Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 12/20/2010 05:21 PM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 12/20/2010 05:24 PM
Expires: 01/01/2015 12:00 AM
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New Melones Fishing Report for December 20th, 2010
Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,395,633 acre-feet of water. The water level rose a whopping SIX feet this week (I don't think I have ever seen it come up so much in a week!), and is at 991 ft. above sea level and 97 ft. from full capacity. Water temperature is about 54-56 degrees at the surface. Water is heavily stained really muddy from rain run-off. Fishing conditions are very different than is usual for this time of year, between the heavy rains and the warm water temperatures.....
Bill Heinle of Arnold wins the Glory Hole Sports Big Catfish Contest with a huge 18-pound, 13-ounce catfish that he caught on shad while night fishing in Angels Creek.
Trout: Good fishing, for the few anglers who dared to brave the weather last week! The Department of Fish and Game has been planting catchable rainbows into Melones almost every week, so we are seeing plenty of planters, as well as some holdovers in the 2-pound range being caught. With the water being so muddy, be sure to use plenty of scent to help trout locate your bait or lure. If bank fishing or still fishing from your boat, use Berkley Select scented Power Bait, Power Eggs, or a crawler/marshmallow combo, or throw Rapala Countdowns, Roostertails, or Kastmasters in shad or rainbow trout colors.
Brandon Payne of Stockton caught four nice rainbows on a white Roostertail while bank fishing near the marina and Buck Brush. If you prefer trolling, target the top 15 feet of water with Rapalas, spinners or spoons. Speedy Shiners are a great way to target a lot of water, since they are designed to be trolled fast- about 2-5 mph. Adding a Sep's Trolling Grub to whatever spoon you are trolling will increase your success, too. Gold or firetiger patterns work best on cloudy or overcast days and in stained water, and chrome/silver or shad-patterns on clear days. Be sure to use scent to help fish find your lure. 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. Troll at the mouths of major coves, or creek arms during and after a rain, when trout move in to eat the insects that wash downstream.
Wyse of San Andreas wins the Glory Hole Sports Big Trout of the Week Contest. He caught two 2-pound rainbows by trolling with a shad-pattern Excel Spoon 15-20 feet deep in the Angels Creek Arm. It's time to target trophy brown trout. Use large rainbow trout or firetiger patterned Rapala, Lucky Craft, or Trophy Stick Lures, or roll shad. Focus on points and outside bends on the main river channel for big browns. Remember that they tend to be oriented to structure, and aren't out in the open like rainbows.
Kokanee: Done for the season.
Bass: Consistent bite for smaller fish, with a few big spots and black bass showing up, usually caught on swimbaits. With the stained water, be sure to use plenty of scent, and rattles will help the bass hone in on your lure, so use rattles on your jigs, or throw a Rattletrap. There has been a strong spoon bite at Melones. Vertical-jig a ½ or ¾ oz. Hopkins or P-line spoon over submerged islands and points. The jig bite has been good, too- it's time to tie on a heavier jig. Tie on a drop shot rig with a 4-6 inch shad pattern worm to target suspended bass over humps and in creek channels. When we get a little weather or if the wind kicks up, throw a swimbait- with the Department of Fish and Game is planting rainbow weekly now, so bass will be looking for a fat trout to eat, and we have been hearing reports of a few big bass being taken on swimbaits. 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 largemouth loose.
Catfish: Still seeing some nice cats.
Crappie and bluegill: fair to slow. Bluegill can be found in the backs of coves, and are hitting king mealworms or a piece of nightcrawler under a bobber. Best crappie action near structure, at night under a submersible light. Use red and white crappie jigs or small or medium minnows.
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