New Melones Reservoir - Please take a minute to let the Department of Fish and Game know how important New Melones Lake is to you! With recent budget cutbacks, they are looking to concentrate planting efforts on the lakes that see the most angler demand. By letting them know that we anglers fish Melones, we will insure that Melones continues to get regular plantings. This is especially important because we may not get regular creel surveys (where DFG biologists ask anglers how the fishing was at a particular lake) since we are not close to any DFG office. Don't let them close our Moccasin Creek Hatchery! Please go to www.dfg.ca.gov/lands/fh/hatcheryplan.html and insert your comments. Thank you.
New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,858,000 acre-feet of water, and is at 75 percent capacity. The lake is full and beautiful. With the warm weather melting snow and swelling the river, the lake elevation rose a whopping nine feet this week, and is now 1,040 feet above sea level and only 48 feet from full capacity. Surface water temperature is approximately 72-74 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 and at Tuttletown.
Most trollers are targeting kokanee right now, but a few rainbows in the 1-2 pound range are being caught. Target the dam/spillway area. Nice brown trout continue to be caught, mostly by anglers targeting kokanee. It seems that most browns are being caught lately on brightly colored kokanee lures, such as the beautiful 6.3-pounder caught by Patricia Fitzgerald of Murphys. She wins our Glory Hole Sports' Big Fish of the Week Contest and a free deli lunch with her catch. Patricia trolled a pink Hootchie behind a Vance's green dodger 47' deep near the dam to catch her winning brown, as well as four fat kokanee. Bank anglers interested in catching trout should target the local creeks such as Angels Creek, where DFG will be planting again this week, or should head up to higher lakes, where regular plants are also scheduled.
The kokanee bite is red-hot! Most kokanee are 15-16 inches long, and 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds. Troll slowly (1.2 mph) 40-50 feet deep, near the spillway/dam area, or near Rose Island. All successful anglers agree - the bite is best in the early a.m., so get up and get out on the water early. Pink seems to be the preferred color for lures, with chartreuse green also working. Hootchies, Apex, Glitterbugs Fat Fish and Spinner Hootchies, and Uncle Larry's Spinners have been the strongest producers when trolled behind a watermelon or chrome dodger, Kone Zone, or Sling Blade. Don't forget to tip your lure with shoepeg corn soaked in Pro-Cure Scent. Just a few of the anglers who caught limits include Rob and Kyle Hunt, Patricia Fitzgerald, Joe Hallett, Pete Pierini (with Fish 'n' Dan's Guide Service), the Gannon Family (also with Fish 'n' Dan's), Richard Kowski, 8 and 9-year-olds Douglas and Jeremy Kurtz, Gary Shook and Ed Tidwell (with Gold County Sportfishing), and John Darroch.
There has been good bass fishing! Concentrate on areas with lots of structure. There is a good top-water bite going in the early morning and late evening, when the sun is off the water, so throw a buzz-bait, a Pop-R, or Zara Spook. During the day Senkos, Spinnerbaits, 6" crawdad-colored worms, lizards and green pumpkin Zoom Baby Brush Hogs have been the best producers, with Zoom Flukes working well, too. Many anglers report large numbers of 1-2 pound spotted bass upriver, in the area between the two bridges. Joe Bruce caught and released a big 7.2-pound spotted bass on a Senko in the south end of the lake. Please practice catch-and-release of largemouth bass.
The catfish bite is getting better every day as the water warms. We are hearing good reports from anglers who fish at night. Tuttletown, Angels Cove, or under the 49 Stevenot Bridge are all good spots to try for big cats. Use mackerel, anchovies or sardines, 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 and bluegill fishing has been fair. 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. Bluegill and sunfish are biting in the coves, especially behind the marina. A piece of crawler under a bobber is the best way to catch bluegill. They are great fun for the kids to catch!
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 remains solid on Don Pedro for trout, kokanee, and landlocked king salmon. Trout are active in the top 25' around the Stent Bridge, Six Bit Gulch, the Flume and the open water of Fleming Bay. Ex-Cel spoons (pink-pearl and green shad) were effective this week trolled behind a silver Vance's ball-troll at 20 feet. A good bite on kokanee can be found off of Jenkins-Big Oak Island and off Copper Mountain at depths of 40 to 50 feet. Lures that are good include pink Hootchies, Vance's Copper Sockeye Slammer, and Uncle Larry's Copperpop trolled behind a Killer B dodger. For King salmon, I would target the Woods Creek arm or off the face of the dam into Mexican Gulch - both areas are holding some nice kings to five pounds. Rolling shad or anchovies using a Pro-Troll E-Chip harness is an effective way of triggering a strike on these larger fish.
Lake Don Pedro continues to produce quality fish. Kokanee are on the bite, big kings can be had and rainbows are plentiful throughout the lake. Kokanee action is best off Copper Mountain at 50 feet deep, on popsicle Excels, Sambo's pink spinners and Red Apex, scented with garlic corn. Kings to five pounds are hitting rolled shad and anchovies at 60 feet deep off the dam face and in Woods Creek. Jim Bentz battled a 4.5-pound king off the dam. For some good 'bows in the 3-pound class, work Six Bit Gulch at 30 feet deep with Excel shad-patterned lures at 2 m.p.h. for some solid hookups.
852-2369, 586-2383, 848-2746.
Tulloch Reservoir - Fish the main part of the lake for the best action.
Julie Peters at Tulloch Campground and Marina said fishing has been good for bass and crappie with a few trout thrown in. Asked what people were using and where, she replied, "I hear the cove is good but anymore than that, they just look at me funny as if I were stealing their secrets."
881-0107
McClure Reservoir - Fish in Barrett Cove, Horseshoe Bend, Cotton Creek and Temperance Creek for the best luck.
A midday bass bite on dropshotted plastics and dartheads in transparent green colors and a white belly was producing a good bite in the Horseshoe Bend to Bagley area, Dwayne King said. Topwater action early and late on Super Spooks or popper baits was effective. Trout have picked up for trollers working the dam area with Needlefish, Kastmasters and Apexes at around 25 feet. Anglers trolling the Horseshoe Bend area, early in the morning, in the 40-foot range are getting a better-quality fish. Crappie are scattered but can be caught once you find the school near trees and brush. Water is coming up around 2 feet a day, and there is some debris in the water.
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.
Heavy current and flood-like conditions dampened the shore fishing, but trollers working the Gilligan's Island area got easy limits, John Kemper of McSwain Marina said. Shore anglers have had to move around a lot to find the roving schools. Trollers using flashers and Wedding Ring combos tipped with a crawler did the best. Another plant of rainbows was scheduled recently.
378-2534
New Melones Lake is currently holding 1,858,000 acre-feet of water, and is at 75 percent capacity. The lake is full and beautiful. With the warm weather melting snow and swelling the river, the lake elevation rose a whopping nine feet this week, and is now 1,040 feet above sea level and only 48 feet from full capacity. Surface water temperature is approximately 72-74 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 and at Tuttletown.
Most trollers are targeting kokanee right now, but a few rainbows in the 1-2 pound range are being caught. Target the dam/spillway area. Nice brown trout continue to be caught, mostly by anglers targeting kokanee. It seems that most browns are being caught lately on brightly colored kokanee lures, such as the beautiful 6.3-pounder caught by Patricia Fitzgerald of Murphys. She wins our Glory Hole Sports' Big Fish of the Week Contest and a free deli lunch with her catch. Patricia trolled a pink Hootchie behind a Vance's green dodger 47' deep near the dam to catch her winning brown, as well as four fat kokanee. Bank anglers interested in catching trout should target the local creeks such as Angels Creek, where DFG will be planting again this week, or should head up to higher lakes, where regular plants are also scheduled.
The kokanee bite is red-hot! Most kokanee are 15-16 inches long, and 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds. Troll slowly (1.2 mph) 40-50 feet deep, near the spillway/dam area, or near Rose Island. All successful anglers agree - the bite is best in the early a.m., so get up and get out on the water early. Pink seems to be the preferred color for lures, with chartreuse green also working. Hootchies, Apex, Glitterbugs Fat Fish and Spinner Hootchies, and Uncle Larry's Spinners have been the strongest producers when trolled behind a watermelon or chrome dodger, Kone Zone, or Sling Blade. Don't forget to tip your lure with shoepeg corn soaked in Pro-Cure Scent. Just a few of the anglers who caught limits include Rob and Kyle Hunt, Patricia Fitzgerald, Joe Hallett, Pete Pierini (with Fish 'n' Dan's Guide Service), the Gannon Family (also with Fish 'n' Dan's), Richard Kowski, 8 and 9-year-olds Douglas and Jeremy Kurtz, Gary Shook and Ed Tidwell (with Gold County Sportfishing), and John Darroch.
There has been good bass fishing! Concentrate on areas with lots of structure. There is a good top-water bite going in the early morning and late evening, when the sun is off the water, so throw a buzz-bait, a Pop-R, or Zara Spook. During the day Senkos, Spinnerbaits, 6" crawdad-colored worms, lizards and green pumpkin Zoom Baby Brush Hogs have been the best producers, with Zoom Flukes working well, too. Many anglers report large numbers of 1-2 pound spotted bass upriver, in the area between the two bridges. Joe Bruce caught and released a big 7.2-pound spotted bass on a Senko in the south end of the lake. Please practice catch-and-release of largemouth bass.
The catfish bite is getting better every day as the water warms. We are hearing good reports from anglers who fish at night. Tuttletown, Angels Cove, or under the 49 Stevenot Bridge are all good spots to try for big cats. Use mackerel, anchovies or sardines, 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 and bluegill fishing has been fair. 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. Bluegill and sunfish are biting in the coves, especially behind the marina. A piece of crawler under a bobber is the best way to catch bluegill. They are great fun for the kids to catch!
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 remains solid on Don Pedro for trout, kokanee, and landlocked king salmon. Trout are active in the top 25' around the Stent Bridge, Six Bit Gulch, the Flume and the open water of Fleming Bay. Ex-Cel spoons (pink-pearl and green shad) were effective this week trolled behind a silver Vance's ball-troll at 20 feet. A good bite on kokanee can be found off of Jenkins-Big Oak Island and off Copper Mountain at depths of 40 to 50 feet. Lures that are good include pink Hootchies, Vance's Copper Sockeye Slammer, and Uncle Larry's Copperpop trolled behind a Killer B dodger. For King salmon, I would target the Woods Creek arm or off the face of the dam into Mexican Gulch - both areas are holding some nice kings to five pounds. Rolling shad or anchovies using a Pro-Troll E-Chip harness is an effective way of triggering a strike on these larger fish.
Lake Don Pedro continues to produce quality fish. Kokanee are on the bite, big kings can be had and rainbows are plentiful throughout the lake. Kokanee action is best off Copper Mountain at 50 feet deep, on popsicle Excels, Sambo's pink spinners and Red Apex, scented with garlic corn. Kings to five pounds are hitting rolled shad and anchovies at 60 feet deep off the dam face and in Woods Creek. Jim Bentz battled a 4.5-pound king off the dam. For some good 'bows in the 3-pound class, work Six Bit Gulch at 30 feet deep with Excel shad-patterned lures at 2 m.p.h. for some solid hookups.
852-2369, 586-2383, 848-2746.
Tulloch Reservoir - Fish the main part of the lake for the best action.
Julie Peters at Tulloch Campground and Marina said fishing has been good for bass and crappie with a few trout thrown in. Asked what people were using and where, she replied, "I hear the cove is good but anymore than that, they just look at me funny as if I were stealing their secrets."
881-0107
McClure Reservoir - Fish in Barrett Cove, Horseshoe Bend, Cotton Creek and Temperance Creek for the best luck.
A midday bass bite on dropshotted plastics and dartheads in transparent green colors and a white belly was producing a good bite in the Horseshoe Bend to Bagley area, Dwayne King said. Topwater action early and late on Super Spooks or popper baits was effective. Trout have picked up for trollers working the dam area with Needlefish, Kastmasters and Apexes at around 25 feet. Anglers trolling the Horseshoe Bend area, early in the morning, in the 40-foot range are getting a better-quality fish. Crappie are scattered but can be caught once you find the school near trees and brush. Water is coming up around 2 feet a day, and there is some debris in the water.
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.
Heavy current and flood-like conditions dampened the shore fishing, but trollers working the Gilligan's Island area got easy limits, John Kemper of McSwain Marina said. Shore anglers have had to move around a lot to find the roving schools. Trollers using flashers and Wedding Ring combos tipped with a crawler did the best. Another plant of rainbows was scheduled recently.
378-2534
