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Author Topic: River Pike.  (Read 8799 times)

Mackdaddy21

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River Pike.
« on: Aug 06, 2005, 11:53 PM »
I have been fishing the Yampa River in Colorado this year. While many of the pike have been removed by the fish and wildlife to supposedly "aid" the unwanted and basically extinct endangered suckers and chubs in the river, its been the best pike fishing I've every had. I'm hooking on average ten pike per trip and have pictures of them up to 35".
But they act a lot more aggressive on this river than they do in Colorado lakes, where in a hard day of fish you will usually catch two or three.
The best lures have been bigger panther martins worked in deeper holes, and then using buzzbaits over the holes to finish up and then throwing exclusively buzzbaits on the river flats and grass banks in the evenings. Have seen 40 plus inchers every trip and have landed some MONSTER smallies on the buzzbaits while pike fishing. Buzzbaits work especially good in rivers because when you cast them downstream, the current pushes them to the surface fast and keeps them on the surface, so you can use a slow crawl.

How many of you have a good pike fishery in a nearby river?    They are indeed a treasure and what they are doing to try and kill my only really good pike fishery makes me sick.

joe10

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #1 on: Aug 07, 2005, 08:59 AM »
We have a little creek that runs about a mile and half away from our house.  ;D  there's pike in there but the biggest was 20 incher. ;D
If I'm not fishin I'm playing hockey If I'm not playing hockey I'm bored.

bigredfishing

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #2 on: Aug 07, 2005, 05:35 PM »
the hudson river that runs right through this region is loaded with pike, always get 3 or 4 while bass fishing...many more if you tried for them.  Spinnerbaits are their favorite (buzzbaits work pretty well too, as do black jigs)

Mackdaddy21

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #3 on: Aug 09, 2005, 05:21 PM »
the hudson river that runs right through this region is loaded with pike, always get 3 or 4 while bass fishing...many more if you tried for them.  Spinnerbaits are their favorite (buzzbaits work pretty well too, as do black jigs)

Is that mostly in the tidal section below Albany or up above? The Hudson sounds like a dream.

bigredfishing

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #4 on: Aug 10, 2005, 04:33 AM »
the pike are only in the non-tidal section...and yes, the place is an anlgers dream ;)

AD

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #5 on: Aug 10, 2005, 10:09 AM »
I grew up fishing the St. Lawrence river as a kid and was spoiled rotten with the pike fishery.     We always could catch fish, not jsut fish but big fish.     I remember dragging around a pike I had caught showing everyone that was around, think that pike was 36 inches and I dont believe I was too much taller than that myself at the time.    I remember seeing pike that were at leaste 40 + inches.      There were days when we probably all could have limited out, or caught a few apiece at leaste and most of them were 21, 22 + inches.     Fish in the 30's were pretty common.     The fishery changed once zebra muscles got into the river, still a great river to fish from what I hear, we sold out camp years ago, but I am excited to try and fish it again as my family just bought a camp back on the river this year.       I am looking forward to great pike fishing again, and if we can find them a stringer full of smallies.     
A bad day of fishing still beats a good day of working
If a man fishes hard, what is he going to do easy?
You can't catch a fish on a dry line
the greatest fishing secret ever? patience.

Mackdaddy21

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #6 on: Aug 10, 2005, 06:23 PM »
I grew up fishing the St. Lawrence river as a kid and was spoiled rotten with the pike fishery.     We always could catch fish, not jsut fish but big fish.     I remember dragging around a pike I had caught showing everyone that was around, think that pike was 36 inches and I dont believe I was too much taller than that myself at the time.    I remember seeing pike that were at leaste 40 + inches.      There were days when we probably all could have limited out, or caught a few apiece at leaste and most of them were 21, 22 + inches.     Fish in the 30's were pretty common.     The fishery changed once zebra muscles got into the river, still a great river to fish from what I hear, we sold out camp years ago, but I am excited to try and fish it again as my family just bought a camp back on the river this year.       I am looking forward to great pike fishing again, and if we can find them a stringer full of smallies.     

Thats a lot like the Yampa, only the Yampa is a mid sized river and not huge water like the St. Lawrence.
The Yampa has the best smallmouth fishing and pike fishing in Colorado. Pike fishing is nothing like it used to be because the Feds are killing them to save unwanted suckers and chubs that are basically extinct, but its still good and pike average 25 - 30" with lots in the 30 - 40" range and bigger.
Smallmouth are plentiful but they are trying to kill them too. You can catch 40 smallies per day in the 10 - 20" range. Have seen 5 pound smallies there.
What a wonderful fishery, a rare treat in Colorado. Its a shame they are trying to destroy it for suckers. If they had their way, all it would be is suckers and chubs.

Pasquatch

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #7 on: Aug 11, 2005, 07:53 PM »
Why exactly does the CDOW want to kill off all these fish?

Chucker

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #8 on: Aug 11, 2005, 09:05 PM »
Why exactly does the CDOW want to kill off all these fish?

They're trying to return the waters to their original state.  The bass & pike were introduced. 

Mackdaddy21

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #9 on: Aug 12, 2005, 03:10 AM »
Why exactly does the CDOW want to kill off all these fish?

They're trying to return the waters to their original state.  The bass & pike were introduced. 

They don't want anything that might compete with native or endangered suckers and chubs. The endangered suckers and chubs are basically extinct and nothing will ever bring them back.
In fact, bass and pike did not populate the river till around 1990 when they escaped from a local reservoir. The endangered chubs and suckers were LONG GONE years before that because of the building of dams and also that they poisoned off the very suckers and trash they are now trying to save.
Thats all the endangered species act does. In fact it has totally recovered exactly 0 species. In fact only 5 or 6 have ever been delisted from endangered to threatened.

For this reason, I think the ESA must be amended or revoked.

AD

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #10 on: Aug 12, 2005, 09:29 AM »
Why exactly does the CDOW want to kill off all these fish?

They're trying to return the waters to their original state.  The bass & pike were introduced. 

They don't want anything that might compete with native or endangered suckers and chubs. The endangered suckers and chubs are basically extinct and nothing will ever bring them back.
In fact, bass and pike did not populate the river till around 1990 when they escaped from a local reservoir. The endangered chubs and suckers were LONG GONE years before that because of the building of dams and also that they poisoned off the very suckers and trash they are now trying to save.
Thats all the endangered species act does. In fact it has totally recovered exactly 0 species. In fact only 5 or 6 have ever been delisted from endangered to threatened.

For this reason, I think the ESA must be amended or revoked.

It is a shame about the pike and bass.    Looking for work in the fisheries field I have come across lots of jobs out west from state governments that are for small minnow help (stuff like stonerollers, chubs, suckers, and daces)     Seems that there are a lot of places like this river you talk about that are having trouble with the chubs and suckers.      With the pike and bass being non native they don't belong there, its a beautiful fisher though I'm sure and a shame that they are trying to kill it off for the sake of some smaller fish.       These baitfish are probably just not used to hiding from these sorts of predators and pike and bass do love to eat, and eat a lot.    In the longrun the state does know what they are doing with their fisheries (despite what a lot of people think)  If they could I'm sure they would not be trying to kill off the bass and pike, but sounds like this is sort of a last resort for them.     
       In defense of the ESA, bald eagles were what all but once nearly gone with their numbers being really low?     I have been to alaska and now just in one lagoon where the salmon or running we counted 52 bald eagles.      The ESA has saved a lot of species from going extinct sure maybe not a lot of species totally come off the list but at least they are still thriving.
A bad day of fishing still beats a good day of working
If a man fishes hard, what is he going to do easy?
You can't catch a fish on a dry line
the greatest fishing secret ever? patience.

perchfisher

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #11 on: Aug 12, 2005, 11:00 AM »
Yes and take the mountain lion for example, once thought to be extinct in the black hills of south dakota, now there is to many to support the land area and there are estimated 10-20 lions that have migrated east of the missouri river, and this year we will have a hunting season! i think that the esa can do miracles but i would think its about pointless for suckers and chubs ;D
-cole

got em

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #12 on: Aug 12, 2005, 05:06 PM »
 ;) hey big red there are pike in the lower hudson..not as numerous as upstream but their there..yesterday after loading a cement barge where I work..Lafarge.. we  released the barge and there was a 40+ inch pike floating around the peer ,it was belly up....after work I went down with my pole to try to snag it and bring it to shore to get a pic...but by that time the tide was coming in and moved it,while fishing for stripers every year in new baltimore we have some pretty big pike take our whole herring right off the hook while trying to lure the herring to the net..three years ago I found another big pike dead on shore with a big mac (lure) hanging out its mouth.. probably snatched it from someone trolling for stripers..couldnt dislodge the lure and died...tight lines.. ;) ;) ;) ;)
 

Mackdaddy21

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #13 on: Aug 13, 2005, 12:51 AM »
Why exactly does the CDOW want to kill off all these fish?

They're trying to return the waters to their original state.  The bass & pike were introduced. 

They don't want anything that might compete with native or endangered suckers and chubs. The endangered suckers and chubs are basically extinct and nothing will ever bring them back.
In fact, bass and pike did not populate the river till around 1990 when they escaped from a local reservoir. The endangered chubs and suckers were LONG GONE years before that because of the building of dams and also that they poisoned off the very suckers and trash they are now trying to save.
Thats all the endangered species act does. In fact it has totally recovered exactly 0 species. In fact only 5 or 6 have ever been delisted from endangered to threatened.

For this reason, I think the ESA must be amended or revoked.

It is a shame about the pike and bass.    Looking for work in the fisheries field I have come across lots of jobs out west from state governments that are for small minnow help (stuff like stonerollers, chubs, suckers, and daces)     Seems that there are a lot of places like this river you talk about that are having trouble with the chubs and suckers.      With the pike and bass being non native they don't belong there, its a beautiful fisher though I'm sure and a shame that they are trying to kill it off for the sake of some smaller fish.       These baitfish are probably just not used to hiding from these sorts of predators and pike and bass do love to eat, and eat a lot.    In the longrun the state does know what they are doing with their fisheries (despite what a lot of people think)  If they could I'm sure they would not be trying to kill off the bass and pike, but sounds like this is sort of a last resort for them.     
       In defense of the ESA, bald eagles were what all but once nearly gone with their numbers being really low?     I have been to alaska and now just in one lagoon where the salmon or running we counted 52 bald eagles.      The ESA has saved a lot of species from going extinct sure maybe not a lot of species totally come off the list but at least they are still thriving.

The ESA has delisted from endangered to threatened six species, being the bald eagle, grizzly bear, peregrine falcon, grey wolf, and two others.
I have to say in Colorado the fisheries managers DO NOT know jack about what they do. Actually they probably do know, they just wrong things on purpose.
For example they manage all waters the same way with the same regulations for the most part. In most all waters in the state you can't keep bass over 15". All that does is selectively breed out the bigger bass.
They have no bag limit on pike statewide and want to do the same with Lake Trout. Anything that might eat stocker trout or trashfish is on the chopping block.
It's impossible to know the incompetence and corruption going on in Colorado Fisheries unless you actually live there. So I have to disagree if someone says they know what they are doing.

Water Wolf

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Re: River Pike.
« Reply #14 on: Aug 22, 2005, 06:25 PM »
When river fishing for pike from shore what do lures do you all like to use. For my self it is similar to the lakes, larger minnow & grub type rubber jigs, spoons and crankbait, types that you can really cast along ways and sink quickly. How about all of you?
???

WW

 



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