Colorado Fisherman Forum banner

Spinney 6-12

8K views 68 replies 25 participants last post by  Zman 
#1 ·
Well. Finally went to see what's going on there. Found out that at least in the half mile long stretch that me and my brother walked it's way too shallow along the shore with no drop offs. Next time float tube. As we got there we saw this guy catching a pike. My son wanted to run over and see so we did. The guy asked if we wanted it. Said he wasn't putting it back in the lake because it eats his baby trout. Just shook my head and walked away.

Anyhow I Figured out my step in figuring out that place. Won't even try from the shore next time
 
#6 ·
On the sign at Spinney I think the way they phrase it is something like 'encouraged to harvest/kill pike especially those under 24" ' I don't understand the attitude toward pike in Colorado (I do understand from what is stated by CPW and attitude of trout only fishermen just don't agree). Pike is a great fighting and great eating fish; we loved them in Michigan...
 
#10 ·
Again, I do not agree with the agenda but this is what is on the CPW page for Spinney http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/SpinneyMountain/Pages/Fishing.aspx



Pike Management at Spinney Reservoir

In order to successfully manage both the trout and pike populations in stable numbers, CPW has instituted several innovative management techniques for Spinney Reservoir. These include removing all size and bag limits on pike; stocking trout only in the late fall or early winter when pike metabolisms have slowed down (they are less hungry); stocking trout that are at least 12" long; and encouraging fishermen to harvest all pike caught, regardless of size.
This final measure is important to reduce the number of smaller pike present in the reservoir, allowing for a larger number of healthy, trophy- sized pike to be recruited
 
#16 ·
I caught a 42" about a month ago. When getting inspected we told the ANS guy about it and you could actually sense the he was angry when he went to inspect the livewell and there weren't any pike in it... He went on to tell me that I essentially did a disservice to the lake by letting it go. People in this state think that pike are some sort of infectious disease that have to be removed or the lakes will be heading for certain doom.
 
#21 ·
At Spinney, your boat must be off the water 1/2 hour after sunset and the park gates close and lock 1 hour after sunset. The inspectors up there consistently tell you that you have to be at the inspection station by 1/2 hour after sunset but this only accommodates them. If you arrive at the inspection station later than that (still legal), they complain that your tardiness is delaying the completion of their duties- in filling out their daily reports. It's bad enough that you have to be off the water at 30 minutes after sunset just when it often calms and the fish become more active so I consistently disappoint the inspectors by showing up at the inspection station just prior to the gates being closed by the ranger. Not sure if he's working there again this year but the bearded guy who looks like Santa Claus was always adamant about killing all the pike.
 
#22 · (Edited)
I totally understand the difference between the "Kill order" regulation vs. the "Encourage of harvest". Many of the parks staff/ANS, etc lump them together in the way they position the whole thing. I totally agree that those folks should be more educated and not try to enforce an agenda. As long as we anglers follow the regulation whatever it may be then they can pretty much go kick rocks as far as I am concerned. Like I said earlier I am put off by the attitude toward pike in Colorado as I love eating them and catching them (though I have not done too much catching them here).

My personal goal when I start to get better at catching pike is to harvest 24-30" pike to eat and let the rest go; I want trophy pike to survive just like any other big fish. The larger pike also help control the population of the smaller pike. At the same time I have no interest in just killing the smaller pike because I won't eat them and don't believe in wasting life like that.

I think this is a great thread though I would have been very disappointed as DR. Doom was with the whole thing...
 
#23 ·
I agree. We got potential in routt/moffat/grand/park county to grow real pike that rival northern and Midwest states... I effing hate that Colorado is a trout state and the federal govt cares more about protecting fish nobody cares about. And unless we are talking char... The trout fishing here sucks more ass than a rimjobber.
 
#25 · (Edited)
All to protect the sacred hatchery raised trout. Basically they're asking us to fix the screw-up they did when they first put pike in 11 Mile to control the sucker population. Never thought they would re-produce. Really!!! Its why I don't fish the pike T at 11 Mile anymore and why when I catch pike they go back in the water. Screw 'em.
 
#26 ·
Only stocking trout in the fall and winter huh? Maybe I am wrong but I would bet that the fall would be when pike are most aggressively feeding on large forage as they try and gather groceries for the winter. ??? At least they haven't started gillnetting the trophies out of there. And to be fair, keeping most/all of the dinks under 24" probably would benefit both pike and trout.
 
#27 ·
The current stocking regimen at Spinney seems to definitely have improved the overall size of the trout. Unfortunately, the strain/s of trout that are being stocked there seem to top out at about 22" with few exceeding that size. Even in their "gold medal waters", the CPW seems to contradict itself by going for quantity over quality. The strains used at Spinney must be very hatchery efficient as that seems to be the primary goal of their stocking program. Hatchery friendly strains generally have a short lifespan (often only 4 years)- which limits top end growth potential. On the other hand, using these strains does insure job security for numerous CPW employees.
 
#29 ·
It's simple. Pike eat trout. Spinney is managed as a trout gold medal fishery. The trout are there to be managed in this gold metal water. NOT as forage for pike. I got NO problem with that. There are only 3 gold medal lakes in the entire state. Spinney is one of them. Quit your bitching it's pointless, myopic, and makes you look stupid.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Lol. So you pretty much admit that you're one of the tards that throw the pike onto the shore. And probably not a biologist for the state. the sign and the reg says one fish above 20 inches may be kept. Doesn't say one trout. One fish. And the people that manage the fishery are the ones that make and put up the signs. Pike eat trout! So do other trout.
 
#34 · (Edited)
They are really coming out of the wood work for this one.... I'll play.

No one is mentioning the perch population that's booming in in spinney. If you have experience cleaning pike from Spinney, you'll notice their stomachs almost always contain perch... I'm not saying pike don't eat trout, but my experience has been that they likely have a large part in controlling the perch population. Perch compete directly with trout for food sources and can take over a lake that doesn't have sufficient predators in a matter of years. It happens all the time in sloughs and lakes in the Mid West.
 
#38 · (Edited)
Obviously you haven't read this.

http://hermes.cde.state.co.us/drupa...ntain_Reservoir_fisheries_management_plan.pdf


A tidbit from the report.
"Northern pike did a tremendous job of reducing the non-sportfish numbers (their
primary prey base) in Spinney Mountain Reservoir by 1995. Northern pike began to prey
primarily on trout after that time. By 1999, northern pike were eating virtually all subcatchable
and catchable rainbow and cutthroat trout stocked each year in Spinney
Mountain Reservoir. The Colorado Division of Wildlife planted over 100,000 3-inch
rainbow trout, almost 343,000 rainbow trout between 3 and 8 inches in length and over
123,000 catchable-size (10 inch) rainbow trout in 1997, 1998 and 1999 collectively.
These fish cost over $300,000 to produce in Division hatcheries and we have little to
show for it, as northern pike have consumed almost everything stocked between 1997 and
1999. The majority of the remaining trout in Spinney Mountain Reservoir are greater
than 18 inches in length. However, these larger trout are short lived and if we cannot
reduce northern pike numbers we will not be able to maintain the quality trout fishery at
Spinney Mountain Reservoir via stocking".

It was because of this why the current regulations on the gold metal trout waters of Spinney are in place today.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top