New Melones Reservoir - New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,654,000 acre-feet of water, and is at 68 percent capacity. The lake elevation rose three feet this week, and is now at 1,019 feet above sea level and 69 feet from full capacity. Surface water temperature is approximately 60-65 degrees. Water is fairly clear, with visibility to 10-15 feet. Caution - due to rising water levels, there is a lot of floating debris such as partially submerged logs in the water, as well as island tops and trees that are just under the water surface. Please be careful out there!
Trollers are catching easy limits of kokanee with a few 12-15" trout thrown in. Fish have been 10-25 feet deep in the main lake. The waters just off of Glory Hole Point, and the mouth of Angels Creek have been hot spots. Apex, or Wedding Rings or other spinners with nightcrawlers, all trolled behind dodgers, are the biggest producing lures. Brown trout can still be caught, and rolling shad is the best way to target them. We have the Spro Sliding Shad Rig back in, and that is the easiest way to rig up a shad (they are also excellent for striper fishing). While the main lake has produced some beauties in recent weeks, the wise brown hunter may want to head upriver to look for a trophy. Fishing is slow for bank anglers, who are catching a few fish off of Glory Hole Point, or under the 49 Stevenot Bridge, using rainbow or chartreuse Select Power Bait, or a nightcrawler/marshmallow combination. Minnows under a bobber are another good way to target trout from the bank this time of year.
Kokanee fishing has been wide open! Limits of fat 14-16 1/2 inch fish, weighing 1 to 1 1/2 pounds, are easy to catch. Troll 10-30 feet deep in the waters off of Glory Hole Point, the mouth of Angels Creek, the spillway/dam area, and under the 49 Stevenot Bridge. In other words, all over! Troll hootchies, Shasta Scorpions, Vance's Sockeye Slammers, Uncle Larry's Spinners, all tipped with shoepeg corn and trolled behind a dodger or Sling Blade. According to Monte Smith of Gold County Sportfishing, garlic ProLure is the scent to use right now. He took Glen Paddack fishing on Melones and used pink E-chip lures and Uncle Larry's Spinners behind Sep's watermelon dodgers to catch limits of big kokanee weighing up to 1 1/2 pounds. Other anglers who brought in limits this week include Jeff Davis (who says Shasta Tackle Cripplures and Scorpions are the only way to go), Mike Smith, Richard Kowski, Frank Ambrosoli, Joe Hallett and Gene Noland.
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. Michael Jones of San Jose caught and released a big 5.1-pound spotted bass upriver on a 5" Senko. Doug Olmsted caught a 6-pound largemouth on a green baitfish-patterned fly. As the big bass move into the shallows to spawn, we want to remind you to practice catch-and-release of largemouth bass during this time of year, so that bass can reproduce successfully.
For catfish, try Tuttletown, or under the 49 Stevenot Bridge. Use chicken livers or crawlers, a sliding sinker, leave your bait open, and make sure your hooks are sharp. Les Ferenczy and Jesse Hall won the Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest. They caught a 10.2-pound catfish on chicken livers and nightcrawlers while bank fishing off of Tuttletown.
For crappie, areas with heavy structure at 10-20 feet deep near gravel would be a good choice. Try fishing live minnows or trying to entice them with jigs in red/white or purple/white. Jay Linker reports that he and his fishing partner Randy got into a mess of crappie - he says they caught 34 fish weighing up to 2 pounds on red and white crappie jigs. He wouldn't say where they were fishing, but a few of the 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.
Glory Hole Sports, 736-4333
Lake Don Pedro - Best spots to try are around partially submerged trees, near the marina and rocky points.
The bite on Don Pedro for rainbows, kokes or kings remains solid. For 'bows, work the top 15 feet, long-lining or off sideplaners with a Cop Car Needlefish behind a small set of flashers. A silver Apex, tipped with a small piece of crawler trolled behind a watermelon 4/0 dodger will also produce bows to 17". Kokes are hitting off Jenkins Hill 20 to 30 feet down on pink/blue Kokanee Bugs, Uncle Larry's Copperpops or a red Apex scented with your favorite Shoepeg corn. Some nice kings are being caught off Hatch-Willow Creek in the river channel at 55' on rolled shad or pink/blue Ex-Cel lures. The kings will average 3-plus pounds.
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 on the south side said bass have been hitting anything that aggravates them, mainly off the point. Trout bite is harder, she said, because fish are deeper.
881-0107, 847-3447.
McClure Reservoir - Fish in Barrett Cove, Horseshoe Bend, Cotton Creek and Temperance Creek for the best luck.
Top-water bass fishing using Zara Spooks, along with ripbaits and Senkos, are pumping out lots of medium-sized bass up to 3 pounds, Diana Mello of A-1 Bait said. Fishing the back of creek channels such as Cottonwood and Temperance creeks, or dirt-rock banks in 5-20 feet of water, is a good bet for the pre-spawn fish. Dwayne King of Fisherman's Warehouse in Manteca suggested Senkos or Flukes in bubblegum or root beer red/gold as effective colors for the spots. Crappie are in a spawning mode, and anglers are scoring up to 15 fish to 2 pounds under the lights at night. Best time is 3 a.m. to dawn in areas such as Cottonwood Creek using minnows or mini-jugs about 8 feet under a bobber. Targeting a depth of about 20 feet near trees seems to be the ticket. Trout remain scattered, but trollers pulling flasher/crawler combos or a flasher/blue-striped Kastmaster are picking up rainbows to 17 inches near the dam or upriver past Barrett's Cove.
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.
Trout bite has fluctuated from wide open to slow depending on the weather, John Kemper at McSwain Marina said. A big plant recently from Calaveras dumped rainbows, brook trout and Browns to 3 pounds into the reservoir. A hot bite on trout was shut off by the cold front, but should turn back on once it warms up. Trollers working from Gilligan's Island to third fence line using flashers and crawlers, or three-eighth ounce silver/blue Kastmasters, scored nice hookups.
378-2534
Trollers are catching easy limits of kokanee with a few 12-15" trout thrown in. Fish have been 10-25 feet deep in the main lake. The waters just off of Glory Hole Point, and the mouth of Angels Creek have been hot spots. Apex, or Wedding Rings or other spinners with nightcrawlers, all trolled behind dodgers, are the biggest producing lures. Brown trout can still be caught, and rolling shad is the best way to target them. We have the Spro Sliding Shad Rig back in, and that is the easiest way to rig up a shad (they are also excellent for striper fishing). While the main lake has produced some beauties in recent weeks, the wise brown hunter may want to head upriver to look for a trophy. Fishing is slow for bank anglers, who are catching a few fish off of Glory Hole Point, or under the 49 Stevenot Bridge, using rainbow or chartreuse Select Power Bait, or a nightcrawler/marshmallow combination. Minnows under a bobber are another good way to target trout from the bank this time of year.
Kokanee fishing has been wide open! Limits of fat 14-16 1/2 inch fish, weighing 1 to 1 1/2 pounds, are easy to catch. Troll 10-30 feet deep in the waters off of Glory Hole Point, the mouth of Angels Creek, the spillway/dam area, and under the 49 Stevenot Bridge. In other words, all over! Troll hootchies, Shasta Scorpions, Vance's Sockeye Slammers, Uncle Larry's Spinners, all tipped with shoepeg corn and trolled behind a dodger or Sling Blade. According to Monte Smith of Gold County Sportfishing, garlic ProLure is the scent to use right now. He took Glen Paddack fishing on Melones and used pink E-chip lures and Uncle Larry's Spinners behind Sep's watermelon dodgers to catch limits of big kokanee weighing up to 1 1/2 pounds. Other anglers who brought in limits this week include Jeff Davis (who says Shasta Tackle Cripplures and Scorpions are the only way to go), Mike Smith, Richard Kowski, Frank Ambrosoli, Joe Hallett and Gene Noland.
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. Michael Jones of San Jose caught and released a big 5.1-pound spotted bass upriver on a 5" Senko. Doug Olmsted caught a 6-pound largemouth on a green baitfish-patterned fly. As the big bass move into the shallows to spawn, we want to remind you to practice catch-and-release of largemouth bass during this time of year, so that bass can reproduce successfully.
For catfish, try Tuttletown, or under the 49 Stevenot Bridge. Use chicken livers or crawlers, a sliding sinker, leave your bait open, and make sure your hooks are sharp. Les Ferenczy and Jesse Hall won the Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest. They caught a 10.2-pound catfish on chicken livers and nightcrawlers while bank fishing off of Tuttletown.
For crappie, areas with heavy structure at 10-20 feet deep near gravel would be a good choice. Try fishing live minnows or trying to entice them with jigs in red/white or purple/white. Jay Linker reports that he and his fishing partner Randy got into a mess of crappie - he says they caught 34 fish weighing up to 2 pounds on red and white crappie jigs. He wouldn't say where they were fishing, but a few of the 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.
Glory Hole Sports, 736-4333
Lake Don Pedro - Best spots to try are around partially submerged trees, near the marina and rocky points.
The bite on Don Pedro for rainbows, kokes or kings remains solid. For 'bows, work the top 15 feet, long-lining or off sideplaners with a Cop Car Needlefish behind a small set of flashers. A silver Apex, tipped with a small piece of crawler trolled behind a watermelon 4/0 dodger will also produce bows to 17". Kokes are hitting off Jenkins Hill 20 to 30 feet down on pink/blue Kokanee Bugs, Uncle Larry's Copperpops or a red Apex scented with your favorite Shoepeg corn. Some nice kings are being caught off Hatch-Willow Creek in the river channel at 55' on rolled shad or pink/blue Ex-Cel lures. The kings will average 3-plus pounds.
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 on the south side said bass have been hitting anything that aggravates them, mainly off the point. Trout bite is harder, she said, because fish are deeper.
881-0107, 847-3447.
McClure Reservoir - Fish in Barrett Cove, Horseshoe Bend, Cotton Creek and Temperance Creek for the best luck.
Top-water bass fishing using Zara Spooks, along with ripbaits and Senkos, are pumping out lots of medium-sized bass up to 3 pounds, Diana Mello of A-1 Bait said. Fishing the back of creek channels such as Cottonwood and Temperance creeks, or dirt-rock banks in 5-20 feet of water, is a good bet for the pre-spawn fish. Dwayne King of Fisherman's Warehouse in Manteca suggested Senkos or Flukes in bubblegum or root beer red/gold as effective colors for the spots. Crappie are in a spawning mode, and anglers are scoring up to 15 fish to 2 pounds under the lights at night. Best time is 3 a.m. to dawn in areas such as Cottonwood Creek using minnows or mini-jugs about 8 feet under a bobber. Targeting a depth of about 20 feet near trees seems to be the ticket. Trout remain scattered, but trollers pulling flasher/crawler combos or a flasher/blue-striped Kastmaster are picking up rainbows to 17 inches near the dam or upriver past Barrett's Cove.
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.
Trout bite has fluctuated from wide open to slow depending on the weather, John Kemper at McSwain Marina said. A big plant recently from Calaveras dumped rainbows, brook trout and Browns to 3 pounds into the reservoir. A hot bite on trout was shut off by the cold front, but should turn back on once it warms up. Trollers working from Gilligan's Island to third fence line using flashers and crawlers, or three-eighth ounce silver/blue Kastmasters, scored nice hookups.
378-2534
