Fish Report (9/2/09)

VALLEY

• New Melones Reservoir — Catfish are providing the most consistent action with anchovies, mackerel, sardines, chicken liver or a ball of night crawlers. Action along the muddy, sloping banks in Angels Cove, Glory Hole Point or the Marina is steady. Kokanee season is rapidly closing with the fish developing hooked jaws and losing their scales. The bite has been slow with a few fish taken off the bottom by trollers bouncing with downrigger balls at depths from 80 to 120 feet near the spillway or in the major creek arms. Glitterbug micro-hootchies in orange or pink, R and K pink hootchies or pink, orange or blue Apex lures are the best bets. Melanie Lewis of Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp recommended that all lures should be trolled behind dodgers in chrome, pink, gold or chartreuse and tipped with Shoepeg corn soaked in garlic, anise or Kokanee Special. Crawdad scent may also entice a strike. Trout fishing from the banks is done until the lake turns over at the end of November, but night fishing under lights with night crawlers or crawler/Power Bait combinations has produced rainbows to 3 pounds. Best technique is to drop your light 20 feet for fish sitting at 30 to 50 feet. Tom Dutril of Dutril's Fishing Charters has been finding quality trout under his Hydra-Glow light near the dam. The bass bite continues to be fair, with a good topwater bite at dawn and dusk with Zara Spooks, buzz baits, or Pop-Rs. When the sun is up, crawdad or shad-colored Carolina-rigged 6-inch worms, rip baits, spinnerbaits, Zoom Baby Brush Hogs, or Senkos are working along the strong mud lines that are forming. Crappie and bluegill action is best at night under lights at depths from 10 to 30 feet around submerged trees with live small or medium minnows, or crappie jigs with jigs in red-white, black-chartreuse or purple-white in Bear. Call: 736-4333, Monte Smith 581-4734, Danny Layne 586 2383, Sierra Sport Fishing 599-2023.

• San Luis Reservoir / O'Neill Forebay — Ly Tu of Ly's Fishing Goods in San Jose said there has been good action in the Forebay under the bridge or toward check 12 with frozen shad for stripers to 28 inches. Tu said the fishing pressure at the bridge remains heavy. In the main lake, frozen anchovy fillets are still working near the trash racks at 40 to 80 feet for stripers to 27 inches. The lake has risen to 19 percent of capacity. Call: Wind conditions (800) 805-4805, Ly's Fishing Goods (408) 629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711

• McSwain Reservoir — Diana Mello of A-1 Bait in Snelling reported bank anglers have the advantage over trollers this week with Power Eggs in Bubble Gum combined with a white egg. The white colors are also working in the Power Bait at the normal areas of the brush pile or the handicapped docks. Call: 378-2534.

• McClure Reservoir — Mello said the creek arms are holding bass to 6-pounds with drop-shotting Keeper worms in 1001bt or 1059r, brown-purple football-head jigs, and 5-inch Senkos color 330. There is also a reaction bite in the morning with spinnerbaits or topwater lures such as PopR's, Manny Basi of the Bait Barn in Waterford liked the bite in shaded areas with Staycee 90's in Ghost Minnow or Chartreuse Shad. Bank fishermen continue to pound the bass with live crawdads or minnows from Barrett's Cove or McClure Point at depths to 15 feet. Trout fishing has slowed, with a few fish found near the dam at depths to 35 feet on blade/crawler combos, Wedding Rings tipped with a crawler or shad-imitation spoons. There is an occasional king salmon to 2½ pounds taken on rolled shad at depths of 110 feet near the dam, with a few kokanee holding around the salmon at 65 feet in the same areas. Crappie fishing is best under lights at the Houseboats with small minnows or minijigs at depths to 35 feet. Catfishing is excellent with bag anchovies, live crawdads or minnows in Piney Creek or any major creek arm along sloping banks. The lake dropped to less than 50 percent capacity. Call: A-1 Bait 563-6505, Fishwrangler's Guide Service 604-8222, Bub Tosh 404-0053.