Angels Camp, CA...New Melones Report: Water Conditions: New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,186,393 acre-feet of water. The lake level dropped two feet this week, and is currently at 967 ft. above sea level and 119 ft. from full. The average water temperature is a very warm 78-86 degrees. The lake is stained with mud lines forming near the shore in the afternoon. Trout: Slow. The trout are hanging near the main river channel and major creek channels. They are avoiding the very warm surface temperature. Try to focus on deep cut banks and outside bends on these channels. Get a good contour map of the lake to locate these areas. The trout are primarily feeding on 3-5" shad in 40-60' of water. Night fishing anglers have been catching some chunky 2-pound rainbows near the dam and the spillway. Night crawlers and Power Bait have been the two most productive baits to use at night.
Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes Richard Kowski. He caught a beautiful 3-pound, 7-ounce rainbow while fishing at night near the dam.
Trolling anglers have been catching a few fish while trolling for the kokanee. To target the trout try trolling at a faster speed with a Speedy Shiner or a crawler/spinner combo. Bank anglers try a marshmallow crawler combo or Berkley Garlic Power Bait. There are very few trout being caught from the shore. You might consider heading to one of the high country lakes for better bank fishing. Fly fishing anglers try fishing local rivers, creeks, and streams. Use beaded headed Prince Nymphs, Copper John's, and Pheasant Tails midday. In the evening try switching to a dry fly. Pale Morning Dunns, Adams, and Humpys are all good choices for dry flies.
Kokanee: Good. Anglers are catching their limits in 60-90' of water. The kokanee will suspend in cool water over creek channels and the main river channel. They will also use these channels in the late summer and fall to migrate for their annual spawn. The fish that are being caught are very fat, and up to 13-15" in length. There have been many fish caught on a variety of different baits. Glitterbug's Micro Hoochies, Uncle Larry's Spinners, Rocky Mountain Assasins, and Apex are few good choices that consistently produce fish. Pink is the number one color choice for either dodger or lure with green/chartreuse coming in a close second. Also, the water is a little stained and the fish are fairly deep. Try using gold and copper blades. They will stand out much better than silver in stained water and low light conditions. Don't forget to tip your bait with shoe peg corn and use plenty of scent on you lure and blade.
Steve and Shane Taroli of Placerville caught a nice limit of chunky kokanee. They reported catching them on orange hoochies near the 49 bridge.
Bass: Slow. Early morning and late evening try throwing top water, and reaction baits. Once the sun comes up the fish will pull off of the shoreline and out to deeper water. A Carolina rig is a great set up to cover water at many different depths. Try using baits with a large profile that will push more water. Lizards, brush hogs, and beavers are good choices for soft plastics. Another good way catch them is with a Texas rig worm. It is a good idea to use a bead under the weight to create a ticking noise. Also, with the fish being in deeper water, try dragging heavier ¾-1oz. football head jigs. California Reservoir Lures makes a variety of jigs that work great in our Mother Lode lakes. If you do keep a bass, please keep the small spotted bass and release the big female (largemouth) black bass. Glory Hole Sports can teach you the difference, so you can practice good conservation of the species.
Mathew Pringle of Hayward caught a nice 6-pound, 4-ounce cat on anchovies.
Catfish: Very good. Anglers are catching plenty of nice cats with average size being 4-8 pounds. Most fish are in shallow water from 5-20". Melones catfish tend to be fish-eaters rather than bottom foragers, so use live minnows, frozen shad, mackerel, or anchovies for best success. Also, chicken liver and night crawlers work well to. To attract fish at night try soaking your bait in anchovy scent, bloody tuna scent or garlic scent. Target flat areas near deep water such as; island tops and long points. The catfish will use these areas as a dinner table to feed.
The Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest goes to Jeffrey Henry of Angels Camp. They caught two nice cats including a hefty one that weighed 8-pound, 10-ounces. They reported catching them near Tuttletown using shad for bait.
Crappie: Slow. Few fish being caught at night under a submersible light. Try using minnows or a red/white crappie jig. The crappie and bluegill are being forced to deeper water due to dropping water levels. This makes them very hard to locate and catch.
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Guide Report from Doug McAurthur
King Salmon Season has opened this past week on the rivers and it's been a slow opener with water temps staying warm due to our heat we have down here in the valley. Some water flows from upriver are going to help in the coming weeks. Before we know it though, those big bright chrome kings will be moving in from the bay and up the river. I am now fully licensed as well by the USCG and will be booking trips for the Sacramento and Feather Rivers. We go where the fish are running, from Rio Vista and Isleton all the way up to Verona where the Sacramento meets the Feather River. This year is expected to be even bigger than the past few years since there has been a return of the Chinook seasons from the Ca. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. I have been waiting to fill the calendar as my new credentials were on their way, but they are in my possession and I am ready to fish when the Salmon get up the rivers. I am still able to get out on New Melones and always looking to share time with folks who want to learn about those tasty Kokanee Salmon. But if you want to do a something fun, troll down the river and hook into a large King Salmon and feel the excitement of line being peeled from your drag and rods bending nearly in two as I steer the boat to keep in sync with the fish. We are looking forward to another great year fishing all over the Mother Lode lakes and down into the California Delta Rivers. Check out my web site and know that Veterans and Public Safety Personnel always get a discounted rate. Stay tuned here for more reports in the coming weeks with photos of big fish and reports on how and where we are getting into them so you know they are. Seats will fill up on the boats we have on our team as we get further into the season. I work side by side with 2 other guides and we would be happy to have folks come out and share some time on the water with us.
More to come next week as we get the first pics back from this weeks trips on our boats.
Captain Doug McArthur
Team Mc Fishing
Guide Service
www.team-mc-fishing.com
209-993-3789
Guide Report from Joe Aksamit
I had the pleasure of having Jim, Michi and Tom aboard Tuesday at Hogan to fish for Stripers.
I haven't been there in several weeks, so it took a couple of hours to find the fish. Once we found them we had fairly steady action and went 5 for 12 rolling shad and anchovies from 20'-40'. Would've liked to put a few more in the boat, but it was a good day on the water.
Thanks,
Capt. Joe Aksamit
Joefish Guide Service
Guide Report from John Liechty
The bass bite has been very tough. We have had a few top water bites early morning and late evening, but most our fish have come on jigs and soft plastics. One good thing is if we are not catching fish we are learning how to fish.
12-year old Josh and younger brother 7-year old Sam spent the evening learning how. This was their first time fishing, and they caught on quickly. I taught them about different fish catching rigs, knots, and casting. After a couple hours of fishing older brother Josh made a perfect cast, presentation, and hook set to land this beautiful 2+ pound large mouth. Sam successfully netted the fish. After photos we safely released the fish back into the lake.
Xperience Fishing Guide Service
xperiencefishing@yahoo.com
John Liechty (209) 743-9932
Dan Liechty (209) 890-3397
