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Went up to South Park yesterday. Started on the river between Spinney and 11-mile. Caught a bunch of small trout but nothing to write home about.
I spent the rest of the afternoon wading the north shore weed beds on Spinney looking for Pike. I caught four skinny snakes, but no big girls. In fact I never even saw any big ones? I think the big pike have left the shallows for cooler water? Probably time to start trolling the channels in about 25 feet of water?
It was fun just to get out!
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I would start at the weedbeds at Williams Fork first if I were you. But I would not force the issue! If all you see is small snakes get out of there!
I have always read that big Pike are really a cold water fish. Once it gets to warm in the shallows they head for deep flats and rock piles in 20-35 feet of water. Yesterday was a good example of that! They just plain weren't there? I have also seen them suddenly reappear in the fall along the dam at Spinney.
If I had your boat, I wold troll some deep divers over points and the deep flats along the South shore by the inlet. Remember those rock humps we found on the topo map two years ago when we were going ice fishing? They were in about 30 feet of water right where the channel swung into the shoreline on the inlet end of the lake. A great place to ambush Kokes or small bows?
You could also jig some big soft plastics along that stretch with your electric trolling motor?
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Well I don't think Spinney is the pike fishery it was even just a year or two ago. Unfortunatly I entered the pike tournament along with my wife's brother in june of this year. It was pathetic, most everyone was skunked and the few fish at the weigh in were skinny snakes. I talked to a DOW official who said they were using traps late last fall to get the pike out. I think there are probably a few big fish still left, but for the most part they have gotten the pike out of that lake, which in my opinion is really too bad. The pike fishing at 11-mile has not picked up this year either, not sure what the situation is there, I'm hoping it's more to do with weather than a dwindling population. It seems that everyone who catches a 30 plus inch pike has to keep it and go show everyone, take a picture and release them please. Let me know what you guys think is going on with those two lakes. Also I didn't take any temperature readings but I thought both these lakes were pretty cold for this time of year, I was at both of them over the weekend.
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I am not sure about Spinney? I know there were an estimated 10,000 Pike in that 2500 acre lake when they started the eradication program. I think the fact that they now stock only 14-15 inch trout in there has really helped thin out the little Pike? I still think there are some big fish in there though!
11-Mile is fine! Nothing ever comes easy there! I have caught alot more Pike off of rocky points and the tips of the islands than in the weedbeds. The bigger fish usually leave the weeds by no later than July 1st, but this has been a strange summer? Thats why I usually do my Pike fishing in late may and June. If I had a boat that was set up for trolling, I would be out around the islands trolling deep divers!
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I also had a slower pike season at these two lakes, but I don't think pike are fished out by a long shot. At Spinney last October I was able to take my one man pontoon out on a dead calm mostly cloudy day. I noticed over twenty pike basking around weed columns from 1 to 3 feet down in 10 to 20 feet of water. Over half of these pike were large 10 of them were around 40" and I noticed two giants that literally starterled me as I almost ran directly over them, both were over 45" and in between 25 and 30 pounds. I was able to get close to these fish because I have a very quite trolling motor. I do think that the number of smaller pike at Spinney has been greatly reduced, but they reproduce so well at these lakes I think they'll be fine.
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Neal, I am sure you are probably right, that tournament at spinney just left a bad taste in my mouth for that lake. It's alot easier blaming the bad fishing on no fish hahaha. Hey let me know if you want to troll 11-mile my dad stores his boat down there and it's all set for trolling-rods, motor, and fish finder. My wife and I go down there all the time. I think that we are planning on going not this upcoming weekend but next. It would be fun, I am sure there are monsters in that lake.
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Oats I saw the same thing last October @ Spinney. Seriously some large fish cruising shallow @ 10- 20'. The day I was there the water was perfectly clear and no wind, and you could see numbers of them. I hope those fish are still in there. Maybe they were just hiding deep during the tournament. Because usually if you can't catch them you can usually see them. I couldn't spot a single pike in the shallows. There were pros and sponsered fisherman there that came up empty after an entire weekend. Go figure.
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Large streamers are the best.
Large pistol petes are also good.
If the fish are off, a leech pattern may be the only fly to get them.
Only use flies for pike if you can see them, or you won't get too many.
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Have any of you ever wondered why pike fishing is so much tougher here than it is back east like in minnesota?
Especially ice pike fishing. Pike are supposed to be easy to catch and I have found they are tough in open water, and nearly impossible through the ice. Any ideas?
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I have been fishing 11-mile and Spinney now for 20 years. I have never had any luck with big Pike? I have caught probably over a hundred between 26-34 inchs, but never any really large ones. I have seen quite a few big ones caught in the spring by trout fisherman using really small lures and jigs. I think part of the problem is everyone is throwing spoons, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, the usual stuff pike fisherman have used for years. Those big girls have seen it all.
I ave been using mostly large soft plastic jerkbaits, reapers, shads, sluggo's and Lizards on Owner Saltwater heads the last few years and that has helped some. Th best day I had on 11-mile last year was when I started swimming a bass style flipping jig and pig throgh the shallows. I had read about that method in Infisherman. There is something about a jigged lure that triggers them. But even that didn't work on Monday?
Another thing I have noticed over the years is their fondness for rocky points and island tips, late summer and winter. I have only caught snakes in the shallows ice fishing!
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