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