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Anyone know about McKay lake?

13K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  rottal 
#1 ·
The sales guy at sportsmans told me the Bass fishing is pretty good at McKay (136th and Zuni???) but he had not been out there for a few years and my Kip Careys book tells me it was drained in 2002. Has anyone been out there and checked the fishing in the last year? Please let me know if this is a good spot for Bass and panfish for this spring. Thanks.
 
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#2 ·
In it's prime Mckay lake had more largemouths over 5 lbs than any lake in Colorado I've ever fished. The first year it was open to the public(used to be a fishing lease lake) we hammered fish from 5-7lbs and heard of bigger ones being landed. The water level used to be really high and it made for a ton of great cover to fish. They drew the water level way down for work they're doing on the damn and the fishing has suffered. The water is low and always really really murky, and no shoreline structure. If you do decide to fish Mckay bring your polarized glasses and look for a fallen tree's its hard but if you do the fishing is worth the trip. They started stocking trout and tiger musky's into Mckay a few years back both run smaller than average, but still fun. It's a flies and lures only lake but once every few trips you'll hook into a really nice channel cat(usually fishing Senko's). Personally I know there's still a few hogs swimming in the depths of Mckay, but nothing like it was. I used to fish Mckay a few days a week...now its a few every season.
 
#4 ·
We went out there in Oct. it wasn't bad, caught a couple lg mouths 3-4lbs. Saw others jumping near shore that seemed much bigger.

Just don't go out there at night the ranger will get you. We made the mistake of going while waiting for a friend to get off work and got ran out but were told stories of the ranger being very strick. They had trouble with teens on motorcycles at night and were patroling a lot. One guy told us a ranger took a couple people's poles and tackle for fishing at night there. Not sure if that is legal or true but enough to make us not go there again at night.
 
#7 ·
yep , big bass at Mckay but they are getting thined out,
years ago it was a leased lake by the Louisville Rod and Gun club, area was kept up, clean, and highly member enforced to throw the little guys back and recommended catch/release of the big ones both bass and gills. It was stocked on a regular basis with young bass, perch and a few trout to maintain the population along with some imported trophy size bass every year.
When the lease renual was denied one year because of developement growth in that area it was like "OH %^#$" ( hence FishingMans comment about million $ homes) , some effort from the club went into netting and relocating as many of the big fish possible because alot of money went into acuireing them , but because resource was not there for "electro-shocking" it was only partially successful which was ok for future of the lake .
unfourtunatly when home and additional roads construction was underway combined with lower water levels to work on the dam alot of dirt , construction debris ,washout from cement trucks etc got into the place. heck i used to drive by and scope it out for old times sake while a it was closed off during that transition period and see chunks of insulation floating around, roofing shingles blown all around, not good.
but anyway I think when it first opened back up it was just for that " homeowners association" only but then got parks or open space status, maybe why as mentioned some of the people living around there are quick to complain and scowl when they see someone that doesnt look like they belong fishing . Damn ! sorry about the ramblin guys,, but yes im sure some of the big bass and offspring still roam, now i got myself so worked up i want to swing by Mckay .
Tubby
 
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#8 ·
I can understand your frustrations Tubby....Spratt Platte used to be a private lake before it opened to the public. The first year it opened I would run into guys that used to be members and they were in shock of the way the general public treated what was once a prestine fishery. A few years back they stocked a buttload of stocker trout and you couldn't keep them off your line, but where stocker trout roam so do baitfisherman. This is a flys and lures only lake and on more than a few occasions I would run into groups of people fishing the bottom with worms or powerbait. I didn't take it to seriously until I seen an older man with a bass pushing 5lbs on a stringer :mad: Damn shame!!! I remember fishing the northeast corner in my belly boat and landing really nice bass cast after cast.
 
#9 ·
Meat fishermen can devastate a small lake or pond in no time. When I see a big bass on a stringer it just turns my stomach. I know in most places its OK to keep a bass over 15" but you'll never catch me doing it.
 
#10 ·
i fish that lake alot , i only live five minutes from the lake , i have watched people keep bass undersized so much, i tryed to show people the signs but most people just dont care, ive caught some real nice bass on sinkos, drop shoting , and jig and pigs are some of my favorite techniques , there are also huge gills in the lake , they should make spratt catch and release, they need more inforcement by rangers , i also have witnessed lots of people using bait , the problem when you report someone is by the time a ranger arrives they are usually gone
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the info on Mckay I am going to try it this spring if it stops snowing. I saw that a couple of people mentioned Spratte Platt, I live a couple of miles from there but all three times I went last summer all I caught on my crankbaits were weeds. Where is a good area of this lake to fish? I did not even see a fish there last summer.
 
#14 ·
I used to fish McKay back in the day when it was private...and there were no million dollar homes around it. We used to hunt there too...but i havnt been there in years. Im a member of the Lousiville Rod and Gun Club, but now only have access to the lake there in Superior...but remember when McKay used to be pretty good fishing...ive seen some pretty nice cats come out of there.

ahh, its nice to remember the good ol days ;)
 
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