[eyeman]

Has anyone been up to the miracle along the cliffs before the mile begins? It is a great 20 inch walleye spot to get early staging fish. The bite can start now but usually begins in late Febrary to April 1 when the bows start their spawn? Any stories from the past few years? I have not been there for 3 years.

 

[rottal]

Ive heard of walleyes being caught out of that stretch...but usually when the water is high. lately its seems to be very low, i drove my truck last year along areas that used to be totally covered in water a few years ago. now you have to go down a pretty long ways before you get to the reservoir. i remember at one time the reservoir came all the way up to the campground at Rainbow Hole...i like it when the water level is up in the reservoir, it makes for better concentrations of fish in the river---with less river there seem to be more fish packed into a smaller area. (the "Miracle Mile" should now be called the "Miracle 3 Miles" )

 

[eyeman]

Thanks Rottal, its obvious I haven't been there in a while. Do the fish still run up the river. Do they get them concentrated later in the Spring? Do they pick them up most Jigging and the entry to is it Seminoe?

 

[Neal/CO]

I caught it once, right at the 1st of April. They were holding in the river, in pools below the riffles. Drifted night crawlers worked on the smaller males.

 

[rottal]

As far as i know there is still a run of fish there, but im not sure how large it is in numbers. As Neal said, April might not be a bad time to hit it. Im not sure if they close off parts of the river/reservoir during the walley run, so it might be worth checking into before you head up. and as far as what works i couldnt honestly tell you...ive never fished for walleyes there. all the ones ive heard of being caught were on streamers while guys fished for trout. however, the thought of river run walleyes on spinning tackle sounds kinda fun too..it might make for an interesting evening or night of fishing...

 

[Neal/CO]

Pathfinder is a fantastic fishery! It is 25,000 acres when full, but of course it has been full in almost a decade. Walleyes spawn about two weeks later in Wyoming. You can imagine how many walleye's are in a lake that size Both it and Seminole are natural fisheries, walleye's spawn in the inlets and there is no stocking.

I would have to say the year i saw this, it was maybe the most awesome thing I have ever seen while fishing and the most disgusting They used to allow the locals to snag the spawners to help protect the world class trout fishery there. They were taking big Siwash hooks and tying a feather on them so they could technically be called a streamer. They were then ripping them cross current into the side of the spawners. I happened across this while flyfishing that spring. It is to this day the worst and most unsportsman like thing I have seen while fishing!!!!

 

[slayerfish]

I did ok on the wallys 3years ago in a big hole below the rainbow hole. It's above the chalk cliffs but you need to go down that hill if you know what I mean. I pulled 5 out of there in 2 days and missed prolly 15. I talked to a woman who told me that her friends had pulled 25 out of there a couple days before I got there. This was march 30th,2002. The miracle mile is now actually 10 miles long.Pathfinder is 25% of capacity. I imagine with the warm temps one could catch a few wallys pretty soon. Oh yeah,I was using twister tails to catch mine.

 

[Bronco]

I've caught them up in the canyon Tom's hole on orange rapalas.

 

[Neal/CO]

They used to not allow night fishing during the spawn, I don't know if still applies? They hold up in the pools directly below the riffles that drop their eggs in at night.

 

[slayerfish]

They used to not allow night fishing during the spawn, I don't know if still applies? They hold up in the pools directly below the riffles that drop their eggs in at night.

It's still closed to night fishing.They put that reg in a little too late,IMO.

 

[Neal/CO]

They finally came their senses and realized that Walleye's are there to stay and are protecting them now. Now they stock 10" trout in the fall to help protect trout at both Seminole and Pathfinder.

I decided to switch the 2006 Western Walleye Central Get-Together to Seminole instead of Glendo this year. It will be interesting to see what kind of fishery Seminole is now?

 

[slayerfish]

Cool! When is the get-together? I just might happen to be up there.

 

[Neal/CO]

We will be there August 18-21st, the more the merrier!!! We used to get 35-45 people each year at Glendo. We usually have a big fish fry on Saturday night and have a few adult beverages also. Last year only Work2Fish and I showed I expect a big turnout this year judging from all the e-mails I recieved so far.

It is also a great learning venue!!! Lots of excellent walleye fisherman in our region!

 

[eyeman]

Thanks for the update. Where do the fish stage after the spawn on Pathfinder? Since I only fished the chalk hills early I have never been there in early may. Are they pretty easy catch off some of the first points and flats near the inlet as you would expect? How many acres of water does pathfinder now have?

 

[Neal/CO]

I have caught them trolling shadraps along the canyon wall. They seem to like the shady side. Rock slides seems to concentrate both walleye and trout.