Every spring the bass move into shallow water and spawn.  They lay millions of eggs with the hope that some will hatch and grow to be adult fish.

A very small population will reach full growth.  Once the eggs hatch and become small fish (often referred to as bass fry) they will school with each other to increase their survival rate.  At this stage they will feed on small aquatic organisms.

Not all bass will spawn at the same time so there will be bass fry at different stages in the growth cycle throughout the summer months.  These small bass are a primary food source for many creatures including birds, turtles and most importantly other fish.

Small schools of fry will hunker in the brush and around trees and laydowns.  Cover offers protection from predators.

 

Bass will try to eat anything their size and smaller.  They are cannibals, very aggressive and will eat their young.   For example, a 10″ bass will easily eat a 3″ bass, and a 3-pound bass can easily eat a 10″ bass.

With this in mind, now is a great time to use baby bass patterned baits.

Thanks- from all of us at Glory Hole Sports

Water Conditions:  New Melones Lake is currently holding

780,151 acre-feet of water.  The lake level dropped a little over two feet this week and is currently at 910 ft. above sea level and 175 ft. from full.  The water is stained in most areas of the lake, and fairly clear in others.  There are mud lines forming near the shore throughout the day, especially on windy days. The average water temperature is 72-78 degrees and rising daily.

Trout: Fair.  Night fishing for trout has been good.  Most anglers fishing under submersible lights are catching limits of chunky 2-pound rainbows.  Nightcrawlers and Power Bait are working well.  The trout will school in deeper/cooler water during the hot summer heat and move into shallow water at night to feed.  It is a good idea to anchor in 40-60′ of water that is near 100-200′ areas.  Drop your light 10-20′ down and fish your presentations below that. Trolling anglers have been doing better each week and bringing in a handful of nice trout along with their kokanee.  The trout are drawn to deeper/cooler water.  The main river channel will have the coolest water throughout the summer.  Try trolling in 30-50′ of water at 2.5-3.0 mph.  The shad are schooled up and are a primary food source for trout.  Try using baits that best resemble the natural forage.  The water is a bit stained so in would be a good idea to include some bright colors in your presentation.  Try using bright blades along with natural patterned baits, or natural blades along with brighter baits.

Bank fishing for trout has been very slow.  Trout season is open for rivers, and streams, it might be best to try your luck in these areas. If you do choose to target trout from the bank try using chartreuse or rainbow garlic Power Bait.  Fly fishing anglers try fishing nymphs under an indicator during the day and switching to mayfly patterns during the evening.  Also, try using buggers and streamers in the high country lakes.

We do encourage catch and release for the brown trout as The Department of Fish and Game will no longer be planting them.  Carefully measure, weigh and photograph trophy fish and send us pictures and information.

Kokanee: Good. Each week we are seeing and hearing of some nice kokanee being caught. The average size is 11-13″ with a few fish measuring 14-16″.  The fish are schooling in deep water off of Glory Hole Point and near the dam, spillway and Rose Island. A variety of colors are producing limits.  Pink is always a good choice with orange and chartreuse bringing in limits as well.  The water has a green tint so it is best to use dodgers that have a high reflective quality.  Gold and copper are good choice when trolling in stained water.  Fish will be keying on baits that disperse water and create vibration.  Try using spinners, Apex and bladed hoochies.  It is also a good idea to modify your dodgers by adding a little bend to them.  This modification will give the blade and bait more side-to side swing.  Scent is very important when fishing in water with less visibility.  Garlic, bloody tuna, anise, and kokanee special will work.  Don’t forget to tip your presentations with dyed and scent shoepeg corn.

Bass:  Fair.  The bass are done spawning and moving out into deeper water where they will spend the summer.  They will move shallow at night and in the morning for a short period of time to feed.  Then they will head back to cool water for the hot hours of the day.  Try using reaction baits in the cooler hours of the day and switching slower moving baits during the heat.  A great presentation that works at all depths is a Carolina Rig.  Try using a soft plastic lizard or brush hog and keep contact with the bottom.  Another rig that catches fish especially in stained water is a Texas Rig worm with a “brass and glass” weight and bead.  With this presentation your can create a Ticking noise by shaking the tip of the rod.  This will attract fish from a distance. If you can find balls of shad try dropping a shad patterned worm or a small swim bait down to them.

Catfish: Very Good.  The big cats are up in shallow water and feeding heavily.  The water temperature is getting warmer each day which has encouraged the cats to move shallow.  Try using frozen shad or a ball of crawlers to target these fish.  Catfish are drawn to bait by scent so it is a good idea to add additional scent to your bait.

Crappie: Slow.  The crappie have been hard to find, try your luck at night fishing under a submersible light.

The kokanee are biting and we have been putting limits in the boat on every trip.  It might take a few hours to catch them, but if you put in the time and cover water you will catch fish. The best bite time has been mid-morning and we have been locating schools just outside of the spillway.  The fish are anywhere from 38-50′ deep.  Pink and orange are working best.  Uncle Larry’s Spinners, Glitter Bugs Micro Hoochies, and Simon Baby Wobblers are catching them good.  The Pink Thunder Rocky Mountain blade and the Glitter Bugs chrome teardrop have been hot.  Add a slight bend to your dodgers.  Garlic and shrimp/krill corn has been working well.

The Osprey’s have been getting more aggressive and are trying to steal fish.  Keep your eyes open while fighting fish.  If you spot you coming for your catch try yelling and swing your net or flag, this will usually detour them from grabbing your fish.

Roger Hoffdahl and his son Troy put nice limits of koks and bows in the boat this week at New Melones Lake.

See ya on the water

Friday morning I met one of my fellow Glory Hole Sports employees and friend Josh Hutton at the Glory Hole boat launch at5:15 in the morning.  We started the day throwing top water baits in hopes to get some explosive bites.  Our first couple stops we came up empty handed with quite a few fish swiping at our baits and not hooking up.  We caught a few fish on crankbaits and jigs but stuck to the game plan and kept throwing top water.  We ended up landing a handful of nice fish and few small ones on the surface and had two or three really nice fish that just missed our plugs.  We then switch to soft plastics and caught a bunch of fish.

We landed fish up to four pounds and Josh hauled in a beautiful three pound spotted bass.  The lake was calm and the bass were eager to bite, it was a good day on the water.