Fishing Report (12/2/09)

VALLEY

• NEW MELONES RESERVOIR / TULLOCH LAKE — Melanie Lewis of Glory Hole Sporting Goods in Angels Camp reported "wide-open" trout fishing for holdover and planted rainbows to 3 pounds from the banks at Glory Hole Cove, Tuttletown and Angels Cove at 5 to 25 feet and it continues to improve from the banks near the mouths of Angels or Glory Hole coves with rainbow or chartreuse glitter Power Bait, Power Eggs or a crawler/marshmallow combination. Trolling is improving with shad-patterned or rainbow-trout Needlefish or ExCels or the smaller Countdown Rapalas from the surface to 30 feet deep in the mouths of coves. Ken Nickles of Atwater landed a 6-pound, 5-ounce brown trout on a shad-colored ExCel spoon near the dam spillway at 10 feet. Bass fishermen are targeting schools of small shad in the main lake around lake points or humps holding wood with Carolina-rigged creature baits in green pumpkin or similar crawdad imitation colors. Baby Brush Hogs or Reaction Innovation Sweet Beavers are also working at 30 to 40 feet. When the wind is up, swimbaits are taking the larger fish, particularly the Huddleton trout pattern in rate-of-fall 12 dragged along points. Numbers of smaller fish can be taken on 4-inch plastics on the drop shot. Catfish have moved into deep water, but there are fish to be found on anchovies, mackerel, sardines, chicken liver or a ball of night crawlers. Crappie and bluegill action continue to be slow with the best action at night under lights at 10-30 feet deep around submerged trees with live small or medium minnows, or jigs in red/white, black/chartreuse or purple/white in Bear, Carson or Mormon creeks. The lake came up to 46 percent capacity. Both Monte Smith of Gold Country Fishing and Danny Layne continue to target Tulloch for holdover and planted trout. Layne said 8-year-old Hank Kolpack of Sonora boated a 17.5-inch kokanee on a rolled shad. Kastmasters, Cripplures, Vance's Slim Fins in UV or silver from the surface to 15 feet are all working for rainbows, browns and an occasional kokanee. Smith said the water temperature is perfect at 56 degrees. 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 the high winds slowed striper fishing on the main lake to a crawl. When weather permits, boaters are soaking minnows for an occasional larger striper near Portuguese Cove or the trash racks. He added that largemouth bass have been landed in the extreme end of Portuguese Cove on top-water lures or 7-inch Senkos. In the Forebay, the winds also affected the ability to fish comfortably, and Tu said the best action has been under the bridge with anchovies, mackerel or sardines for 20- to 26-inch catfish. Call: Ly's Fishing Goods 408-629-9644; Coyote Bait and Tackle 408-463-0711.

• McSWAIN RESERVOIR — Lake levels have returned to normal, and most anglers are working the banks from the brush pile or handicapped Docks with Sunrise Power Bait, orange/yellow Power Eggs, or marshmallow/night crawler combinations for possible limits. Trollers are scoring with red Wedding Rings tipped with a night crawler behind a dodger at 10-12 feet deep in from Gilligan's Island to the floating restrooms. A Calaveras trout farm plant is scheduled for this week. Call: 378-2534.

• McCLURE RESERVOIR — Manny Basi of the Bait Barn reported a tougher bass bite than in the past several weeks, perhaps due to the lake almost at the point of turnover. A few fish continue to be landed on Huddleston rainbow trout swimbaits, drop-shotting with Reaction Innovation plastic worms in Bad Shad Green, Pro Worm 300 small redflake or Senko in color 330. Live minnows or crawdads are producing bass from the banks along Barrett's Cove and McClure Point. Recent plants have sparked up trout fishing near the dam from the banks with lures or from drifting boats in Cottonwood Creek with Kastmasters in chrome or chrome/blue. Catfish have moved into deeper water. Call: A-1 Bait 563-6505; Fishwrangler's Guide Service 604-8222; Bub Tosh 404-0053.