Lake records
In the past there have been no official records kept on
New Melones Lake, so there may have been bigger fish than these, but we
have no way of verifying any "fish stories." These
weights were official and weighed in at our store or elsewhere, on a
certified scale. We are currently researching some species, so they are not
yet posted.
Brown Trout: 13 pounds, 1
ounce, caught on February 11, 2010, by Jim Harlan of Soulsbyville, on a
J-7 jointed Rapala in firetiger pattern, trolled 31 feet deep by the dam.
The fish was 31.5 inches long, and had a 18.5 inch girth.
Rainbow Trout: There are reports of 10+ pound rainbow
being caught before we owned the store. We have weighed several in the
7-pound range before we started keeping official records.
Kokanee: The first year kokanee were caught at Melones,
there were plenty in the 3+ pound range. Again, this was before we kept
official records. We will recognize the next kokanee we see that weighs
over 3-pounds.
Black Bass:
Anglers Choice Western Rookie League held a
tournament on March 20, 2010. During the tournament, Kyle Gentry caught an
amazing fish- a huge 18.11-pound largemouth. This blows the old Melones Lake
record (15.3-pounds, caught by Joe Bruce) out of the water, and is probably a
record for biggest bass ever caught in a tournament! He caught the big fish on
a homemade brown/purple jig, with a Yamamoto 5” Twin-Tail Grub in
cinnamon-purple for a trailer. Kyle caught the big bass 20 feet deep in the
back of a cut. After weighing her in at the tournament, Kyle released her
safely back into the lake, back where he caught her. The bass has a 28” girth
and was 30” long.
Spotted Bass: 7.97 pounds, caught
on February 6th, 2010, on a Roboworm in the main lake.
Catfish: 36 pounds, caught by Dean Nelson on a
Vienna sausage near the Glory Hole boat ramp.
