Fish Cal Kellogg

Trout Tactics: Is PowerBait the Only Bait I Use?

PowerBait is a trout-catching standard and I use plenty of it—but it's definitely not the only natural-style presentation in my arsenal.

One of my favorites is salmon eggs suspended beneath a bobber. It's simple, effective and especially fun when that float suddenly disappears. Inflated nightcrawlers are another old-school presentation that still catches plenty of trout. Float them off the bottom or suspend them beneath a bobber and let the movement and scent do the work.

And don't overlook mealworms. They can be floated beneath a bobber or slowly mooched through areas holding trout. Sometimes a small, subtle natural bait is exactly what finicky fish want.

PowerBait catches trout, but one of the keys to consistent success is having more than one trick in the bag. If the trout aren't responding to one presentation, give them a completely different look.

I'll be back at Collins Lake this fall and winter, chasing freshly planted rainbows along with those big Collins holdovers. Whether you want to catch a limit, chase a personal-best trout or learn some new techniques, let's spend a day on the water.

📞 Call or Text (530) 320-0368
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Have You Ever Been on a Freshwater Potluck Trip?

Most anglers head to the lake with one species in mind.

I like to let the lake decide. I call it a Freshwater Potluck Trip.

This time of year, holdover rainbow trout are still the main attraction at Collins Lake. That's where we'll start. But if we find bass blowing up on bait, a school of slab crappie stacked on structure, or big redear sunfish feeding aggressively, we'll invest some time chasing them too.

The beauty of a potluck trip is that we're always fishing the best bite the lake has to offer. Instead of forcing one pattern, we stay flexible and let conditions dictate the game plan.

Some days that means trout in the cooler, bass on topwater and a handful of giant panfish before heading home. Those are the days you remember.

If that sounds like your kind of fishing, I'd love to show you what Collins Lake has to offer.
Now booking Collins Lake trips.
Call or Text (530) 320-0368

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Let's go see what the lake has on the menu.

Gold Fever Never Really Goes Away…

If you've ever found even a few flakes of gold in the bottom of a pan, you probably understand.

There's something about prospecting that gets under your skin. The history, the hunt, the anticipation—and that moment when you wash away the last bit of black sand and see yellow looking back at you.

Fishing may be how most people know me, but gold prospecting has been another passion of mine for years.

My latest featured story from the FishCalKellogg.com library is “Gold Fever Never Really Goes Away.”

If you've ever caught the fever—or wondered why perfectly rational people spend hours moving rocks and gravel looking for tiny pieces of metal—give it a read.

⛏️ Read the full story here:
https://fishcalkellogg.com/f/gold-fever-never-really-goes-away

And if you enjoy it, take a look around the library. There's a whole lot more than fishing in there.

Delta Striper Tactics: Don’t Overlook Soft Plastic Swimbaits!

Before modern soft plastic swimbaits took over, Delta anglers threw Hair Raisers, bucktail jigs and other old-school offerings at striped bass. Those lures caught plenty of fish, but today a good paddle-tail swimbait gives us the same basic baitfish profile with a whole lot more lifelike movement.

Cast them around current seams, points, w**d edges and wherever stripers are pushing bait. Keep the bait moving with a steady retrieve and pay attention to what you feel.

Here’s the big tip: If you feel a striper bump or short-strike the swimbait, DON’T STOP IT! Keep retrieving. Stripers will often come right back, hammer the bait a second time and hook themselves. Stopping or jerking the lure away can kill your opportunity.

Can you troll swimbaits? Yes, yes and YES! They’re deadly trolled behind a boat and particularly effective for kayak anglers, where a simple swimbait presentation is easy to deploy and keeps you fishing while covering water.

I'll be chasing California Delta stripers throughout September and October. If you want to catch some hard-fighting fall stripers—or learn the techniques I use to find and hook them—let's get your trip on the calendar.

📞 Call or Text (530) 320-0368
🌐 FishCalKellogg.com

Trout Tactics: Should You Always Troll With a Dodger?

Not me.

When I start a day of trout trolling, I generally begin with naked lures—no dodger at all. Rest assured, a trout can find a spoon, soft plastic or trolling fly just fine without a big piece of metal flashing in front of it.

Dodgers are tools, not requirements.

When the water is cold, off-color or the trout need a little extra stimulation, that's when I start experimenting with dodgers. I typically begin with a small dodger and gradually increase the size until the trout tell me what they want. Sometimes that extra flash and vibration turns a slow bite around. Other days, the clean, subtle presentation of a naked lure wins hands down.

The lesson? Don't automatically give the trout more. Let the fish tell you when they need more.

Fall is one of my favorite times to experiment with finesse trolling at Collins Lake, and I'll be back guiding there beginning November 1. If you want to catch a limit, chase a new personal best or spend a day learning how I approach Collins trout, let's get you on the calendar.

📞 Call or Text (530) 320-0368
🌐 FishCalKellogg.com

Delta Striper Tip: Why Put a Worm Behind a Minnow Plug?

If you've spent much time around serious Delta striper trollers, you've probably noticed something unusual hanging off the back of their Yo-Zuris and other minnow plugs—a full-size 6- to 8-inch plastic Trick Worm.

Why?

That long worm adds a completely different dimension to the plug. The minnow bait provides the wobble, flash and vibration, while the soft plastic trails behind with a seductive swimming action of its own. It makes the overall presentation look bigger, adds movement and gives following stripers another target to attack.
White is the traditional go-to color, but don't be afraid to experiment. Chartreuse, pink and other colors can produce when the fish decide they want something different.

The important thing is to rig the worm so the plug continues to track and work properly. Check it beside the boat before sending it back.

I'll be chasing Delta stripers throughout September and October, and fall is coming fast. If you'd like to learn the techniques, catch some hard-fighting stripers and experience the California Delta firsthand, get your date on the calendar!

📞 Call or Text (530) 320-0368
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Angler Question of the Week: Charlie Phelps of Fair Oaks, CA asks:
“Are planted trout easier to catch than wild trout?”

Great question, Charlie. Right after they’re planted, usually yes. Fresh planters tend to stay concentrated and can be pretty aggressive. But once they settle into a lake, the answer can actually flip.

Wild trout and longtime holdovers understand their environment. They eat insects, baitfish and other natural forage, so if you figure out what they’re feeding on and match it, the puzzle is fairly straightforward.

Planters can be different. They’re suddenly dropped into a completely new world and sometimes seem like they don’t know what they’re supposed to eat yet. That can make them surprisingly particular about lure size, shape and color. A hot pink worm might be lights-out today and barely get touched tomorrow.

That’s one reason I constantly experiment at Collins Lake. When the trout get quirky, changing colors, downsizing presentations and showing them something different can turn the day around.

If you’d like to catch a limit this fall, chase a new personal best or learn the techniques I use to consistently unlock Collins Lake, I’ll be back guiding there beginning November 1.

📞 Call or Text (530) 320-0368
🌐 FishCalKellogg.com

DELTA SALMON — HOW DO YOU PUT A KING IN THE NET?

Before fall-run Chinook reach the famous upriver salmon grounds, they have to travel through the California Delta—and that's where things get interesting.

Spinners, wrapped FlatFish, three-way sinker rigs, trolling speed, bottom control...Delta salmon fishing is a game of details. Get those details right and the reward can be a rod absolutely buried by a hard-charging king!

I just added a new article to the FishCalKellogg.com library breaking down how I approach Delta salmon trolling, from tackle and rigging to lure selection and getting your presentation into the strike zone.

🎣 Read the full article here:

https://fishcalkellogg.com/f/california-delta-salmon-fishing-tactics-for-fall-kings

And remember, I’ll be fishing the California Delta throughout September and October. If you'd rather learn these techniques with a rod in your hand—and hopefully a king on the other end—let’s go fishing!

📞 Call or Text (530) 320-0368

🌐 FishCalKellogg.com

Collins Lake Fishing Report
The trout bite is fair to good right now. I’m finding the better action in the 35- to 45-foot zone, with soft plastics trolled around 2 mph producing consistently. The average trout is a holdover rainbow around 16 inches long, with the largest trout ranging up to 24 inches.
The bass fishing, meanwhile, is flat-out fun. Topwater action can happen throughout the day, and the key is simple: find the bait and you’ll find the bass. Keep your eyes open for boils and other surface activity. Most of the fish are spotted bass in the 12- to 14-inch class, but there are some much bigger largemouth showing themselves from time to time.

I’ve only got a couple weeks left in this part of my Collins season, and this is a great time for what I call a Foothill Potluck Trip. We’ll chase the best bite available—trout when they’re cooperating, bass when they’re blowing up on bait, and whatever else the lake decides to serve up.

It’s also a perfect time to get the kids on the water. Plenty of action, multiple species and you never know what’s going to pull the rod down next.

If you want to squeeze in a late-summer Collins trip, give me a call.
📞 Call or Text (530) 320-0368

🌐 FishCalKellogg.com

Fall Trout Fishing at Collins Lake

This heat is going to break, and before we know it those cool fall mornings will be back at Collins Lake.

Fall confounds a lot of trout anglers, but it’s actually one of my favorite times to fish the lake. The water level is down, concentrating the fish, and Collins comes alive with a combination of freshly planted rainbows and big holdover slugs that have spent the summer getting mean.

Can those fall trout be finicky, quirky and downright difficult to hook? Absolutely—especially if your entire repertoire consists of power trolling Speedy Shiners off a downrigger.

Fall is when I lean hard into finesse trolling. Hybrid leadcore, side planers, small brightly colored spoons, soft plastics teamed with Action Discs and trolling flies behind Action Discs all give me ways to tempt trout without pounding them over the head with the same hardware every Tom, Dick and Harry pulls before stopping at the Collins Lake Store on the way home and complaining about the lack of fish...LOL

Get the presentation right and fall can produce some truly memorable days.

Whether your goal is a limit of trout, a new personal best, or learning the techniques that consistently produce at Collins, I’ll be back guiding the lake beginning November 1.

🎣 Fall dates are booking up now.

📞 Call or Text (530) 320-0368

🌐 FishCalKellogg.com