Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3911 May 2020 | Page 12

12 May 2020 Map Feature VOL.39 • ISS. 11 Collins Lake not only features top-notch trout fishing, but it offers excellent fishing for spotted bass, black bass, redear sunfish, black crappie, bluegill and channel catfish. Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff. C Collins Lake Will Feature Great Trout and Bass Action When It Reopens ollins Lake, located on Dry Creek, a tributary of the Yuba River, features 12 miles of shoreline located in the beautiful Sierra Nevada foothills. The popular lake will feature excellent trout, black bass, channel catfish and panfish action when it reopens after being temporarily closed during the coronavirus emergency. “In response to Gov. Newsom’s Statewide order to shelter in place, Collins Lake is temporarily closed for camping and day use until further notice.,” said Lincoln Young of the Collins Lake Resort. “For now, reser- vations until May 3rd 2020 will be cancelled and any payments credited on account at Collins Lake without any cancellation fees. The length of this closure is unknown and will be reviewed in the coming weeks if it extends into May or later. For questions, email reservations@ collinslake.com.” More than 50,000 rainbow trout are planted in Collins every spring and fall, meaning that Collins Lake has the largest private planting program north of Sacramento. Thousands of these trout are trophy- sized, planted at 3 to 8 pounds and growing even larger. The resort, in cooperation with the CDFW, Kokanee Power and CIFFI, has also sponsored a successful pen-rearing program to enhance the trophy trout fishery at the reservoir. The CDFW puts the trout in the 12 floating pens at a size of 2/3 lbs. each November. When they are released in increments between mid-March and the end of April, they range from 2-1/4 to 3 pounds. This year the net pens will be filled on November 19 by the CDFW, assisted by lake staff and local volunteers. “They’re beautiful fish with full fins that look much more like native or holdover trout,” said Lincoln Young, manager of Collins Lake Resort. “Since they’re already acclimated to the lake’s waters, they’re brightly colored, their The Tinsley Family – Aniyah, Fred, Tisha and Sabrina – reported catching a total of 22 trout during the two days of the 2019 NTAC Collins Lake Tournament of Champions. They caught their rainbows while trolling with broken back Rapalas. Tisha Tinley came in ninth in the adult division with a 4.56 lb. rainbow, while Aniyah Tinsley captured eighth place in the youth division with a 1.63 lb. trout. Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff. flesh is firmer and they fight harder than recently planted trout.” The CDFW planted brown trout in previous years, but they haven’t stocked browns for over 8 years. Trout grow big and fat in Collins, feeding heavily on the lake’s abundant threadfin shad and other forage. Rich Moore set the lake rainbow record of 14 pounds, 3 ounces in May 2009. The lake brown record, set in 1991 by Bill Clutter, is 9 pounds. The top-notch trout fishing available at Collins Lake was highlighted on November 3, 2019, when Rob Cetinich of San Jose won first place in the adult Moises Blanco won first place in the youth division of the Collins TOC in November 2019, as well as second place in the youth division at the Collins Lake TOC in April 2019. He was bait fishing from shore with his dad. Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff. division of the two-day NorCal Trout Anglers Challenge (NTAC) event at Collins Lake by landing the largest fish, a 7.92 lb. rainbow trout. He caught his fish, one of three over 7 pounds landed by participants in the event, while trolling in the middle of the lake with Speedy Shiner lures at 30 feet deep. Fishing with him were his brother, Eric, and his grandfather, Bob Schmidt. “My brother told me he had never seen a trout caught while trolling. Well, ten minutes later, the big fish hit my lure and he netted the fish. It popped out of the net once, but he scooped it back in,” said Cetinich Not only did Cetinich catch the biggest fish, bit he won a 14-foot Tracker boat, Mercury motor and trailer package from Gone Fishin’ Marine in Dixon during a drawing of the top 10 adult winners. “This was perhaps the most exciting Tournament of Champions we have had over the past 6 years,” said Vince Harris, President of Angler’s Press Outdoors. “We never have seen such big fish caught at a championship event, let CONTINUED ON PG 13