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FISHINLINES
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New Melones Reservoir - New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,132,000 acre-feet of water. Lake is at 77 percent capacity. Lake elevation rose one foot again this week, to 960 feet above sea level, and 128 feet from full capacity. Water temperature has cooled to approximately 65-68 degrees, and is stained.

New Melones Lake Visitors Center has some great free Thursday evening lectures at 7 p.m. For information on the informative lectures, call 536-9094 ext. 22, or visit Glory Hole Sports to see the schedule of lectures for November.

The Angels Cove Boat Ramp is closed. All other boat ramps are in operation.

The trout bite is picking up a bit. With the water temperature falling, we expect the lake to "turn over" in the next couple of weeks. This means that the water temperature on the surface becomes the same as deeper water, so that there is no thermocline. When this happens, trout move up to the surface and into the shallows to feed heavily. This is when fishing is at its best - generally from mid-November through February. The Department of Fish and Game had another plant scheduled for Melones last week. Bank fishing as well as trolling has picked up for smaller fish near Glory Hole Point and under the 49 Bridge. Power Bait or Pautski's Salmon Eggs are the best choice for bank anglers. Trollers should try Uncle Larry's Power Spin, which allows you to troll with Power Bait, or live crawlers behind Wedding Ring spinners. Greg and Miles Cammiso caught six trout while trolling 20-30 feet deep near the Hwy 49 Stevenot Bridge with green Wedding Rings and crawlers behind Sep's dodgers. Alex Niapas, who caught a 6.1-pound brown trout, won Glory Hole Sports Big Fish of the Week Contest and a free deli lunch. Alex was fishing for bass, and was throwing a shad-patterned spinnerbait into the shallows near the dam. He hooked the big brown in two feet of water. We had another customer tell us that he caught and released a 7-pound brown near the dam this week, as well. This is the time when the big browns start lining up in the shallows, so we should start seeing some nice ones caught by trollers and bank anglers alike in the next few weeks.

Kokanee are done for the season, although anglers are picking up spawned-out kokanee in the creek arms, such as Angels Creek. They are very red, hook-jawed and near death (a natural part of their lifecycle) at this time.

Bass fishing has been fair to slow, probably due to the unstable weather. Bass are moving deeper and becoming more sluggish with the cooling water temperatures. Using a blue/silver spoon over submerged structure and island tops will catch bass as the water temperature falls. The fluttering fall of the spoon imitates the shad that die in the cold water. For those fish close to the bank, plastics are working well. Try fishing near main lake points or by steep drop offs. The new Yamamoto Creatures have been catching fish, when rigged with a rattling weight or brass 'n' glass - noise is very important right now. Another good plastic to use would be Roboworm's bold bluegill in 4 or 6-inch worms. At night, a black w/blue or red flake is your best bet, fished in the same areas, but much shallower.

The catfish bite has been slow. Try Angels Cove, Glory Hole Point, under the 49 Bridge, or near Tuttletown. Use mackerel, anchovies or sardines, crawlers, chicken liver, or live large minnows. The action is always best at night for catfish, when they move into the shallows to feed.

Crappie and bluegill are showing up occasionally. The south side of the lake has been good, and near Tuttletown is another good choice. Best crappie bite has been at night under a submersible light, with minnows or red/white crappie jigs.

Glory Hole Sports, 736-4333.

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

The trout fishing is improving at Lake Don Pedro, with two plants in the past few weeks. Bank fishermen by the Fleming Meadows Marina are having good luck throwing Kastmasters or soaking Power Bait. Trout trollers are starting to see more action by the dam and in Fleming Bay by trolling Excel spoons, or a night crawler behind a Sep's Sidekick or dodger, from 20 to 35 feet. These fish are running one to three pounds. The occasional salmon will be caught trolling frozen shad at about 50 feet deep near the dam and Fleming Bay.

852-2369, 989-2206.

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

The stormy weather discouraged fishing. Before the storm, bank anglers were getting trout with PowerBait - white and chartreuse are the best sellers. The smallmouth bass bite on crickets has slowed. Minnows are working best for both bass and crappie, but the bites are inconsistent. Most any kind of worm will work for bluegill and redears - both easy fish for kids to catch.

881-0107, 847-3447.

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

Diana Mello of A-1 Bait and Tackle said not much was happening in the rain, but fishing was good before the storms. There were a lot of slot-limit bass being caught with shad or crawdad-colored crank baits mixed with live minnows or live crawdads 20 feet deep. The bigger fish have gotten a little deeper, and they're kind of in a holding pattern. The trout bite has improved quite a bit around the dam, and shad-colored Needlefish as well as trout- or shad-patterned kastmasters are working. Minnows and crawdads have been top sellers, but there has been a lack of reports on how they're doing.

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.

John Kemper from McSwain Marina said fishing was fair. The lake is receiving its first plant in nearly a month. Trollers are using either flasher/crawler combos between Gilligan's Island and the first fenceline. The best shore fishing was at the brush pile. Anglers are averaging two to three fish per rod.

378-2534