Topwater Muskies

[sleestak]

Hello all,
Well, first of all, I'll admit I'm an outsider...actually fishing tigers in Colorado, but I really haven't found a compendium of tiger knowledge as encompassing as that which exists here.

Anyways, onto the question. I've been fishing a smallish (50 acres) lake out here for tigers. It's stocked heavily with trout and sees a fair bit of shoreline pressure from trout fishers. I've been putting out a boat (personal pontoon craft, but with a standing platform and lean bar) to access the muskies and get away from shore pressure. I've located a large weedbed on the west side of the lake in about 6-8 feet of water with weeds extending to just below the surface. I started by fishing bucktails and spinnerbaits right over the weeds here but never saw anything. Switched it up to a Cisco Kid topper and started getting follows, actually 9 follows in 2 evenings. On my third cast yesterday I had one really hot on the topwater, just inches behind it and he turned away right at the side of the boat before I could plunge it subsurface. That was in lowlight just before a storm rolled through. I've had 7 other follows on top, but they are all lagging the lure by about 5 or 6 feet and staying down in the water column 4 or 5 feet. After seeing a follower I've been switching up to sub-surface, with limited success. Had one fish follow close on an X-Rap Subwalk, but he turned away about 20 feet out. I can't help but think I'm doing something right, but need to make some minor adjustments. I'm thinking about picking up a few of the small (4.5") Suicks and trying those. Anybody have any suggestions as to what I might try in order to turn these follows into strikes?

[Anonymous]

Are you changing up the speed of the retrieve?

Jerk/speed up, slow down.

Or.

Slow down, then jerk/speed up.

[sleestak]

The Cisco Kid Topper is a prop bait, so I've been doing the "cat and mouse"...speeding it up for a few feet then slowing it down a bit to try and trigger the strike but hasn't worked so far.

[Amx]

Maybe try doing the usual with the Kid.

Then when a fish gets close, stop it. Then as the fish noses up, or starts to turn away, JERK it forwards and make it look like it's trying to excape. The 'pray is getting away syndrome'.

[fishaholictaz]

I would try a slugo style floating plastic:-k .

Also I am just North in Laramie WY so if you know some good northern CO lakes that hold tiger please let me know...

[sleestak]

I would try a slugo style floating plastic:-k .

Also I am just North in Laramie WY so if you know some good northern CO lakes that hold tiger please let me know...

Now that you mention it, I've actually heard of that being done before for pike from some guides up in Canada. Says it was one of his best producers for big pike. I'll keep my eye out for some in the rainbow trout color for sure.

If you're in Laramie, I would either look at Pinewood Reservoir or Lower Big Creek Lake. Big Creek is pretty remote, probably about 2.5 hours from you, I think it's the highest altitude muskie population anywhere (lake is at 9,000 feet). I haven't been there, but I've heard its a nice secluded lake, not much pressure, good camping. I think you'd need a boat to access some of the better tiger water there. Pinewood is just west of Loveland. Probably just about 1.5 hours away if you shoot down I-25. The muskies seem to have done pretty well there, but they seem to be well fed most of the time too. I would say a boat really isn't a necessity there. A good bit of pressure on weekends though.

Some links to look at:
http://www.fishexplorer.com/lakedet.asp?lid=2103
http://www.fishexplorer.com/lakedet.asp?lid=2131

[fishaholictaz]

Thanks for the info! If you are ever up here I got some great river and lake trout fishing out my back door. I got a 23+ inch bow out of the Laramie river this year and multiple browns 14-20".... I hope to hit some tigers either ice fishing this winter or I will wait until next summer. I got a buddy coming with his boat from WA and we are going to CO after bass and tigers late summer of next year:cheers:

After reading the info on Pinewood I think it is a must hit before the ice:bounce:

[Lucius]

Hey Sleestak,
I was born and raised in Colorado but now I am living in Washington. Which lake do you fish there in Denver for there are a couple that are pretty close. I was out fishing with a buddy of mine last weekend and he had a strike from a top water. The key was subtle movements. Cast past the fish and work it normal until its in the fishes view and the fish shows interest then dead stop it for a few seconds then ever so subtle a little twitch. The fish zipped right up underneath the lure. Another subtle little twitch and the fish came up and inhaled the bait. Unfortunately my buddy didnt set the hook so he did not land the fish but it was still exciting. Do you use fishexplorer.com a lot?

[sleestak]

I haven't heard too much about people targeting tigers through the ice here. I do remember one random occurrence though:
http://www.fishexplorer.com/fxrforum.as ... &pid=28188

I'm going to try and hit Pinewood sometime in September. If I get a chance to get up there I'll let you know what I find out.

I was out at the same location today and didn't see a fish all day...tough conditions with the nasty cold front that came through last night and lots of rental paddle boats beating the water to a froth. I'll be back sometime this week though...just picked up a small Suick and a Micro Bull Dawg as a throw back lure.

If you're going to have a boat and want to try for bass and tigers at the same location you might want to think about Horseshoe Reservoir near Walsenburg. I've fished that a couple times and had several tigers follow on a spinnerbait and one missed strike. Lots of largies there and some good smallies too. Also, DeWeese Reservoir has been stocked with something like 2,000 tigers and has lots of smallies. I never hear much about the tigers there, but have been wanting to investigate it for myself. Quincy is great for big largemouth, but hasn't been stocked with tigers for something like 8 years, so they are pretty much all gone.

Done a bit of research on Wyoming, but I've actually been spoiled by the trout fishing at Antero Reservoir out here in CO this year. Probably been the best lake in the lower 48 for big trout this year, but it is just starting to slow down. Normally I fish numerous places here for trout, but haven't had much reason to try elsewhere. Hit a 27", 10+ pound bow on flies back in April, and lost count of total fish over 20". Not many places where you legitimately think you have a shot at a 30" trout on any given cast except maybe Alaska.

[Lucius]

Sleestak, what is your favorite lake for tigers in Colorado? It seems back in the 90s colorado was the place to be for Tiger Muskie fishing, but now it seems it has dropped off a little. Also do you pike fish at all?

[fishaholictaz]

That is a pig rainbow!!! Makes my 7lber I caught last summer look small......

[sleestak]

Sleestak, what is your favorite lake for tigers in Colorado? It seems back in the 90s colorado was the place to be for Tiger Muskie fishing, but now it seems it has dropped off a little. Also do you pike fish at all?

My best tiger lake has been Evergreen. For sheer numbers of tigers that I've heard of being caught, I think Pinewood would top the list. Some people swear that Big Creek Lake is the current hotspot though. Quincy was probably the best tiger fishery in the U.S. in the early and mid-90s but that was before my time here. Horseshoe Reservoir seemed to become the hotspot for a little while, but things have tapered off there as well. The catch and keep crowd hit that lake hard a few years ago, lots of pics of dead muskies at the visitor's center. I keep hoping they will restock Quincy...biologist says tiger muskies are in the system for stocking in early September but he is unsure of numbers and locations.

I do some pike fishing here, actually my 3rd Colorado pike was a 37" fish from Spinney Reservoir on my fly rod. I've seen lots of 40"+ coming from Elevenmile and Spinney this year, I hope to fish them a bit this fall for pike. Most effective tactic seems to have been trolling shallow running cranks behind planer boards earlier in the year. I did see a photo that claimed to be a 47" pike from Williams Fork about a month ago as well. Not sure on the size, but definitely a big pike. The new management system for Spinney (stocking trout late in the fall) has seemed to help both the pike and trout there. For a while Spinney was hammerhandle central and the trout had slowed down. They've been doing that for about 4 years now and it seems to be working. Heard a story a while back about a 50"+ pike at Spinney that got caught up in some DOW nets and died (they initially tried nets to remove small pike during the spawn). Don't know if that is just a rumor or not, but there is certainly no shortage of big pike.

[Lucius]

Sleestak, what is your favorite lake for tigers in Colorado? It seems back in the 90s colorado was the place to be for Tiger Muskie fishing, but now it seems it has dropped off a little. Also do you pike fish at all?

My best tiger lake has been Evergreen. For sheer numbers of tigers that I've heard of being caught, I think Pinewood would top the list. Some people swear that Big Creek Lake is the current hotspot though. Quincy was probably the best tiger fishery in the U.S. in the early and mid-90s but that was before my time here. Horseshoe Reservoir seemed to become the hotspot for a little while, but things have tapered off there as well. The catch and keep crowd hit that lake hard a few years ago, lots of pics of dead muskies at the visitor's center. I keep hoping they will restock Quincy...biologist says tiger muskies are in the system for stocking in early September but he is unsure of numbers and locations.

I do some pike fishing here, actually my 3rd Colorado pike was a 37" fish from Spinney Reservoir on my fly rod. I've seen lots of 40"+ coming from Elevenmile and Spinney this year, I hope to fish them a bit this fall for pike. Most effective tactic seems to have been trolling shallow running cranks behind planer boards earlier in the year. I did see a photo that claimed to be a 47" pike from Williams Fork about a month ago as well. Not sure on the size, but definitely a big pike. The new management system for Spinney (stocking trout late in the fall) has seemed to help both the pike and trout there. For a while Spinney was hammerhandle central and the trout had slowed down. They've been doing that for about 4 years now and it seems to be working. Heard a story a while back about a 50"+ pike at Spinney that got caught up in some DOW nets and died (they initially tried nets to remove small pike during the spawn). Don't know if that is just a rumor or not, but there is certainly no shortage of big pike.

Yeah it seems as soon as a decent fishing lake is found the entire state of Colorado hits in until the hot fishing is tapped out. It will be awesome if they could stalk tigers in Quincy Again. It seemed like a perfect lake with perfect, of course I don't know the biological makeup of the lake or the ecosystem so my opinion may go for naught.

My biggest pike came from spinney on a spinner bunny. 33" and about 10 lbs. My wife makes me look like a little kid in this aspect. She caught a 44" 26-27 lb pike from williams fork on her first time every fishing for pike. I still have not caught a pike that size yet. Its fun still trying though.



It seems like TLO has really got the pike dialed in. Catching 40-50 40"+ pike on each of the peaks for pike season (spring and fall). Is that photo of the 47" Pike from Spinney on fishexplorer.com? Also did you see that picture in the Denver Post about the 53 1/4" Pike caught from stagecoach on a flyrod by the former Northern Pike state record holder? It weighted 45.5 pounds.

[sleestak]

Yeah it seems as soon as a decent fishing lake is found the entire state of Colorado hits in until the hot fishing is tapped out. It will be awesome if they could stalk tigers in Quincy Again. It seemed like a perfect lake with perfect, of course I don't know the biological makeup of the lake or the ecosystem so my opinion may go for naught.

No kidding about that statement. I'm pretty tight-lipped about giving up locations anymore. Antero was a perfect example. We started fishing it the day the ice came off and were smacking big trout non-stop with nobody around. This went on for about a month, until the word worked its way around the internet and then it became a slaughter-fest, trashed shoreline mess. I counted 100+ boats on the lake one weekend in June. I stopped by the lake on Memorial Day weekend just to get a laugh...looked like the parking lot of an RV Supercenter out there, boat ramp line was 1.5 hours long, 5 sheriffs trying to keep the peace.

The DOW usually puts the tigers in over the next couple weeks. I'm going to try and track down the numbers and locations. My understanding was that they put Tigers in Quincy to control the Crappie population, but I didn't get that straight from the horse's mouth, so who knows for sure. These days they seem to focus on them more as sucker eating machines in trout fisheries.

That's a solid Pike right there! Looks bigger than 44" with your wife holding it. I've heard some good things about Williams Fork this year, might try and venture up there. The guy you are talking about is Dave Van Cleave (http://www.denverpost.com/outdoors/ci_7390058). I've heard Barry Reynolds speak of seeing a pike easily over 50" in a reservoir that isn't know for pike fishing near Denver...my guess is Cheesman. I'm a bit surprised that the current Pike record (powerbait from Stagecoach) hasn't been bested yet...I'm thinking it will go down sometime soon.

Yeah, TLO has a solid pattern for the pike. That's the planer board method I was speaking of, but Nate knows the spots for sure. I heard that they boated something like 40 pike over 40" in May alone this year.

[Rich McVey]

Quincy is great for big largemouth, but hasn't been stocked with tigers for something like 8 years, so they are pretty much all gone.

Thats to bad. I used to live right across E Quincy from the Quincy res. Fished it back in '87 and have been wanting to give it a try next time Im in town. My dad lives in the Arvada area and Im hoping to get back there soon.

[Lucius]

I counted 100+ boats on the lake one weekend in June. I stopped by the lake on Memorial Day weekend just to get a laugh...looked like the parking lot of an RV Supercenter out there, boat ramp line was 1.5 hours long, 5 sheriffs trying to keep the peace.

Yeah, we have a lake like that over hear. in the city limits, if the temperature outside is remotely warm, forget it. Ski boats and jet skis galore and they don't seem to care about fisherman at all because they will do full speed 5-15 feet from your boat sometimes. Us fisherman are usually of the water between 11am and 1pm on days like that.

50"+ in cheesman, that is incredible. How long ago were pike stocked in cheesman? I thought they just recently stocked the pike in there (5-8 years). At least there is a protective slot limit on the pike at Cheesman. Williams fork is the only other lake that I know has a protection on pike. Wish there were more especially one of the top ones like elevenmile, spinney or stagecoach, but unfortunately trout is king in colorado just like salmon and steelhead are king here in washington.