Collins Lake High Water Update: Bait Fishing Beats Slow Trolling | The Fish Sniffer

Collins Lake High Water Update: Bait Fishing Beats Slow Trolling

1/19/2026
Developed in paid partnership with Tom Mailey
Collins Lake High Water Update: Bait Fishing Beats Slow Trolling

The lake level is all the way up but the water is still pretty stained and the trout seem to be hunkering down. Bait fishing seems to be quite a bit better than trolling- which I can speak firsthand to. Last Wednesday we hit two trout before 10am anchored up in the cove across from the marina and soaking PowerBait in about 2 feet of water (casting right up to the shoreline). Same thing on Saturday, same area and, interestingly, same time frame. Trolling both days was slow, although on Saturday we lost a good-sized lightning trout in front of Elmer's Cove after 4 hours of not a single takedown. Surface temperatures are 49 first thing, warming to about 52 later in the day. Hopefully as the lake continues to clear the trolling bite will pick back up

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Tom Mailey

Tom Mailey

Get The Net Fishing Guide Service

Tom Mailey is a Northern California fishing guide with Puget Sound roots and over 30 years chasing salmon and trout across local waters. After launching Get The Net in 2020, he traded his microphone from 32 years on the Pat, Tom and Cody Show for a captain's seat, retiring in May '25 to guide full-time on Folsom, Collins, Lake Amador, and other NorCal lakes. Fully licensed, bonded, insured, and USCG OUPV certified, he specializes in trout and landlocked salmon trips that welcome beginners and veterans alike. Hands-on instruction, prime spots, and a lifetime of stories.

Book a trip with Tom, call 916-521-4641

Volume 45 Issue 1 Out Now!

Volume 45 Issue 1 Out Now!