Collins Lake

I’m happy to report that we’re still enjoying blue skies and beautiful weather up here on the lake.  Labor Day weekend is all booked up for overnight camping but you can still come up for the day.  If August was too hot or too busy for your taste, you should try camping and fishing in September!  

In the daytime expect weather in the 80’s with the evenings cooling off into the 60’s, perfect for fishing and a sunset campfire.  Mid-week there’s abundant space, and depending on the size of your rig we may even have lake front hookups available- even on the weekends there’s plenty of non-hookup sites, a few with electric & water, rental cabins & trailers, just give us a call.  

The lake is only 21′ from full and surface temperature is around 75ºF.  It’s shaping up to be a great few months for norcal anglers before the winter rains arrive.

We are already seeing fall trout biting around 30 feet deep which will pick up as the surface temperature continues to drop. Jimmie Trejo was trolling speedy shiners and limited out, and just to prove it wasn’t a fluke his buddy Jimmy Wynne caught a limit as well. It doesn’t matter how you spell it, apparently the best strategy for catching trout this time of year is to be named Jimmie (and bring a downrigger).

Catfish haven’t quit, just ask Sherinne Wilson of Santa Rosa who reeled up a 6 pound cat from the South side of the lake using chicken livers. But the biggest fish this week was this monstrous fat cat caught on Anchovies by Parnell Wilson from Vallejo, tipping the scale at 14 pounds. Parnell was fishing right out front of campsite #476 in Elmer’s Cove.  Did I mention we sell frozen anchovies?

When I was a kid we used to sit on that same shore with lines out overnight watching the stars and waiting for catfish. Don’t everyone crowd Elmer’s cove though; Catfish can be found in coves and corners all over the lake as well as the shoreline in front of camps #202 to #222 and the open area.

Bass continue to prefer live bait although I’ve heard of plenty of catches on lures this time of year, including rubber worms and diving crankbait. Still the biggest, and the prettiest bass this week were all caught on live crawdads (we don’t sell crawdads but ask Johnson’s in Yuba City or Frank’s Beacon in Oroville, or catch them on the shore).  Dale from Forbestown was dropping ‘dads to catch a 5 1/4 pounder.  Elaine from Browns Valley used the same to catch, among others, this beautiful spotted bass. 

But the prize for the bass with the biggest gut goes to Holly & Brandon who reeled in this 6.5 pound Largemouth Bass whose boxy profile would fit right into an 80’s video game.

You’ll find crappie, bluegill and smaller bass in the shallows for the next two months and with the water being so clear it’s a lot of fun to see how they behave with different jigs and bait, however their appetite can be fickle.  Keep an eye out anyway, often these smaller fish in the shallows are a harbinger of bigger fish, especially bass, just a little bit farther out.

The folks at the Fish Sniffer, Western Outdoor News, local bait and tackle shops and even some of the bigger shops publish pictures right off this page and we always enjoy your pictures out on the lake so whether it’s family fun or a big bass keep sending them in: ed@collinslake.com

Enjoy your Labor Day and here’s to a happy September, Ed