Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3718 Aug 17-31 | Page 14

14
Aug 17 - 31, 2018
Brought To You By
BASS ANGLER NEWS!
VOL.37 • ISS. 18
Collins Lake: The Place for Outstanding Bass, Trout & Family Fun!
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A
s I motored away from the launch ramp I spotted a mature
bald eagle setting in a tree on the far side of the lake, it’s
snow-white head stood out distinctly against the grey-green back-
drop.
The electric trolling motor churned silently beneath the surface,
pushing me toward the dam as I rigged my rods. On the first rod I
tied on a chrome and blue Cripplure, while I armed the second with
a 3-inch minnow plug.
I was
about
midway
across
the dam
when
the rod
toplin-
ing the
Cripplure
dipped
and then
popped
back up.
The fish
had missed
getting
hooked, but
a beat later it
struck again and this time luck was on my
side. The rod drew down into a satisfying arc
and line started flowing off the reel before
I could get the rig out of the holder. The
thick-bodied rainbow put up a determined
battle, but within a few minutes it was safely
in the cooler.
For the rest of the morning I worked back
and forth along the face of the dam. By
early afternoon I’d hooked and landed more
than two dozen rainbows. Most of them
were quickly released, but I did keep three
rainbows and a lone brown in the 2 pound
class. As I eased the boat back onto its trailer
I looked across the lake and was surprised
to see that the eagle was still sitting on its
perch. Between seeing the eagle and battling
a bunch of hard fighting trout it had been a
majestic morning at Collins Lake indeed!
Collins Lake, sits at 1,200 feet in eleva-
tions, about midway between the cities of
Marysville to the north and Grass Valley to
the south. When full as it usually is in the
spring the lake features 1,600 surface acres of
water and 12.5 miles of shoreline
Unlike a lot of the state’s premier trout
fishing destinations the Collins Lake Recre-
ation Area offers all the amenities an angler
requires and is family friendly. The recreation
area’s facilities include a boat ramp and ma-
rina, picnic grounds, camping sites, RV sites,
rental cabins and trailers, general store, laun-
dry equipment, hot showers, sand swimming
beach and a children’s playground. If you
don’t have your own boat don’t despair. The
marina offers outboard equipped aluminum
fishing boats, patio boats and ocean kayaks.
So, what makes Collins Lake such an
awesome fishery? Well there are a couple
of driving factors behind the lake’s superb
trout fishing. The lake’s rich waters provide
an exceptional forage base in the form of
prolific numbers of threadfin shad. Yet, the
most important factor is the recreation area’s
commitment to providing a top notch fishing
experience. Collins boasts the most aggres-
sive trout stocking program in the north state.
Spring and fall big numbers of rainbow trout
are planted.
In addition to trout, Collins is home to a
strong population of spotted bass and there
are also plenty of big Florida strain
largemouths, along with crappie,
sunfish, catfish and more!
If you haven’t yet sampled
the exceptional trout and
fishing Collins Lake pro-
vides check them out online at
www.collinslake.com and
plan a late summer or
fall visit!