It’s feeling more and more like fall around here- beautiful quiet weekdays and comfortable camping weather. The lake is about 28ft below spill, which is normal for this time in the irrigation season. While it’s definitely a different feel than “full to the brim” it has its own beauty, especially when it’s still and glassy, and especially when the only sound is water dripping off your kayak paddles.

This is just about the slowest time of year for trout fishing. While generally the temperature is dropping, the lake surface is still above 75ºF and that keeps the trout down deep. Even so in early September long time Collins Lake angler Jimmie Trejo and his friend John Hilton (who took this picture) managed to bring in more than a limit of trout and a couple bass to fill out the stringer.

They were trolling white Speedy Shiners out on the main body of the lake, where it took 300ft of weighted fishing line to get down deep enough for those trout! Jimmie was out on the water again this week and brought in another nice bass 5lb (above, right) from out near the island.

Thanks for the emails Jimmie – and if anyone else wants to send in pictures you took out on the lake it’s fishing@collinslake.com remember to let us know your name and any fishing details!

For more trout picture we have to dig back to August when the Whorton and Shipman families showed off four beautiful rainbow trout which they caught fishing with worms out by the dam.

Irene, Lily & Jesse were also fishing by the dam but using PowerBait and Corn way down at 30ft and caught a couple of rainbow trout. Apparently they were too big to fit the whole fish in the frame! Sorry about that, we’ll get a bigger camera. Great smiles and great fishing!

Aside from trout there is still some good warm water action. Bass are scattered and you might even get a few unexpected bites while trolling. Or else when you’re fishing for Bluegill…

Keegan, Brody & Colson report catching this 4.5lb largemouth bass while they were reeling in a bluegill– I’d doubt it EXCEPT… when I was a kid the exact same thing happened to me and my brother at Collins Lake on the east bank of Elmer’s Cove on a #12 hook with a 4lb test leader no less. We had no net and I remember my brother bear hugging a big largemouth down in the mud to bring it up on shore. That’s quite a catch gentlemen and a story you can tell for years to come!

The biggest catfish I’ve seen in the last couple months came from Hopkins who caught it down by the dam. That lunker weighed in at 7.2lbs! Great catch!

Finally we have Brayden, Sawyer, Jax & Dylan who brought in two big catfish, weighing in at 6.5lbs and 7lbs and a bonus crappy! Nice catch!

As the lake continues to cool we look forward a great trout planting season and if all goes well, we’ll be planting trout by this time next month! Our schedule (subject to change, conditions permitting, yada yada…) is currently to have a trout plant every week from the second half of October through the first week in May. In the meantime don’t let this weather go to waste- get out and enjoy fall in the California foothills!