Fall Northern Pike fishing in Colorado
I got off work early because I had to stay earlier that day after work to get a new badge and attend some classes that arent offered at night. Right before I headed to work a buddy called and asked if I wanted to go chase pike in the morning with him. I said yes if I could make it back in time to get the kid from school. So it was set I got off work drove out to his house and crashed on his couch for the night, kept warm by his dog that also figured the couch was a good place to sleep that night, lol.
We got up around 7am and the temp was well below freezing, its amazing how much of a difference a few 1,000 ft in elevation makes. We got the equipment ready and hooked up the boat and headed to the lake. After boat inspections and everything we were in the water by 8am. The weather had warmed a little but it was still cold and as we raced across the water the wind cut through the poly pro and 2 hoodies I had on, brrrrr. We made it to a large area of weed beds and went to work, I started out with a River2Sea V-jointed trout a lure I picked up a while ago but thought it would make a great pike lure, my buddy wishes his lure to remain a secret… he had just won a pike tournament on the same lake some 2 weeks earlier so I understand. Right away my friend Clint hooked into a nice pike, which would be his biggest of the day:
Shortly after I see a big shadow following my lure, I was think OH ITS ON! but he didnt hit it… As it was getting closer and closer to the boat I tried changing cadence, slower, fast, longer pauses and he wouldnt hit it. He simply sat behind it the whole time. As my buddy reels in another I have a couple more follows but no takers, what gives!? After my friends 3rd pike, I decided it was time to change. So I switched up lures and I jokingly said to him I have a new lure on this one is definately going to get one on the first cast… As I casted out and reeling in a hit, but it was just a fast tap and I missed it. I hurried and placed a cast back towards where I got the hit and with in secs it was fish on. A decent northern:
We fished for a while more and my buddy was reeling in hammer handle after hammer handle nothing big but I wasnt getting any action.
Trying to improve my chances I cut the braided line I was using and tied on a floro leader hoping this would improve my chances. I then managed two more nice ones the biggest being 30 inches nothing trophy class but just shy of 6lbs so nothing to be ashamed about.
Even after changing to floro I still had multiple pike chase the lure in without hitting, if any of you pike hunters can give me some tips on changing these pike’s minds into hitting that lure I’d love to hear them. The water was clear and I could see a good 20ft from the boat and those pike would be so honed in on the lure that they’d fallow it to within 3ft of the boat and still not hit.
As always if you have any questions, please feel free to visit the forums on my site Colorado Mountain Fishing and ask. Its also getting close to Christmas and a fishing t-shirt from my store makes a great gift for those fisherman on your list.
