Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 02/16/2011 06:54 PM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 02/16/2011 07:35 PM
Expires: 01/01/2016 12:00 AM
:
Latest New Melones Lake Fishing Report ~by Melanie at Glory Hole Sports
New Melones, CA.....Dan and I at the mouth of the South Fork Stanislaus, after a long, cold boat ride! Dan and I had a visitor from out of town this week. Terry lives part-time in Hawaii, and part time in Northern California near Sonoma. He wanted to catch some trout (I guess he gets bored with all those big mahi and ono in Hawaii!). We took him out for trout, and managed to catch dinner three days in a row. By the way, does anyone have fish recipes they want to share? I thought it would be fun to include some in the newsletter....
Dan and Melanie Lewis (south fork of the Stanislaus and Carson Creek).
We headed up into the creek arms, and used our bobber-stop technique, as well as drop-shotting Berkely minnows. We worked hard for the fish- I won't say it was red-hot, but we didn't get skunked! The day was so calm, and the water so clear. Check out the photos of reflections by Terry, below.
TROOPS UPDATE
Thanks to all of the great donations and participation, we collected over $4,500 in cash for the troops last year, which was spent on food, postage, and the safety netting we sent. In addition, we had thousands of dollars worth of food and supplies donated by customers, which we sent over. Isn't that amazing? I am so proud of my customers- what an effort! We are still taking donations, and are gearing up to send to another troop now that the 101st Airborne Monti Division is coming home. One local soldier will be deploying to Afghanistan in March. And if anyone knows of a soldier still over there, please contact me.
TROOPS UPDATE
We are going to go ahead and send another load of goodies to the 101st Airborne- they will not be coming home quite as soon as anticipated (probably due to the unrest in Egypt and the Middle East). The donations keep coming in- thank you all!
The Vietnam Veterans Chapter of Tuolumne County (the largest in California, I believe), is having a great event on March 24-27. There will be a movie preview, and the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall. Look at the info at www.VietnamVeterans391.org/avtt
Good fishing!
Melanie
Melones Report
Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,1,634,956 acre-feet of water. The water level rose another two feet this week and is now 1017 ft. above sea level and 71 ft. from full capacity. The lake has risen 35 feet since December 1st. Water temperature is about 52-54 degrees at the surface- warmer in the south side of the lake. Water is really clearing up- gin clear in the main lake with about 15-foot visibility. There is some staining in the creek arms. With the rising water, there is about 20 feet of grass line underwater- this will be very beneficial for the spring spawn.
Trout: Trout are suspended at about 10-20 feet deep and really stacked up in the backs of creek arms with running water. Bank anglers will have best luck under the Hwy 49 Stevenot Bridge. A slip-float bobber and a bobber stop at 15-20 deep with a minnow or a Power Bait/piece of crawler combo is a sure-fire way to catch fish right now. A drop-shot rig with a long (8-10 ft.) drop and a live minnow or minnow imitation is also a great set-up. Either way, your bait is in the right place to target suspended fish. If bank fishing or still fishing from your boat with a bottom rig, be sure to use a longer leader and bait that floats such as Berkley Select scented Power Bait, Power Eggs, or a crawler/marshmallow combo, to get your bait above the flooded grass. Using a worm inflator helps too. Check your bait in shallow water to be sure it is buoyant before you toss it out. With the amazingly clear water, be sure to use a light (4-pound) leader- fluorocarbon is best to fool those wary fish.
Trollers should tie on lures in colors such as shad or rainbow trout patterns. Matt Wise of Angels Camp landed a nice stringer of rainbows while trolling a green/black Excel 20 feet deep under the Stevenot Bridge. Target creek arms in the top 15 feet of water over deeper water for rainbows, and 15-25 feet deep for big brown trout. Some anglers are having luck trolling the main lake, too. Remember- it is very important at this time of year to have plenty of line out when trout are right at the surface, so your lure is away from your boat's chop. 80-100 feet is optimal. It's time to target trophy brown trout- this is the time of year that brown trout are caught regularly. January and February are the hottest months for browns, and most are caught while in the mouths of major creek arms. Use large rainbow trout, shad or firetiger patterned Rapala, Lucky Craft, or Trophy Stick Lures, or roll shad.
Kokanee: Done for the season, although we are seeing the occasional small kokanee caught.
Bass: Picking up a bit for spotted bass. Bite is soft, so pay attention, or you will miss the fish. Target points upriver, or submerged islands and points in the main lake, 20-60 feet deep. Drop-shotting small crawdad colored worms as the most productive. Spotted bass will become more active, and move towards shallow water and get ready to spawn when the water warms up a couple more degrees- this will really improve the bass bite.
Dennis Lee and his grandson, 11-year-old Hayden Lee (son of famous bass pro Robert Lee) have been catching big spots upriver- Hayden caught (and safely released) a 6.4-pounder on a Roboworm. Remember to practice catch and release. The Department of Fish and Game does not plant bass, so it is up to us to maintain our bass fishery. If you do decide to keep bass, please keep smaller spotted bass and turn the big spots and largemouth loose.
Catfish: The catfish action seems to have finally slowed. For best success, fish the creek arms where big cats are actively feeding on anything that washes into the lake.
Crappie and bluegill:We are hearing rumors of the crappie bite picking up a bit. Target water running into the lake, such as waterfalls and other run-off areas, especially near structure. Bear Cove and Coyote Creek are usually great spots this time of year. Use red and whi
SPRING SALE
We always clean house in the winter, marking down older items to make way for the new stuff. So be sure you keep an eye on our 50% off clearance area- there are new items being put in there all the time. In addition, we are having a RED DOT sale. Look around the store. Items marked with a red dot are buy two get one free. So keep your eyes peeled for good deals!
Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,1,634,956 acre-feet of water. The water level rose another two feet this week and is now 1017 ft. above sea level and 71 ft. from full capacity. The lake has risen 35 feet since December 1st. Water temperature is about 52-54 degrees at the surface- warmer in the south side of the lake. Water is really clearing up- gin clear in the main lake with about 15-foot visibility. There is some staining in the creek arms. With the rising water, there is about 20 feet of grass line underwater- this will be very beneficial for the spring spawn.
Trout: Trout are suspended at about 10-20 feet deep and really stacked up in the backs of creek arms with running water. Bank anglers will have best luck under the Hwy 49 Stevenot Bridge. A slip-float bobber and a bobber stop at 15-20 deep with a minnow or a Power Bait/piece of crawler combo is a sure-fire way to catch fish right now. A drop-shot rig with a long (8-10 ft.) drop and a live minnow or minnow imitation is also a great set-up. Either way, your bait is in the right place to target suspended fish. If bank fishing or still fishing from your boat with a bottom rig, be sure to use a longer leader and bait that floats such as Berkley Select scented Power Bait, Power Eggs, or a crawler/marshmallow combo, to get your bait above the flooded grass.
Using a worm inflator helps too. Check your bait in shallow water to be sure it is buoyant before you toss it out. With the amazingly clear water, be sure to use a light (4-pound) leader- fluorocarbon is best to fool those wary fish. Some anglers who caught fish on the slip bobber or drop-shot set-up this week include Phyllis and Brodie Turounet (near Highway 49 Stevenot Bridge), Terry Weaver (mouth of Angels Creek), Dan and Melanie Lewis (south fork of the Stanislaus and Carson Creek). Trollers should tie on lures in colors such as shad or rainbow trout patterns. Matt Wise of Angels Camp landed a nice stringer of rainbows while trolling a green/black Excel 20 feet deep under the Stevenot Bridge. Target creek arms in the top 15 feet of water over deeper water for rainbows, and 15-25 feet deep for big brown trout. Some anglers are having luck trolling the main lake, too. Remember- it is very important at this time of year to have plenty of line out when trout are right at the surface, so your lure is away from your boat’s chop. 80-100 feet is optimal. It’s time to target trophy brown trout- this is the time of year that brown trout are caught regularly. January and February are the hottest months for browns, and most are caught while in the mouths of major creek arms. Use large rainbow trout, shad or firetiger patterned Rapala, Lucky Craft, or Trophy Stick Lures, or roll shad.
Kokanee: Done for the season, although we are seeing the occasional small kokanee caught.
Bass: Picking up a bit for spotted bass. Bite is soft, so pay attention, or you will miss the fish. Target points upriver, or submerged islands and points in the main lake, 20-60 feet deep. Drop-shotting small crawdad colored worms as the most productive. Spotted bass will become more active, and move towards shallow water and get ready to spawn when the water warms up a couple more degrees- this will really improve the bass bite. Dennis Lee and his grandson, 11-year-old Hayden Lee (son of famous bass pro Robert Lee) have been catching big spots upriver- Hayden caught (and safely released) a 6.4-pounder on a Roboworm. Remember to practice catch and release. The Department of Fish and Game does not plant bass, so it is up to us to maintain our bass fishery. If you do decide to keep bass, please keep smaller spotted bass and turn the big spots and largemouth loose.
Catfish: The catfish action seems to have finally slowed. For best success, fish the creek arms where big cats are actively feeding on anything that washes into the lake.
Crappie and bluegill: We are hearing rumors of the crappie bite picking up a bit. Target water running into the lake, such as waterfalls and other run-off areas, especially near structure. Bear Cove and Coyote Creek are usually great spots this time of year. Use red and white crappie jigs or small or medium minnows.
GLORY HOLE SPORTS
2892 HIGHWAY 49
ANGELS CAMP, CA. 95222
(209) 736-4333 FAX (209) 736-0802
P.O. BOX 1195
MAIL ghs@goldrush.com
Check out our web site at www.gloryholesports.com
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