Water Temp 58-61
Air Temp 70-80
Water Clarity 2-3 feet
Wind 2-5 mph

Collins lake fishing early spring

Its been a long time since I fished Collins lake but since I was giving a fishing report live on the radio that night, I thought it would be a good idea to check out the lake. I got a late start on the day hit the water at about 9:30 am. Made my first stop on the east side of the lake at some willows in 15 feet of water. With the water temp in the high 50’s I felt like a jig might work well, on my fifth cast my hunch was right an I landed a nice 3.5 pound spot with a few more casts I caught another nice spot at 4.8 pounds. Those were the two best fish of the day but 25 fish later I wasn’t complaining.

Collins Lake Spot

Most of the fish I caught were holding tight to the willow bushes in deeper water (12-18 feet). I fished the east side most of the day hitting points that led to spawning flats. Other anglers were fishing in shallower water but they were only catching fish in the 1-1.5 pound range most of mine were 2-2.5 out in the 18-20 foot range. Tried reaction baits (spinnerbaits, Swimbaits, and Chatterbaits) no luck on any of them, drop-shots, jigs and Senkos in green pumpkin color were the baits that landed the fish for me. I’ve got to tell you my new Phenix Maxim spinning rods were key to catching fish, the sensitivity was super important since the bite was nothing but pressure. I checked a ton of areas for bedding fish and found none, not saying there aren’t any but the spawn has definitely not kicked off yet. The lake is on the verge of going off and with the upcoming warm weather it should only take a few days to get the spawn started. They have been planting trout at an amazing rate and they are all over the lake so if you’re a big fan of throwing swimbaits you will probably want to keep one tied on.