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FISHINLINES
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New Melones Reservoir - New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,708, 500 acre-feet of water, and is at 70 percent capacity. The lake elevation rose three feet this week, and is now at 1,025 feet above sea level and 63 feet from full capacity. Surface water temperature is approximately 64-68 degrees. Water is fairly clear, with visibility to 10-15 feet.

Ramp update: All ramps are open. We are now using the uppermost ramp at Glory Hole.

Most trollers are targeting kokanee right now. Fish are moving deeper, and most have been caught 25-45 feet deep in the dam/spillway area. Nice brown trout continue to be caught, mostly by anglers targeting kokanee. Shad-patterned lures such as Apex, Rapala countdowns or Excel spoons are good choices. Dodgers or small flashers are great for the rainbows, and fish the lures naked for the browns. Bank anglers will not have much luck for trout in Melones until the water cools off in the fall. Bank anglers should target the local creeks such as Angels Creek instead, or should head up to higher lakes.

Limits of fat Kokanee have been easy to come by. Fish are 14-16 1/2 inches and weighing 1 to 1 1/2 pounds. We have even seen a couple of 2-pounders already! Troll slowly (1.2 mph) 25-45 feet deep, in main lake waters, such as off Glory Hole Point, the spillway/dam area, or near Rose Island. Pink seems to be the preferred color for lures, with chartreuse green also working. Hootchies and Apex have been the strongest producers, with Sockeye Slammers, Glitterbugs Fat Fish, and Uncle Larry's Spinners also mentioned by many successful anglers. All tipped with shoepeg corn soaked in Pro-Cure scent and trolled behind a watermelon or chrome dodger, Kone Zone, or Sling Blade. Guides Danny Layne and Dave Brager both swear by Pro Cure Carp Spit right now. Guide Monte Smith had good luck with Pro-Cure shrimp and prawn oils. Lucky anglers who caught kokanee this week include John Martinez (with Monte Smith of Gold County Sportfishing), Shane Minor, Bob and Reverend Ray Holton, Robert Franklin, Christina Dennis (all with Danny Layne of Fish 'n' Dan's Guide Service), John Darroch, Jeff Davis, Don Myshrall and Richard Kowski. Richard Kowski also wins Glory Hole Sports' Big Fish of the Week Contest and a free deli lunch with a very strange catch - it appears that he may have caught a young Coho, or silver salmon, in New Melones! The fish weighed 2 pounds, and was 18" long. We are waiting for the Department of Fish and Game to positively identify it as a silver salmon. Silver salmon were planted in Melones one time, many years ago. They have a 3-4 year lifespan. The DFG does not thing they could have spawned successfully, so we aren't sure where this one could have come from. We'll keep you posted.

There has been good bass fishing! Major coves and cuts with structure, such as fall-down wood, are holding big bass. Look for the biggest fish to be deeper in the early morning, and then move as shallow as 5 feet during the day. Senkos, Spinnerbaits, 6" Roboworms and green pumpkin Zoom Baby Brush Hogs have been the best producers. Try top-water baits in the early morning and late evening hours. Please practice catch-and-release of largemouth bass.

For catfish, we are hearing good reports from anglers who fish at night. Try Tuttletown, Angels Cove, or under the 49 Stevenot Bridge. Use mackerel, anchovies or sardines, use a sliding sinker, leave your bait open, and make sure your hooks are sharp. Night fishing is always best for catfish, but we see plenty caught during the day, too.

Crappie anglers tell us the bite has been the best it's been in the last few years. Try fishing live minnows or trying to entice them with jigs in red/white or purple/white. Best spots on the lake are the south side of the lake near Bear Cove, the back of Coyote Creek, Black Bart Cove, and especially cuts upriver near the Parrotts Ferry Bridge that have a lot of stand-up trees in them. As always, fish tight to structure.

Glory Hole Sports, 736-4333

Lake Don Pedro - Best spots to try are around partially submerged trees, near the marina and rocky points.

The fishing for trout is still wide open, with easy limits the norm. The trout are from planter size up to two pounds. The trout are biting from the buoy line by the houseboats up to Jenkins Hill, 29-45 feet deep. Use your favorite shad-patterned spoons such as Sambos or Excel.

Kokanee are on a hot bite as well in the Jenkins Hill area, at 45-50 feet deep. Use pink or red flame E-Chip lures, pink and green kokanee bugs, and Uncle Larry's Spinners, tipped with your favorite scented corn such as Pro-Cure garlic, Kokanee Special, or shrimp and prawn oils. Troll your lure behind a Sep's watermelon or silver dodger, or a Vance's green glitter or copper and red dodger. The king salmon are still on an active bite while trolling frozen shad or anchovies by the dam and Mexican Gulch, on out to the Jenkins Hill area at a depth of 50-70 feet.

852-2369, 989-2206, 848-2746.

Tulloch Reservoir - Fish the main part of the lake for the best action.

Jane Watson at Lake Tulloch Campground and Marina said the bass fishing has remained "pretty good," with most of the fish coming, as usual, from Black Creek. Some are also being caught farther upriver. Trout fishing has been spotty, she added, because the fish have scattered throughout the lake, making them hard to find. Bluegill, on the other hand, have been excellent for those willing to try for panfish.

881-0107

McClure Reservoir - Fish in Barrett Cove, Horseshoe Bend, Cotton Creek and Temperance Creek for the best luck.

Bass fishing has been good for big fish as Kevin Arabanstetter of Hanford got a 9-pounder on a gray worm, while Dennis Wainwright of Merced caught a 9.5-pound bass on a Senko, Diana Mello of A-1 Bait said. Trout fishing for rainbows has been steady on Wedding Ring spinners and Trout Killers at a 20-foot depth in the Horseshoe Bend to Bagby area. Crappie have been scattered, so night fishing under lights using minnows or mini-jigs in the coves at about a 15-foot depth has worked the best.

563-6505, 378-2441

McSwain Reservoir - Try your luck at the brushpile, in front of the campgrounds and marina, and at Gilligan's Island and the handicap dock.

Lots of limits of trout were the rule, John Kemper of McSwain Marina said. Power Bait near the handicapped dock worked for shore anglers. Trollers using flashers and wedding ring combos tipped with a 'crawler did well working the area from Gilligan's Island to the fence line. Water flows are heavy and might increase with warm weather.

378-2534