Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 08/08/2011 06:35 PM
Updated by: John_Hamilton on 08/09/2011 03:20 PM
Expires: 01/01/2016 12:00 AM
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New Melones Fishing Report for August 8, 2011~by Melanie of Glory Hole Sports
Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 2,242,634 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped three feet this week and is currently at 1073 ft. above sea level and 15 ft. from full. Water temperature is 80-83 degrees. Water is green-stained (lots of plankton) with strong mud lines near shore. Watch for floating debris and unmarked island tops. Trout: Pretty slow, except for those who fish at night under a submersible light, like Tom Dutil did- he caught a nice limit while night-fishing 25-40 feet deep by the dam, under a Hydro-Glo submersible light.....
Fishing guide Gary Burns of Take It to the Limit says the bite is still very good, with kokanee to 16" being caught by trollers who are persistent. Fish close to structure such as submerged humps and points- Gary reports a good bite 70-100 feet deep near the dam/spillway.
We have a selection of submersible night-fishing drop lights at Glory Hole Sports. The light attracts plankton, which attracts the baitfish, which attracts the rainbows. Drop a nightcrawler/Power Bait combo or a live minnow under the light. Allow an hour or two for the baitfish to come around the light- then the action starts! If you wish to troll for trout, fish 50-60 feet deep over deepest water in the main lake with shad-patterned lures such as Excel, Apex, Needlefish, or Rapala Countdowns, and use Bang or ProCure threadfin shad scent on your lures. If you are in the mood for a beautiful boat ride, head upriver and still-fish under the logjam. Bank anglers should head to local creeks like Angels Creek, although we have the occasional trout caught by bank anglers in Angels Cove.
Kokanee: Fishing guide Gary Burns of Take It to the Limit says the bite is still very good, with kokanee to 16" being caught by trollers who are persistent. Fish close to structure such as submerged humps and points- Gary reports a good bite 70-100 feet deep near the dam/spillway.
Bite seems best if the wind kicks up a bit. Kokanee are congregating in the main lake 70-1000 feet deep near the bottom- bottom bouncing (dragging your weight along the bottom) is the preferred technique by successful kokanee anglers in the late season- there are narrow downrigger weights made just for this purpose, which get caught less. With the kokanee running deeper and the water so stained, darker colors such as blue and purple and green are working best. R & K Micro Hootchies, Apex, RMT Assassins, Wiggle Hootchies, Wedding Rings and Uncle Larry's Spinners have all been mentioned by successful anglers. Run your lures behind Slingblades or Vance's dodgers in the same color family. Bigger lures will have good action from now till the kokanee are done. Some anglers tie a hootchie behind an Apex (remove the hooks that come with the Apex and thread the hootchie leader in its place) to present a bigger profile to late-season kokanee, or tie two Slingblades or dodgers in tandem. Always tip your hooks with shoepeg corn and apply scent liberally. Vanilla, garlic, anise, and Kokanee Special, are all working. Try spraying a little Bang Crawdad scent onto your lures and corn in addition to the Pro Cure. Crawdads eat kokanee eggs when they are spawning, so the crawdad scent gets the mature kokanee angry and ready to bite.
Bass: Fair action. Water is very stained, so noisy baits are your best bet, and adding a little chartreuse to your plastics is a good idea, too. Use a chartreuse dye pen to color the tail. Throw top-water lures in the morning and evening hours such as Pop-R's Pencil Poppers, Zara Spooks and buzzbaits. Rattletraps, Spinnerbaits, jigs with rattles and Senkos will work better in the heat of the day. Fish the backs of coves. Most fish are being caught in fairly shallow water. Remember to practice catch and release.
Catfish: Continues to be a great bite. Catfish are in coves and in shallower water. A sliding sinker rig, and a ball of crawlers or a piece of anchovy or sardine is your best bait. Leave your bail open so the cats can't feel the line if still-fishing. Successful catfish anglers move their bait often, even dragging it along the bottom and bouncing it into rocky nooks and crannies, rather than letting it sit still. Fishing for cats is usually best at night, but plenty of anglers catch them during the day as well. Joseph Hammett of Stockton wins the Glory Hole Sports Big Catfish of the Week Contest with a 13-pound, 5-ounce cat that he caught (along with a 7-pounder) on crawlers while fishing in Coyote Creek.
Crappie and bluegill: Look for crappie holding close to submerged trees in creek arms such as Bear Cove and Coyote Creek. The submerged trees upriver are also a good spot. Night-fishing under a submersible light is the most effective way to target crappie in the summer. Use Beetle-spins, red and white crappie jigs or small or medium minnows under a slide-rig bobber.
Guides' Reports
Gary Burns
Take It To The Limit Guide Service
www.Garysfishing.net
(209) 559-3349
New Melones
Where did all the kokanee boats go on New Melones? I went out this week and I thought they closed down the lake.
I started fishing around 10:00 and had a limit in the boat at 12 noon and released 4 koks bigger than the ones in the limit. The kokanee are still fat and healthy and the ones we took that day went to 16". You have to find the koks- they are holding to structure in 70 to 100 feet of water. We fished between the dam and the spillway near the bank. When we found fish stacked up we still had to work for them. That's the point I'm trying to make- don't give up. The kokanee are still there, you just have to find them and then find out what they want to put them in your boat. This week we used shoepeg corn with garlic, and larger gold blade spinners and Glitter Bug pink hootchies behind Shasta Tackle Sling Blades in UV blue.
I looked in my book from last year and we were getting kokanee thru Aug. so get out there and get them before you wished you would have.
Gary--Take it to the Limit Guide Service.
Danny Layne
Fish'n Dan's Guide Service
209 586 2383
www.fishndans.com
Don Pedro
A fairly decent bite remains here on Don Pedro for kokanee, king salmon and rainbow trout. I have been working in Middle Bay and East towards Oat Hill and Hatch Creek from twenty five down to 110' depending on which species we are targeting. For rainbows target the top fifty feet (bows are feeding on floating Grasshoppers throughout the area). Match the hatch, trolling flies in brown or tan in the top ten feet before the sun hits the water a good bet. Flashers and crawler combos down 25' to 35' or Ex-Cel shad lures trolled from 35' to fifty feet also productive. Kokanee bite becoming a challenge, fish are schooling from 80' on down, purple or silver Apexes trolled behind a silver sling blade or Vance's green 4/0 dodger. King Salmon are also deep from 75' down, hitting rolled shad, anchovies or Matrix Paddle Tails trolled naked. Success depends on finding these schools of Kings or Kokes and going to them. Watch your electronics closely for better action. David Grindstaff from Turlock pulled a nice limit of kokanee this past Monday (off Hatch Creek) at 100'.
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