The introduction of kokanee salmon into New Melones Lake in 1997 by the California Department of Fish and Game has been overwhelmingly successful, based on the size and numbers of landlocked sockeyes caught on this fertile fishery since 1999. All indications point to 2008 being a big year for trophy kokanee at New Melones, where fish over 3 pounds are expected to show by the end of the season.

The kokanee introduction has added an exciting dimension to a trout fishery already very popular with northern California anglers. Since the lake first filled in 1984, New Melones has produced hefty rainbow and brown trout every year. The Bureau of Reclamation reservoir, located on the Stanislaus River in Angels Camp, has kicked out lots of holdover rainbows in the 5 to 6 pound class, along with browns in the 4 to 8 pound range.

This year the landlocked salmon have begun showing up early, providing top-notch action for anglers getting on-the-water downrigger trolling lessons during the Glory Hole Sports Fishing Seminar in Angels Camp on April 7. The purpose of these seminars was to acquaint anglers with the techniques used by successful guides to catch kokanee, brown and rainbow trout at New Melones, so the fish caught were a bonus.

“We haven’t seen kokanee this big and in these numbers since 1999,” said Melanie Lewis, owner of Glory Hole Sports. “Last year produced good fishing, but not many big fish. This year we’re already seeing fish 2 pounds and over. By contrast, last year we didn’t see any 2 pounders until the end of the season.”

Monte Smith of Gold Country Sportfishing reported top-notch action also, with his 12 “students” catching 10 fish to 1 pound, 11 ounces. The anglers trolled with orange Uncle Larry’s spinners in copper pop, blue tiger and hot belly colors, tipped with corn scented with Pautske Kokanee Fuel, from 14 to 23 feet deep.

“We had a great day on Thursday when my two clients caught two limits of kokanee by noon while fishing the same baits and areas we did during the seminar,” noted Smith. “The fish ranged from 1 to 2 pods, with the top fish measuring 18 inches long. They were all good, fat fish.”

“The fishing is unbelievable for this time of year,” echoed Bruce Hamby of Sierra Sportfishing. “I figure the lack of rain since February has resulted in an early bite.”

Sixteen anglers fished with Hamby for two-hour sessions using Uncle Larry’s spinners, tipped with white corn, from 7 to 32 feet deep. “Some of the fish we landed today were pushing 2 pounds and none were less than 1-1/2 pounds,” noted Hamby. “The anglers also lost lots of kokanee.”

The ten “students” fishing with Joe Aksamit of Joefish Guide Service brought 14 fish to 17-1/2 inches to the boat. The fish averaged a solid 16 inches each.

They used Father Murphy Bugs with Rocky Mountain watermelon dodgers, as well as pink hoochies, squid and Glitter Bugs. The anglers trolled at 5 to 30 feet deep in the main body near Angels Creek.

A few rainbows also showed in the catches during the event. Ed Burlarly of Sierra Guide Service reported a total of 13 kokanee and two rainbow trout with his students during the seminar.

Other experienced guides and anglers who experienced great kokanee fishing during the seminar were Vance Staplin, Karl Neese of Rocky Mountain Tackle, Danny Layne and Bob Higgins.

The number of kokanee planted in New Melones each year has varied widely. The Department stocked 66,600 fingerlings in 1997, followed by 105,461 fish in 1998. Then from 2000 to 2007 the DFG stocked anywhere from a high of 166,698 fish in 2000 to a low of 38,028 in 2006, with 80,3004 fish planted in 2007.

Though most of the kokanee caught in New Melones are planted fish, Melanie Lewis believes that there is some successful natural spawning in wet water years in Rose Creek and other tributaries of the lake.

The rainbow and brown trout fishing has bounced up and down at New Melones over the years. The DFG regularly plants catchable rainbows and browns in the reservoir, with 34,700 rainbow trout, 12,690 Eagle Lake trout and 33,007 stocked in 2007.

In contrast to the excellent early kokanee fishing, shore and boat fishing for rainbow fishing since last fall has been abnormally tough. Although a number of possible reasons have been given for the poor fishing lately, Lewis believes the slowdown is weather related.

“The lake water never got as cold this year as it normally does, so the rainbows never moved onto the shore like they normally do,” said Lewis.

On the other hand, the German brown fishing has been surprisingly good. Most of the browns are in the 3 to 4 pound class, with the lake record of 12.7 pounds caught by Shirley River on a frozen shad in March 2000.

Anglers should troll with Trophy Sticks, Rapalas or rolled threadfin shad in the main lake between the dam and the spillway for the best chance off success. “The key is to fish along structure and submerged trees where the browns hold,” she said. “The guys who consistently catch browns expect to lose an occasional lure or even downrigger weight.”

The rainbow and brown trout population is assisted by a cooperative project between Kokanee Power, the DFG and New Melones Marina. The pen rearing project began in 2004 when 600 pounds of rainbows were planted into two pens at the marina, according to Gary Coe, president of Kokanee Power.

In 2005, they put 300 pounds of browns in one pen and 300 pounds of rainbows in the other. “The browns did so well that we decided to fill one pen with browns every year,” said Coe. “This year we increased the capacity of each pen to hold 400 pounds of fish each.”

The fish are put in the pens in October or November, depending upon when the water temperature cools down from the long, hot summer. The fish are then released between late April and early May. “We expect to release 1600 pounds of rainbows and 1600 pounds of German browns into the lake this spring, since the fish will have a 300 to 400 percent increase while in the pens,” said Coe.

New Melones also has a diverse and healthy bass fishery. Alabama spotted bass and northern strain largemouth bass dominate the catches, but the lake also hosts Florida-strain largemouth, smallmouth and redeye bass. Anglers who went out with local bass guides at the Glory Hole Seminar reported good fishing while using a variety of luress in the morning and slower action during the afternoon. `

Other gamefish species found in the reservoir include bluegill, redear sunfish, green sunfish, black crappie, white crappie, white catfish, channel catfish, brown bullhead and black bullheads. The lake also hosts forage species such as threadfin shad and golden shiners, along with “non-game” fish including Sacramento pike-minnows, crap, goldfish, and western suckers.

For more information about fishing at New Melones, contact Glory Hole Sports at 2892 Highway 49, Angels Camp, CA. 95222, (209) 736-4333, http://www.gloryholesports.com, ghs@goldrush.com

New Melones Lake Facts

Location: and Size: New Melones is located in Angels Camp, home of the Jumping Frog Jubilee, in Calaveras County on the Stanislaus River. New Melones features 12,500 surface acres of water and 100 miles of shoreline when full. The elevation is 1088 feet when full.

Fishing Season: Fishing is open year round for all species. Rainbow trout, brown trout, kokanee salmon, largemouth bass, spotted bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, black crappie and bluegill are the main gamefish species.

Boat launching: No fee required for either day use or boat launching. The four boat ramps are Tuttletown, Glory Hole, Angels Cove and Old Highway 49 at the Visitors’ Center (unimproved).

Marina facilities: New Melones Lake Marina is a full service facility. For more information, call 209-736-0802.

Camping: Six campgrounds, Acorn, Fiddleneck, Oak Knoll, Manzanita, Chamise and Lupine, are available in the Tuttletown Recreation Area. Two campgrounds, Ironhorse and Big Oak, are located in the Glory Hole Recreation Area. The camping fee is $16.00 for the standard sites and $6.00 per night for the walk-in sites. For New Melones camping reservations, contact: (877) 444-6777 or http://www.reserveusa.com.You must ask for the campsite you want to stay at, instead of New Melones Lake.

Visitors Center: The New Melones Visitor Center, located at park headquarters off Highway 49 near the bridge, has some interesting geological, wildlife and historical displays. The center has some great free Thursday evening lectures at 7 p.m. For information on the informative lectures, call (209) 536-9094 extension 22, or visit Glory Hole Sports to see the schedule of lectures.

Fishing guides: Monty Smith, Gold Country Sportfishing, 209-848-2746; Bruce Hamby, Sierra Sportfishing, 209-599-2023; Danny Lane, Fish’n Dan’s Guide Service, 209-586-2383, Bob Monsen, Bob Monsen’s Bass Fishing Guide Service, 209-728-2534. For a complete list of guides, call Glory Hole Sports, (209) 736-4333.

Fishing Information: Glory Hole Sports, 2892 Highway 49, Angels Camp, CA. 9522, phone 209-736-4333, fax 209-736-0802, mailing address PO Box 1195, email ghs@goldrush.com, website at www.gloryholesports.com.

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