Collins Lake Fishing Report | August 18, 2025
The report at a glance
Depth
Magic depth 40 to 45 feet; troll baits 35 to 40 feet; bait anglers mooch over 40-foot marks
Presentation
Troll at 2 mph with baits 35 to 40 feet down; pull spoons and soft plastics behind a number 3 dodger with 60 feet of line out. To soak bait, find the 40-foot marks, drop a 1-ounce sinker to stay vertical, and mooch bait 38 to 40 feet deep.
Lures and baits
Blue and white Junior Trigger Spoon
White glow Pinhead Spoon
White Trout Trix Minnow (5-pack)
Translucent purple Trout Trix Worm (5-pack)
Spoons run behind a number 3 dodger
Bank fishing: garlic green PowerBait
Other techniques
Mooching bait over deep 40-foot marks with a 1-ounce sinker; bank fishing PowerBait at night
Best time
The earlier on the water the better; bank anglers score at night on PowerBait
Weather
Warm summer weather
Advice for this week
The bait is tiny right now, so downsize your spoons. Get out over deep water, stay on the marks, and grind. The earlier you get on the water, the better. Bank anglers can pick up fish on PowerBait at night.
What is changing
Fish stomachs full of plankton with a few tiny shad showing, so small-profile lures are outproducing traditional sizes.
Next week
Collins should keep producing trout into fall and winter for anglers who work the deep, cool water. Get on the books early if you want to chase these fish with a guide.
Notable catch
Rainbows running up to about three pounds; lightning trout up to about two pounds.
Collins Lake trout are holding in cool water 35 to 45 feet down in August 2025. Troll at 2 mph behind a number 3 dodger with a blue and white Junior Trigger Spoon, a white glow Pinhead Spoon, a white Trix Minnow, or a translucent purple Trix Worm. Bank anglers can mooch garlic green PowerBait over 40-foot marks.
What depth are Collins Lake trout holding in August?
The magic depth is 40 to 45 feet, with baits run anywhere from 35 to about 40 feet down. Capt. Cal Kellogg caught trout on every trip by finding deep water and staying over the marks, since that is where the cool water sits in late summer at Collins Lake.
What lures are working at Collins Lake right now?
Cal caught fish on four lures. A blue and white Junior Trigger Spoon took the lightning trout, a white glow Pinhead Spoon produced steadily, and both a white Trix Minnow and a translucent purple Trix Worm added fish. Small-profile spoons are outfishing bigger ones because the shad are tiny.
How should I rig and troll for Collins Lake trout?
Pull spoons behind a number 3 Chinook dodger with 60 feet of line out at 2 miles per hour. Key speed is 2 mph. Get baits down 35 to 40 feet over deep water. Cal ran the Pinhead Spoon and Junior Trigger Spoon this way. Small profiles match the tiny shad the trout are eating.
Can you catch Collins Lake trout from the bank?
Yes. Fish garlic green PowerBait, the same bait Cal fishes in the dead of winter, but out over deep water. From a boat, find 40-foot marks and drop a 1-ounce sinker so you sit vertical, then mooch the bait 38 to 40 feet down. Bank anglers may also pick up fish at night.
Where is the best area on Collins Lake?
Cal's best water ran from the mouth of the narrows down to the second marina. Work that deep water, stay over the marks, and grind it out. The earlier you get on the water the better, though fish are catchable all day right now.
Watch the full report
Collins Lake August 18, 2025 FAQ
2 miles per hour, with baits down 35 to 40 feet behind a number 3 dodger.
The shad are very tiny right now, so small-profile spoons like the Junior Trigger Spoon and Pinhead outfish traditional-sized spoons.
Translucent purple, fished behind a dodger at 2 mph.
Primarily plankton, with a few small shad starting to show up in stomachs.
Garlic green PowerBait fished over deep water, with a 1-ounce sinker to stay vertical over 40-foot marks.
Holdover rainbows up to about 3 pounds and lightning trout up to about 2 pounds.
