Countdown To The Trout Opener: Collins Lake Primed For Another Great Season
We’re counting down to Saturday’s statewide general trout season opening day with stories that are appearing in our April issue. Today: Famed Collins Lake poised for another productive spring.
By Chris Cocoles
It’s not just a fluke, or a coincidence, that Collins Lake has become arguably California’s most productive trout fishery. Certainly, this year-round gem located in the Sierra foothills northeast of Marysville and Yuba City will be popular for spring trout fishing and more again this season.
“We count ourselves incredibly blessed to be part of a community that has made it possible for us to continue to invest our lives in providing a great place to enjoy outdoor recreation,” says Ed Palma of Collins Lake Resort (530-692-1600; collinslake.com).
The Young family has been the driving force behind Collins Lake’s rise as a premier Northern California destination. But as Palma points out, “Our work family has grown to include dear friends and familiar faces, some of whom have been greeting campers and fishermen for 25 years or more.”
GREAT PARTNERS, GREAT FISH
Collins’ plentiful stockings of trout – both catchable fish from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and trophy rainbows from private hatcheries – has made it an annual spring pilgrimage for trout anglers.
This season alone, Collins has almost reached its goal of getting some semblance of plantings every week since October entering the spring season.
“We are not a super flashy operation, but we are focused on doing the main things well,” Palma says. “I suppose if we’re proud of anything, it’s that folks keep coming back! Really, it’s the same thing that keeps us humble and focused.”
Palma did the math in his head and calculated that 33,000 pounds of trout have been planted at a weekly cadence since October 2025. That number includes trophy rainbows from private hatcheries, Mount Lassen Trout Farm-raised lightning trout and California Department of Fish and Wildlife plants of catchable (mostly 1- to 2-pound) fish.
Trout are also raised in netpens at Collins, and they were released earlier than normal during a March heatwave. Many of these subcatchable-sized fish that survive hungry bass grow bigger over time, offering anglers brightly colored fish that are strong fighters.
“There are a lot of trout in the lake,” says Palma, who adds, “If conditions permit, we still have another 12,000 pounds of private trout plants scheduled between (late March) and the first week of May.”
WATER TEMPS ON THE RISE
March felt more like June at Collins, and as rising temperatures baked the Central Valley much earlier than normal, the lake’s surface temperatures climbed to about 67 degrees.
Palma cited two effects from the warmer-than-normal water temps.
“First, the trout are moving to deeper, cooler water. Shoreline activity has slowed since (February),” he said in late March.
“If you’re fishing for trout, plan to get out into deeper water,” he stated. “Troll with a downrigger or cast out along a steep shoreline; a Kastmaster is a good option to get from shore into cooler, deeper water. PowerBait from the shore can still work in certain areas, but we expect fishing deeper water to be more productive earlier than usual this year.”
Bass anglers should also take note of the early increased water temperatures. The fish were in prespawn mode earlier than other years even without the hotter weather. It’s all meant more bass being landed, when generally the action picks up later in spring.
“We’ve seen a sudden and significantincreaseinthenumberof bass caught in the last week. Even folks casting PowerBait for trout along the shoreline are picking up bass,” Palma said last month. “If you’re waiting for the bass bite to pick up, wait no longer. The time is now!”
Equally good news is that the lake level has been mostly at full capacity since January 4.
“It’s earlier than normal to be this high, but unless we see some more rain, we might be looking at an early start for the irrigation season as well,” Palma adds. “So all in all, we’ll probably be near the average for midseason levels.”
FAMILY FUN AND DELICIOUS ICE CREAM
If any spot in California can take advantage of hotter spring weather, it’s Collins Lake, which is well known for the iconic ice cream at the resort’s store.
“We brought in new freezer hardware this year to make sure we have room for your favorite ice cream flavors,” Palma says.
Elsewhere, management is in spring cleaning mode to make little improvements and tweaks around the campground areas and at the marina, where watercraft are rentable for a day on the lake.
“If you (showed up in late March), you probably noticed restrooms being renovated, sections of gravel and patches on the main road where new culverts and utility lines have been laid in preparation for repaving this fall,” Palma says.
“Patio boats have been out of the water for pontoon upgrades and we’re doing site work around new cabins; we replaced the last rental trailers with cabins,” he added.
“We used to call this the ‘slow season,’ but we keep pretty busy, and with warm weather bringing in the spring campers, our work has been more visible than usual.” CS
Editor’s note: As anglers and campers begin descending on Collins Lake in spring and summer, it’s recommended to use the resort’s reservations website at collinslake.com/reservations to book a spot at the campground.
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