[daredevil]

IS IT TRUE THAT 11 MILE IS ON FIRE NOW? AT WITCHES COVE OR EAST BAY? THAT IS THE BS IM HEARING. I have been there about 20 times and have caught nothing. Chucks shop and the marina keep saying try this one or that one, they love this this color... I'm sick of it I have even been to Sanchez Res, Stagecoach and Williamsfork all the same (what is going on?) small or nothing.

 

[kirbydog]

I found over the years the general store at 11 Mile always reports the fishing as good or great. And sometimes it is. If its lousy, you'll never hear it from their lips.

 

[Neal/CO]

I fish 11-Mile and Spinney alot. I have found that the bigger Pike disappear into the depths in July and August. Then they start showing up along rocky points, islands and the dam in October. Late May and Early June is the best Summer fishing!

 

[fishdawg]

Stagecoach is where I've seen the biggest pike slash at big top water buzzbaits and such.

 

[Rip Lip]

Daredevil,

Pike fishing can be day to day or hour to hour. You just have to keep trying and learning. It's all about experience and time on the water. Read as much as you can on pike fishing, watch videos, but most importantly do not get discouraged. Keep huckin'. This time of year with water temperatures where they are the bigger pike are definitely deeper and most likely relating to main lake structure. There will always be smaller hammerhandles in the shallows because they can handle the warmer water. Once the first sign of fall comes with the first frost the water temps will start to come down and the pike will move shallow again for colder water. Time of year is a big part of being successful, but also being able to determine their mood and using the appropriate presentation will take you time. They have to eat on a daily basis and you know they are present in good numbers. Keep trying and do some research on Pike fishing. Tight Lines!

 

[fisher32]

It's funny how most of the bait shops especially 11 mile lures you into buying there stuff. Happens to me everytime. You go in anticipating the usuall (excellent - LMAO) fishing report, and come out dropping around $10 everytime.

 

[slayerfish]

Check out the 8-11, 11-mile fishing report,the pic doesnt lie!Theres many big pike at 11-mile you just gotta pay yer dues.That means going there and fishing from dawn till dusk every chance you get.If you keep trying and keep trying different methods it will happen! Or, if you fish like some people I know,it won't!! Later-

 

[water]

It took me several months to figure the pike out at elevenmile. Get yourself a suspending jerkbait and start throwing it from now until Oct 15 or so. If you go every weekend from now until then I promise you will catch at least a 32 inch 10 lb pike. just fish all the weed beds you can find.

 

[Guest]

The past two reports on the 11-mile webpage have shown some nice catches. It makes me want to go even though I have not caught a pike there this year, yet!! and I curse myself everytime I spend 1/2 the morning and the entire afternoon till dark trying to catch one...I tell myself I should have been fishing for trout. I don't want to be like Mike...I want to be like Slayerfish! He can catch pike fishing for trout with those twister tails that I have tried with no success. I just wish people didn't feel the need to keep every pike they catch like the picture on the 11-mile site the other week where two guys were holding up a stringer of seven, I catch and eat pike too and I know what the DOW says but come on, keep a couple and throw the rest back, and I would like to see how long it takes those two guys in this weeks picture to eat those three large pike they caught...Oh well, maybe they have big families or like to eat pike every night for two weeks.

I have been to Stagecoach, 11-mile , Williams Fork, and Spinney for Pike and have only caught pike at Stagecoach both times I went, I think it has been the most consistent this year so far from what I have heard. There are alot of smaller pike but I have seen some big ones cruising around. All the pike I caught there were not in the coves they were on the points or along the south bank between pike cove and the inlet or along the north bank next to the dam where a mud line develops from the water ski boat wakes beating the shore line.

I am hoping to get up to south park on Sunday and fish Spinney for trout in the morning and 11-mile for pike in the afternoon. I want to make sure I catch a pike at 11-mile before the pike slaughter on Sep. 10th.

 

[fisher32]

Slayer I like your attitude and your rite. I've caught some pike from there also but sometimes the bait shops go a little to far with their stories, if you know what I mean. Lures that were good last year might not be this month (Bunny tails ILMAO). I really think that sometimes they're just trying to get rid of their crap. But for some reason I always seem to buy it ??? I guess I'm just tryin to support their shop because they're great people and 11 Mile just would'nt be the same with out them.


??? ??? ??? ???

One more note. Bunny Tails really do work. When Ed Marsh used to be with us he gave me plenty of pointers about that lake and that fly the be specific. He'd alway carry pictures of his trophy catches and most of his pikes from there were from that fly. Certain color only though. Back to 11 Mile, now they would try to sell you all the colors ??? ??? ??? Can't stop laughing.

 

[IceInTheVeins]

It's true that pike are under attack in this state. If we want to preserve this wonderful gamefish, we have to crush the efforts of the CDOW and TU. Its mostly the CDOW but TU has a hand in it as well. Sorry but it is true.
Stagecoach has been on fire this year. Most everyone is catching at least a few pike per trip. Taylor Reservoir was slow but I hooked four in a day and a half of fishing, including one well over 30". Rio Blanco lake always produces a few pike, but most are 20 - 25".
The Yampa River is doing very well still. In two trips I have landed 9 pike, including 3 over 30". It is nothing like it used to be, and anglers must release all pike caught.
Elevenmile used to be amazing for pike. Elevenmile and Spinney had faster growth rates for pike than anywhere else in North America.
The key to the future of pike fishing is simple. Catch and Release, and stopping the CDOW's anti pike campaign. If we do not take care of both, pike fishing in this state will disappear.

 

[Tipup]

The biggest Pike I have ever caught was at 11 mile (16lbs). It was in the first week of Oct. in the shallow's. I was using a green 5/8 bass spinner bait, and I was fishing from shore.

 

[Methiolate Man]

I agree with ICE all the way. Release those pike, so you can catch them again when they are bigger. PIKE HATERS MUST BE SHOT.

 

[IceInTheVeins]

I agree with ICE all the way.  Release those pike, so you can catch them again when they are bigger.  PIKE HATERS MUST BE SHOT.

In fact I recently heard that some TU fly fishing guy was up fishing at Spinney and landed a nearly 50" pike on his fly rod. What did he do? He beat the thing to death with an oar and stomped it into the shoreline with his felt boots.
Tell you what, if I ever saw that happen, I would have thrown the guy into the lake, popped his float tube, and broke his $300 rod.

 

[Methiolate Man]

That is so disappointing to hear. I was there Sunday and caught 3 pike only, they were under 15 inches. If I would have seen a man stomping a 50 inch pike to death, I don't know what I would do. Obviously, I would like to stomp him, but what can you do. I woudn't even stomp a carp, well maybe the oar thing, but definitely no stomping.

 

[kokaneeking]

i cant belive someone would do that , pike do balance everything, if you see were pike and muskie are usually the fish are bigger, a 50 inch pike would make a great mount but some fly fisherman dont like pike, i think they put up a great fight

 

[IceInTheVeins]

That is so disappointing to hear. I was there Sunday and caught 3 pike only, they were under 15 inches.  If I would have seen a man stomping a 50 inch pike to death, I don't know what I would do.  Obviously, I would like to stomp him, but what can you do.  I woudn't even stomp a carp, well maybe the oar thing, but definitely no stomping. 

The only fish worthy of euthanization are the overpopulated natives in the mainstem Colorado. But thats illegal so you can't do it.
This man was probably either a TU guy or a CDOW agent.

 

[epic]

Okay guys, lets get back to the question he had. Instead of the direction we are headed to bad mouthing the CDOW or TU. Fishing hear say is just that you probably heard that from some guy who hates TU who heard it from some guy who hates TU or what not. In reality it probably was a skinney 12 inch pike some beginner harware fisherman fishing for trout accidentally caught and was scared to get his lure out of that mouth of teeth and so he was stepping on the pike pulling his lure out, when some guy walked by and then told his buddy drinking later back at the bar, which eventually turned into the story that you were told.
Have you ever did that experiment in school? Lined up in a big line whispered a sentence to the first one and had them pass it on, it never ends up the same sentence at the last person.
So back to the question at hand.... "Where are the pike" Well thanks to a phat new fishing magazine I happened to get in my mailbox the other day... oh what was it called again oh yeah ColoradoFisherman The Magazine which had a great pike article in it. It listed Rocky Mountain Aresenal, Navajo Reservior, Spinney Mountain Reservoir, and Williams Fork Reservoir as some good places to catch nice pike. I would add 11-mile into that mix... You should pick up the magazine for some more information and some good tips. (was that a plug?)

 

[trouthunter]

I was at Spinney about 3 years back and never had caught athing until then,,,,I happend to catch about a skinny 20 inch "hammer handle" Pike...Actually that was my first pike....After a great fight I was releasing it when a guy started screaming....THROW IT ONTHE BANK!!THROW IT ONTHE BANK!!THROW IT ONTHE BANK KILL THAT FISH!!
The fish was gone by then when I confronted him about why he was saying to kill the fish...He stated that before the Pike were introduced Spinney was a world class gold medal Trout water....after the pike had decimated the trout population and that the stocking the DOW was doing was just feeding the pike, and now because of this the DOW was asking fisherman to harvest (kill to that other guy) all PIKE.... Well we all know that this rule of no bag limit for pike is still in effect and now it is state wide....However I can understand the point of some die hard Trout fisherman just as your passion is for the Pike...Now that this rule has been in effect people are stating Spinney is on its way back and in a couple of years fisherman will be seeing those days again of old were a 10-12 pound rainbow is not just a dream but a Spinney reality....I think all fish should be helped and managed and allowed to live where they are native or allowed to live and grow in a lake not native but managed..I think Spinney is a trout lake....not a Pike lake however I am in favor of making a Pike lake that is manage to get Pike to be trophies and not be just a KILL ALL PIKE state...

TH

 

[epic]

I was at Spinney about 3 years back and never had caught athing until then,,,,I happend to catch about a skinny 20 inch "hammer handle" Pike...Actually that was my first pike....After a great fight I was releasing it when a guy started screaming....THROW IT ONTHE BANK!!THROW IT ONTHE BANK!!THROW IT ONTHE BANK KILL THAT FISH!!
The fish was gone by then when I confronted him about why he was saying to kill the fish...He stated that before the Pike were introduced Spinney was a world class gold medal Trout water....after the pike had decimated the trout population and that the stocking the DOW was doing was just feeding the pike, and now because of this the DOW was asking fisherman to harvest (kill to that other guy) all PIKE.... Well we all know that this rule of no bag limit for pike is still in effect and now it is state wide....However I can understand the point of some die hard Trout fisherman just as your passion is for the Pike...Now that this rule has been in effect people are stating Spinney is on its way back and in a couple of years fisherman will be seeing those days again of old were a 10-12 pound rainbow is not just a dream but a Spinney reality....I think all fish should be helped and managed and allowed to live where they are native or allowed to live and grow in a lake not native but managed..I think Spinney is a trout lake....not a Pike lake however I am in favor of making a Pike lake that is manage to get Pike to be trophies and not be just a KILL ALL PIKE state...

TH

The sad thing is this is pretty much true, the reason your pike was so skinny is it was starving to death because it was to little to eat a stocker trout, with the large amount of pike in that lake the CDOW said they were just feeding the pike real expensive fish food.
Fortunately not all the lakes in Colorado are Unlimited pike: Barr lake - Only 1 northern pike greater than 34 inches can be taken per day.
Cheeseman Reservoir- Only 1 northern pike greater than 34 inches can be taken per day.
Crawford Reservoir - Only 1 northern pike greater than 34 inches can be taken per day.
RIO BLANCO LAKE - Only 1 northern pike greater than 34 inches can be taken per day.
Williams Fork Reservoir - All northern pike 26-34 inches must be returned to the water immediately.