14 March 26 , 2021 MAP FEATURE
VOL . 40 • ISS . 6
Rollins Lake , shown here on the first day of spring 2021 , provides anglers with the chance to catch rainbow and brown trout , spotted bass , black crappie , bluegill and channel catfish .
Photo by DAN BACHER .
S ituated 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 . Like many reservoirs in California , 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
Rollins Lake Hosts Spotted Bass , Bluegill Crappie and Trout
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 in September 2019 . “ 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 , bolstered by once frequent plants by the
Richard McGuire ( in photo ) and his brother , Ron , landed their two limits of rainbow trout while casting crankbaits in the Greenhorn Creek arm of Rollns Lake .
Photo by DAN BACHER .
California . Department of Fish and Wildlife , provided an excellent opportunity for shore anglers and boaters to battle trout in a scenic Sierra Nevada setting .
The trout plants have become less frequent by the CDFW in recent years . The good news is that the Department has planted the lake twice in 2021 to date during the weeks of 3 / 14 -3 / 20 and 2 / 21-2 / 27 . Both trolling and bank fishing for trout is productive at Rollins . On a sunny afternoon in November 2019 , 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 crankbaits , 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 little smallmouths and a few largemouths . Smallmouth bass in the 8 to 12 inch range were the predominate catch . But as is the case on many foothill lakes , spotted bass now dominate the fishing at Rollins . The predominance of the spotted bass in the lake was demonstrated by the results of a Folsom Bass Club tournament out of the Long Ravine Resort in November 2018 that I reported on .