Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 07/28/2009 04:46 PM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 07/28/2009 04:48 PM
Expires: 01/01/2014 12:00 AM
:
New Melones Lake Fishing Report for Week of July 28th, 2009~by Glory Hole Sports
Fishing Report...Trout: bank fishing at Melones is done for the season. Night fishing for trout under a submersible light has been great. Sink your light 20 feet deep and fish 30-50 feet deep with a crawler or crawler/Powerbait combo. To learn more about this fun was of fishing, attend our seminar this Sunday. Kokanee: Is red hot for anglers who are on the water at dawn, so get up early. Easy limits of small but fat 14"-16" fish are being caught. Fish the main lake near the spillway, the dam or Rose Island. Kokanee are moving deeper, and can be found 50-70 feet deep- deeper in the hottest part of the day. Glitterbugs micro hootchies, wiggling Hootchie Things, R & K ....
Hootchies, Uncle Larry's or RMT spinners, Sockeye Slammers, kokanee bugs, and Apex will all invite a bite from an aggressive kokanee right now. Best colors have been pink, orange, green and Kevorkian. All lures should be trolled behind dodgers, Crystal Basin or Glitter Bug trolling blades, or Sling Blades in chrome, gold, pink, or chartreuse. Tip your hooks with shoepeg corn soaked in scent- garlic, anise, and Kokanee Special, or a mixture of any of those are all working.
Bass: bite is fair. Please gently release any bass that you catch. Remember- the Department of Fish and Game does not plant bass, so it is up to us to maintain our bass fishery. There is a good top-water bite going on at dawn and dusk. Throw a Zara Spook, buzz bait, or Pop-Rs. When the sun is up, throw crawdad or shad-colored Carolina-rigged 6" worms, rip-baits, spinnerbaits, Zoom Baby Brush Hog, or Senkos. Bass love the strong mud lines that are forming on the lake right now, so target main lake points with a good mud line. Fish the shaded side of coves and against steep drop-offs and cliff faces during the heat of the day, as well. Night fishing with a dark colored Power Worm right now is also a good way to target bass.
Catfish: great fishing right now. Use anchovies, mackerel, sardines, chicken liver, or a ball of nightcrawlers. Leave your bail open so the cats can pick the bait up and swim with it- you will be more likely to hook them that way. Be sure to use a sliding sinker weight.
Crappie and bluegill: Fair-to-good. Night fishing under a light is best. Crappie can be found hanging out in submerged trees, about 10'-30' feet deep. Bear Creek, Mormon Creek and Carson Creek are all good bets. For crappie, try fishing live small or medium minnows, or crappie jigs with jigs in red/white, black/chartreuse or purple/white.
Guide Report
Gary Burns
Take it to the Limit Guide Service
209-559-3349
The fishing is still great at New Melones Lake for Kokanee. We have been getting limits by early to mid-morning. My clients are very happy with the hard fighting Koks up to 15 and a half inches.
My all-time favorite trip happened this week. I've been waiting 2 and 1/2 years to take my grandson Cole on this first fishing trip. I don't know who was more excited- Cole, his dad Sean, my daughter Lisa, or me. We started fishing just north of the spillway and Cole had his first fish in the boat in about 2 minutes into the trip. Cole sat on this dad's lap and reeled the fish to the boat yelling, 'Grandpa! Get the net, get the net!" I'm so proud of my little fisherman.
Water Conditions:
New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,237,830 acre-feet of water. Water level dropped two feet again this week and is at 975 ft. above sea level and 115 ft. from full capacity. Water temperature is about 80-82 degrees. Water is stained, with strong mud lines forming near shore. With falling water levels, beware of unmarked island tops!
Ramp update:
Angels Boat Ramp is now closed. At Tuttletown, we are using the lowest ramp, which will be usable unless the water level drops below 900 feet (another 75 feet). We are currently using the middle Glory Hole ramp. If the lake drops below 940 feet, we will begin using the lower ramp, which will be functional until the water drops below 899 feet. Then we will still have the lowest ramp, which is in the water until levels drop below 860 ft. The water would have to drop another 115 feet before we lost our last improved ramp. Below the lowest Glory Hole Ramp is another ramp that volunteers build in the mid-90's during the drought, when the last Glory Hole ramp was out of the water and unusable.
|
