Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3826 Dec 6-20 | Page 16

14 Dec 6 - 20, 2019 MAP FEATURE VOL.38 • ISS. 26 Rollins Lake offers spotted, largemouth and spotted bass, rainbow and brown trout, crappie, bluegill and channel catfish for kayakers, other boaters and bank anglers to catch. Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff. L Rollins Lake Offers Great Spotted Bass, Bluegill and Crappie Fishing ike many reservoirs in Cali- fornia, Rollins Lake’s fishery has undergone a big transition from one fishery to another over the years. When I first fished Rollins 48 years ago, Collins was known for abundant but small and mostly undersized smallmouth and largemouth bass, along with rainbow trout bluegill, crappie and a sleeper quality wild brown trout fishery. My first ever trip to Rollins with a friend in June of 1971 produced a “potluck “catch of smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, bluegill and rainbow trout. We caught most of the fish while drifting nightcrawlers in the coves from his rowboat. Since then I have made many trips to Rollins Lake, most of them while bank fishing for trout. Fishing can be great here if you hit the lake just right. My most memorable trip to the lake was several years ago during the winter when I found top-notch fishing in wonderful solitude on a trip to Rollins. I hooked over 30 rainbow trout, keeping my limit of five fish in the 12 to 16-inch class and releasing the others, while casting out orange/gold Cripplures and Berkley PowerBait from shore. I was one of on two anglers fishing on the lake that day. Cal Kellogg, Fish Sniffer Editor, had a fantastic trip on his kayak to Rollins this September. “I caught over 50 fish, a mixture of bass and crappie,” said Kellogg. “I hooked 24 bass, all spotted bass. About half were 12 inches long or over and the other half were undersized.” “I caught bass up to 2-1/2 pounds while throwing the smallest Pop-Rs in the North Fork. I caught a number of fish on the edge of the shore line and others out in the middle of the lake where they were breaking on the surface of the water. I also landed over 20 bluegill, mostly hand sized, during the trip.” The rainbow trout fishery, provided by once frequent plants by the California. Department of Fish and Wildlife, provided an excellent opportunity for shore anglers and boaters to battle trout in a scenic Sierra Nevada setting. Unfortunately, the trout plants have become less frequent by the CDFW in recent years. The CDFW has planted the reservoir only once this year to date, with another plant planned at press time. “The cold water fishery at Rollins is Michael Allen shows off a couple of scrappy spotted bass typical of those that dominate the black bass fishery at Rollins now. Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff. suffering from the lake of CDFW plants,” emphasized Kellogg. “Fortunately, the bass fishery is coming on really strong after the introduction of Alabama spotted bass in the lake and the panfish, including crappie and bluegill, are really thriving also.” Situated amidst a conifer forest on the Bear River in Nevada County near Colfax, Rollins Reservoir is like two different bodies of water, depending on whether you fish it during the summer or fall, winter and spring. In the summer, the lake is a maelstrom of personal watercraft, water skiers and recreational boaters. Fishing for the lake’s rainbow trout, German brown trout, spotted, largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish is best during the early morning and late afternoon hours due to the heavy boating traffic during the day. Concentrating on the more peaceful 5 mph coves is also highly advisable. In contrast, during the fall, winter and spring, the lake is known as a place to find decent fishing for rainbow and brown trout, as well as black bass and panfish, amidst solitude. Bank fishing and trolling are both effective methods for pulling out trout at this time of year. On a sunny afternoon a year ago, Richard McGuire of Lincoln and Ron McGuire of Weimar had a great time fishing when they landed 10 rainbows in less than an hour while tossing out crank- baits, along with one spotted bass, in the Greenhorn arm of the lake. They found their trout success right after a trout plant. “This is my home lake,” said Richard. “I like to fish it year around from my kayak for trout, bass and crappie.” Kellogg and I like to use the lake as a place to test new baits and lures for trout – when the lake is being planted in the winter and spring. The bass fishing has changed a lot at the lake over the past decade. The lake used to be known as one where you can hook lots of small smallmouths and a few