bug's Micro Hoochies and Simon Wobblers. As far as color selection goes, pink, orange and watermelon are all good choices. Also try adding a little extra bend to your dodgers to create more swing from side-to-side. Don't forget to tip your presentations with scented corn, Berkley Nibbles, or Berkley Maggots. Add plenty of scent to draw fish from a distance. Pro Cure garlic, anise, kokanee special and bloody tuna are all proven fish catchers.

Bass: Good. The lake level continues to drop quite a bit each day. The fish are still biting, and can be caught at many different depths. Try fishing shallow in the mornings and evenings and moving out into deeper water throughout the day. A variety of soft plastics are working well such as Senkos, Brush Hogs, and lizards. Try fishing them on a Carolina Rig in deeper water. There has also been a pretty decent reaction bite. The fish are active and willing to chase crank baits and jerk baits. Try using natural colored baits in clear water and bright colored baits in stained water. Also, there is always a handful of fish that are eager to bite a jig. Try using colors that resemble crawdads, baby bass, and bluegill. A ½ oz or ¾ oz football jig can be fished in shallow or deep water and used to locate fish.

Joseph McHardy caught a couple largemouth on a shakey head soft plastic worm.

Paul Nau and Lynda Howard of Twain Harte caught a largemouth bass on a crawfish colored crank bait.

Please practice catch and release during the spring months. The fish are full of eggs in preparation for the spawn. Take photos and carefully release the fish back into to the lake to maintain a healthy fish population for generations to come.

Catfish: Very Good. The big cats are up in shallow water and feeding heavily. The water temperature is getting warmer each day which has encouraged the cats to move shallow. Try using frozen shad or a ball of crawlers to target these fish. Catfish are drawn to bait by scent so it is a good idea to add additional scent to your bait.

Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week goes to Floyd Crow of Tuolumne. He landed a nice 9-pound catfish while still fishing from a boat near Glory Hole Point.

Art Smith of Manteca caught a nice crappie on a live minnow.

Crappie: Fair. The crappie bite has been okay this year with a few anglers catching a handful of chunky slabs. There is a bunch of exposed wood and standing timber to fish. Try using a mini jig, or a beetle spin to locate the schools of fish. Red and white is a great crappie color. Chartreuse, yellow, and orange will also trigger strikes.








Guide Report from Guide Gary Burns



With the wind, the clouds and the large amount of water leaving New Melones Lake the kokanee fishing was still good, we put several limits in the boat this week up to 14". The koks are putting the weight on and they are getting bigger every week. With the hotter weather coming in this week, we should see some even nicer koks in the next few weeks. We fished the main lake around the dam, Rose and South Island from 30' down to 55'. Uncle Larry's Spinner in gold with pink splatters was hot alone with Simon Baby Wobblers in the pink and the pink tiger. Rocky Mountain Tackle UV pink thunder and UV orange thunder have worked great ever since I put them in my boat two weeks ago.



83 year old Mary Ann White fished with us this week with her nephew John and a friend Jim and she landed all the big kokanee, the biggest went close to 14". She told the boys she's taking them home to give a class on how to catch the big ones. Mary is a retired teacher.

Erik Giono, Tony Giono and Ken Vigna took it to the limit this week with nice Kokanee Up to 13" and one nice 21/2 pound rainbow

See Ya On The Water



Take it to the Limit Guide Service

Gary Burns

209-559-3349



Guide Report from Guide John Liechty




Tuesday afternoon was very interesting. I pulled into the parking lot at the lake to meet Rob and Bob Betsch for some evening bass fishing. We decided to put on our rain gear and weather the storm. Within the first 15 minutes, we were standing in high winds, white caps and a torrential downpour. Fortunately Rob hooked a nice fish on his first cast on a top water swim bait, and Bob started hauling them in on soft plastics. The good fishing kept our mind off of the bad weather. As we fished the weather continued to clear and eventually the sun came out. We caught many fish on top water poppers and walk the dog plugs. Toward the end of the evening Rob hooked into the big one, unfortunately the fish came unbuttoned after an exciting fight.

On Friday Bob James and I hit the water in search of bass and crappie. We struck out on the crappie but the bass were very cooperative. We caught them at all depths on a variety of baits. We figured by the end of the day we had landed over 30 fish, with a few weighing over 3-pounds. It was a great day, great weather, and great company.

Everyone had fun, caught a bunch of fish and enjoyed the overall Xperience.



Xperience Fishing Guide Service


John Liechty (209)743-9932





Michi's Photos



Happy Mother's Day everyone. Yesterday we were at the California Raptor Center at UC Davis and had a tour of the center. Stuart with Mother Lode Scots was able to accommodate us in their group. (Stuart, please forward this email to people who were there yesterday as some people requested it). I also like to thank all the volunteers at the raptor center for enabling me to get these photographs (pics for short).


As many of you know I like to photograph birds and I like to show what the birds look like, which is why they are as big as I can make it within each frame, although they may not make the best artwork.


#1 and 2 - Great Horned Owl. Almost 2 ft. tall. Can't be released due to injured wings. Can you believe the detail in this #1 pic? The eyes are so crystal clear, a sign of good health. My eyes are always in search of birds and only had one encounter of the wild one in Amador County so I thought it's rare, but not according to the expert.


 

#3,4,5,6 - Western Screech Owl. About 8" tall, cute little one named "Miso" (as in Miso soup?). One eye missing and the other one is damaged. Looks like the tree bark so it must be able to blend in well among trees. #4 is the backside with it's head turned to the right. #5 is the close up detail of the body. #6 is the close up shot of a feathered foot. Most birds don't have feathered feet, which is why you're seeing this pic.

#7 - Peregrine Falcon, female on the left, male on the right. The fastest bird in the world. This was shot between the tight knit enclosure which is why it's not that clear. I've seen a wild one once at New Melones Lake.

#8,9,10,11 - American Kestrel, another falcon. This one is male, only about the size of a pigeon if not smaller and also flies fast. The small size and the speed makes it hard to photograph well when it's flying. Common in Amador County. #8 - You can see all the details, including the fluorescent lighting reflecting in the eye. #9 = Side view. #10 = Back view with beautifully feathered out tail. #11 = Handsome little devil! Vertical stripes under the eyes are typical of falcons.

Continuation from the Owls and Falcons -

#1,2,3,4,5 - Red tail Hawks, very common. This is the hawk that urged me to get serious with bird photography. #1= Shot outside the building which made the color slightly different than the ones to follow, which were shot inside. The jagged ring around the pupil indicates that this bird has some kind of a stomach problem. #3= Many times I've seen bird open their wings wide with their head down like this. I don't know if it has any significance. #4= The back of the head. #5= Very handsome bird standing tall.

#6 - Sharp Shinned Hawk through the enclosure. Smaller than other hawks.

#7,8,9 - Swainson's Hawk. They have variety of colors and patterns in different stages of growth, and whether they are light or dark morph so I had a problem distinguishing this one. (The red tail hawks are the same way but they all have "red" tails to make the identification easy).

I was very happy to see the Swainson's hawk in person although through the enclosure and realized that these hawks are quite common here. #7= Close up of a face through the enclosure. #8= The same bird. #9= This bird was flying over the Raptor Center and thought "did it escape from here?".

By the way, there is a correction for the previous email I sent. Per the expert, Sallie, at the Raptor Center:

"The ones of "Luna", the Great Horned Owl are classics! And I love the ones - well I love them all. One minor correction, in No. 7, the bird on the left is a male Peregrine Falcon, the one on the right a male Prairie Falcon". Now we know! Thanks Sallie!

Michi

 


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