[Zman]

Thank God for Fishing!

What a crap day...work was a disaster...headed for the spillway about 6:30...got nailed in the park (Chatfield) by the Barney Fife cop...speeding ticket...$50...was behind some bikes riding double file so I think it is questionable...and there is a concrete bike path around the whole park...but I guess they dont feel like Lance Armstrong there...oh well managed to get to the spillway by 7:00...Tom my friend got the first one...a 16 incher...on a leech on the bottom...couldnt get them to chase Rapalas during the daylight...so we stuck to leeches and occasionally went back to casting Rapalas...Tom got 6 walleyes and I got 6 walleyes...Tom also got a 14 inch smallie...I caught the smallest walleye I have ever caught...about 4 inches...I didnt look closely...I think he probably wasnt hooked...the leech grabbed him for dinner...most were 14 to 19 inches...all took leeches except for the last two I caught which hit fire tiger suspending rattling rapalas after dark...Tom had to get home...I think it was that he had a one fish lead and wanted the victory with me coming on strong with my Rapalas...oh well one more thing for the day...the indignation of being outfished by a Texan...and he doesnt even say "fixen" most of the time...a pretty good evening cept for getting nailed by Barney...it was gorgeous out there...I didnt want to leave...

 

[rottal]

Well sorry about he ticket. ill keep that in mind for the next time i head up there, those long open windy roads are easy to speed on...

other than that it sounds like you had a really good trip. im itching to get back out there, i was going to go tomorrow morning but my plans were foiled by a buddy of mine that needs help moving...

yuck. i hate moving. one of those things you get stuck doing often it seems when people know you own a truck...

 

[hooknline]

Good job man. Is there no size limit at the spillway?

 

[1eyered]

yuck.  i hate moving.  one of those things you get stuck doing often it seems when people know you own a truck...

I feel ya on that one brother

 

[idratherbfishing]

Concerning the spillway and a size limit, they way I view it (I did not realize this till it was pointed out on forum a couple of weeks ago) The spillway is no longer part of the reservoir. It is part of the South Platte River. Since it is the river the 18 inch minimum does not apply.

I imagine one of these days someone will get a ticket for keeping undersized fish and will have to fight it in court, hope its not me.

According to the regs on the DOW website there is no minimum length on walleye except for specific waters. The South Platte River lists no minimum size for walleye.

For smallmouth and largemouth bass there is a 15 inch minimum size on the South Platte in Arapahoe County. The outlet is to the best of my knowledge in Douglas and Jefferson Counties A little further down stream it becomes Arapahoe/Jeffco.

So better safe than sorry, keep only bass >15 inches.

I'll see if I can find a map showing precisely when the county lines are.

Dan

 

[idratherbfishing]

After looking at maps from Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson Counties, it looks like the west side of the river is all Jeffco, the East side is Douglas until the river crosses C-470.

But I would still play it safe on the the size of bass. But the question remains does the boundary run down the middle of the river or is it on the bank or has the course of the the river changed since the boundaries were formed so its anybodies guess what county they are in.

Sounds like I am making a big deal over something relatively minor ;D

Dan

 

[1eyered]

Sounds like I am making a big deal over something relatively minor  ;D

Dan

Yeah, you got a lil deep there. LOL!! But hey, it's for the best.

 

[Zman]

There is no size limit...it is the South Platte River...it is no longer Chatfield Reservoir...I typed verbatim from the fishing regs for 2005 and the link:

http://wildlife.state.co.us/Brochures/pdf/fishing.pdf

Check the "Alphabetic list of Waters and Properties" for specific restrictions.  If a water is not on the list or if no bag limit is specified, the statewide limits apply.

The statewide limit is written as follows which then should apply based on the above:

Walleye, Saugeye, Sauger
Statewide, In Aggregate*        5

The in aggregate means a total of 5 fish of any of the 3 species (walleye, saugeye, sauger).  You will also notice there is no size limit on the statewide walleye limit.  Only where listed on specific waters. 

Also short of a few deep holes in the platte most fish that got washed downstream will not survive August...the low flows coupled with the increased water temps on the Platte...

 

[Guest]

speeding ticket? i tend to speed through there when the roads r empty.....gotta stop that