Ripe Cantaloupe?

I planted some early maturing lopes in June, and to my surprise, despite our weather this year, they did fairly well. I have quite a few softball sized melons, and they are starting to get that "tan netting" all over them. The stem is still firmly attached to the melons.

What should I look for when they are ripe?

I found out the hard way when my cantalope was ripe. I picked my first ones too soon then about 2 weeks later I noticed a couple of them were more tan yellow than tan green. They will turn more yellow, Be very easy to pull from the vine.
I hope this helps you.
willowsrain

The background behind the netting will turn more yellow as they mature. Growers pick them at either of two stages, "half slip" or "full slip". If the lopes need to be picked a little early to facilitate shipping or storage before sale, they pick at "half slip" when the fruit will separate from the stem with a tug. If the fruit are to be sold (or devoured) immediately, they pick them at "full slip" when the stem separates from the fruit with hardly any effort. When the fruit have a fragrant aroma and the stem-end gives with a little pressure, it's time to break out the bowls and napkins.

Very good- thank you!

They are still green under the netting, so I think we have a ways to go. I just hope we don't run out of warm weather before they are ripe. :-/

Cantaloupes are ripe when they pull off the vine with ease...no
pulling should be necessary. You'll want to watch the fruit
carefully and harvest daily once they start to ripen. Some
people "thump" their melons and listen for a hollow sound
which means they are ripe. This of course, is not as easy
as it sounds, if you've never listened to a melon before! You
can also look for the base of the stem to look cracked, which
is a sign it will pull off easily. Refrigerate melons immediately
after harvesting or bringing home from the market.

You can also freeze cantaloupe to use at a later time.

Just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to answer-- It made it much easier to know what I was looking for.

I am now up to my neck in softball sized cantaloupe, but boy are they tasty!