Author Topic: Thoughts on Trout Patterns (Read 1955 times)

Husker95 · « **on:** Nov 12, 2013, 01:45 PM »

I'm interested in folks thoughts on trout movement under the ice. I fish Antero and 11 Mile almost exclusively and have had solid results early ice in Dec and Jan the last couple years. I am typically fishing in 12 FOW or less and looking for a weed line like everyone else. After that it gets a little confusing to me. I notice that my shallow water weed lines die off in mid-Jan and turn into just flat sand and rock. Do you guys see yourselves trending deeper looking for weeds as ice-season continues or are you just looking for different habitat to set-up on? Interested in what other folks have discovered. Thanks.

Husker95 (Matthew)

SLAYERFISH · « **Reply #1 on:** Nov 13, 2013, 08:28 AM »

Early ice at 11-mile I kill them shallow. Sometimes as shallow as 3 ft. Never deeper than 12 ft. The times I have fished in late jan-feb, I have found them more from 12-25 ft. Late ice in March they go shallow again- Been icing there since 1989.

Husker95 · « **Reply #2 on:** Nov 13, 2013, 09:56 AM »

yeah, this year I am going to focus deeper when i am fishing in Jan and Feb. In the past I have stayed in 14 FOW or less all year. I have had spots where i caught fish on a great weed edge in Dec, marked them with a GPS only to come back to them in Jan and find an absolute clean bottom with no structure. I am going to try to be less spot focused this year and move more.

skifisher · « **Reply #3 on:** Nov 13, 2013, 10:50 AM »

That's the key Husker...you need to move around to find the fish. Sometimes it may only be a matter of a few feet to find better structure and where the fish are holding. I agree with SLAYERFISH...shallow then deeper then shallow again in March. 25' to 30' are my max depths as well. I have also found icing the Mile, the fish seem to move in and out with no particular schedule. When I get lazy, I sometimes just stay put and let the fish come to me. Remember to "change things up". if you're marking fish with no takers, a change in lure color and/or size will often get that strike. Good Fishing!
Ski

SLAYERFISH · « **Reply #4 on:** Nov 13, 2013, 10:53 AM »

Man I'm hopin for around Thxgvng this year. Give me 2.5" over 5ft and Im good to go.

skifisher · « **Reply #5 on:** Nov 13, 2013, 11:06 AM »

Yep...I'm with you on that SLAYER! Good Fishing!
Ski

milehighfishing · « **Reply #6 on:** Nov 13, 2013, 11:20 AM »

thanksgiving would be sweet!

along those same lines, in late Jan/Feb when we are chasing kokes in 60' to 70' deep water at the mile, we usually always get a couple of trout that swim through around 40'- 60' down.

SLAYERFISH · « **Reply #7 on:** Nov 13, 2013, 11:49 AM »

Quote from: milehighfishing on Nov 13, 2013, 11:20 AM

thanksgiving would be sweet!

along those same lines, in late Jan/Feb when we are chasing kokes in 60' to 70' deep water at the mile, we usually always get a couple of trout that swim through around 40'- 60' down.

Yeah the couple times i iced for kokes I caught a bow at 50ft and a couple browns at 65ft. And it was in Feb.

Husker95 · « **Reply #8 on:** Nov 13, 2013, 12:00 PM »

Has anyone been up there recently? What are the night-time lows dropping down to? I saw water temps are in the mid-40s now. We need that BIG cold snap to hit soon and keep daytime highs in the 20s-30s for a week or so. Tired of this nice weather.

fischer · « **Reply #9 on:** Nov 13, 2013, 08:51 PM »

http://www.southparkwx.com/

H the yeti · « **Reply #10 on:** Nov 13, 2013, 09:40 PM »

It never slowed down last year in the shallows. Just moved a bunch. I see you guys start shallow and go deep then come back. I start on the west end and move east, then stay east. Quality was fair to good with 16" being on the small side and 28" on the large side until the stocker invasion. Have better chance at pike in the shallows also. You might find a smallie or two depending on the spot.

If you got to see my snow man on the south east end late season, that spot is gold starting in february till ice off. Fish about 7-4 fow. I will be in ny this year so if you know the spot I am talking about you will have fun after you dial the area in.

Antero had a lid saturday. Big chunk was off when I left at 11 am.

SLAYERFISH · « **Reply #11 on:** Nov 14, 2013, 08:15 AM »

Quote from: H the yeti on Nov 13, 2013, 09:40 PM

I see you guys start shallow and go deep then come back.

I USED to. Now I hit the Mile hard from ice-on till end of Dec. Great catching, warm temps, thin ice. Starting Jan I hit Atown and the Crack for perch and eyes. Great catching, warm temps, thin ice.

Husker95 · « **Reply #12 on:** Nov 14, 2013, 08:24 AM »

Quote from: SLAYERFISH on Nov 14, 2013, 08:15 AM

I USED to. Now I hit the Mile hard from ice-on till end of Dec. Great catching, warm temps, thin ice. Starting Jan I hit Atown and the Crack for perch and eyes. Great catching, warm temps, thin ice.

In addition to the warm temps and thin ice, there is also likely fewer people icing in the D-metro area. I counted over 125 vehicles at the Mile from Wichers to Stoll Mountain on a Sunday morning in January last year when my son and i were out there. Its more crowded than it would have been in June.

Crazy Tom · « **Reply #13 on:** Nov 14, 2013, 08:44 AM »

Shallow sucks deep for the Behemoths.

neveruminda · « **Reply #14 on:** Nov 15, 2013, 10:15 PM »

H95 - I was out there Sunday along Sucker Cove and there was thin, transparent ice forming on the shoreline in front of the bluffs. Day 40s, night 20s Winds were churning on and off and the windchill had a bite to it at/after Sundown.

Today's 30MPH+ gusts with 25+ sustained sure won't help ice form/hold :-(

officercalcjc · « **Reply #15 on:** Nov 30, 2013, 11:51 PM »

Single digit or below zero lows for a week in a row. It'll cap. Fish weed edges from 6' - 12' early and then deeper later on. For pike, points and inside pockets in the coves, especially outside the main weed edge, just above the weeds with a big dead anchovy and a 20# fluoro leader on a tip up. Make sure to let the big girls go, keep a few hammer handles.

Crazy Tom · « **Reply #16 on:** Dec 01, 2013, 10:48 AM »

Fished the Mile yesterday 11/30/2013. First ones on the ice as best we could see. Definitely the first on Stoll. Slooooooow day especially being first ice. The flasher where dead almost the whole day. Group stats below

Fish Count

MRT- 10 biggest 18"
Pike- 1 biggest 9"
Perch- 1 biggest 8"

Husker95 · « **Reply #17 on:** Dec 01, 2013, 07:29 PM »

Quote from: Crazy Tom on Dec 01, 2013, 10:48 AM

Fished the Mile yesterday 11/30/2013. First ones on the ice as best we could see. Definitely the first on Stoll. Slooooooow day especially being first ice. The flasher where dead almost the whole day. Group stats below

Fish Count

MRT- 10 biggest 18"
Pike- 1 biggest 9"
Perch- 1 biggest 8"

Awesome - great to hear some folks hit the mile and it was safe (as safe as ice can be anyway). I hope to be out there next Monday.

_colorado · « **Reply #18 on:** Dec 02, 2013, 12:35 PM »

Find oxygen in February and you'll find the fish...

Husker95 · « **Reply #19 on:** Dec 04, 2013, 12:32 PM »

Quote from: _colorado on Dec 02, 2013, 12:35 PM

Find oxygen in February and you'll find the fish...

Thats part of my thinking this year. I think i have stayed too shallow too long in years past. When the weeds die off in certain shallow spots I need to move deeper to find more oxygen. I think a lot of rotting vegetation sucks the oxygen out of the water.

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Author Topic: Thoughts on Trout Patterns (Read 1955 times)