Colebrook pike?!?!

[androux]

Fished the Rez on Sunday. Was going to go to Highland, as we pulled up they blew the horn for about 150 or so guys to start trudging the ice, headed to Hogsback. Gate was closed there, and seeing fishing time diminish, went to Colebrook. Set up along the shoreline at about 9am, lots of small perch strikes, grabbing the tail ect. Slow action most of the day, a flag here and a flag there. About 2:30 my buddy gets a flag and pulls up a mysteriously colored lake snake about 16" long. Had a red tail like a pike, silver scales and roughly vertical markings along the flank and small eyes, really interesting looking fish. Looked it up when I got home, looked like a pickerel/pike hybrid. Are these stocked or did they come down stream?

I didn't catch anything, just had a brown trout swipe my shiner at the hole when I was packing up and a lot of empty hooksets.

[jay matthews]

there is a red pickerel species, never saw one other than in a book, supposed to be smaller than a regular pick

[justjohn]

I heard of pike comming out of colebrook back in the 90's

[TT]

In all my years of fishing there I've caught 2 small ones and saw two others caught. One was about 8 lbs. or so. They came down stream from Mass. from wwhat I've been told.

[justjohn]

They had piks of them at the riverton general store. Some of them were real big.

[ESOX FIX]

back in the eightys I saw a pic of a 48" pike that came from Colebrook. Ive targeted them there many times through the ice and open water, never saw one. you have any pictures of the fish, sounds like a tiger musky to me.

[lowaccord66]

What I was told happened was a stocking truck full of pike on its way to Mass broke down and they didn't have much choice but to put them in there.  Could some have come down the Farmington, maybe...but there isn't many logical sources for pike fingerlings to have entered that river in the first place.

I asked the guy who told me if he's tried for them and he said "I don't fish for ghosts"

[justjohn]

huh? people have caught them.

[TT]

back in the eightys I saw a pic of a 48" pike that came from Colebrook. Ive targeted them there many times through the ice and open water, never saw one. you have any pictures of the fish, sounds like a tiger musky to me.

I have also seen that pic before. The 2 I caught were about 40' down while trolling large smelt for browns. They were about 24". This was probably 10-15 years ago.

[TT]

androux, the fish you described sounds like the red fin pickerel.

[MrFishfinger]

I caught a small pike (18") there this past Nov. while trolling for trout

[Pike Guy Matt]

I caught a small pike (18") there this past Nov. while trolling for trout

Any pics? The state does list pike as being in there

[justjohn]

The state? lol general fund where the$ goes.

[lowaccord66]

Any pics? The state does list pike as being in there

That's because they were not put in there by the state.

[TT]

That's because they were not put in there by the state.

John, I know the statenever stocked them but where are they still coming from. I can't believe there is a breeding population of them in there. Fishfinger got that one last fall, mine were caught 10-15 years ago, saw one about 8lbs. come thru the ice about 5 years ago. I heard that they came down river from a small stocked pond in Mass. that the dam was breached back in the late 80s. What is your thought on this.

[octanehi5]

If an 18" pike was taken last yr, they either live in the river or the res. It does not take many pairs to keep a population going one female can produce enough eggs to sustain a population in there,Plenty of food

[justjohn]

so people who caught a pike in colebrook around 1990 are liars? from aperson who was 6 at the time lol

[ESOX FIX]

The state does list the pike in the lakes and ponds book. In a place like Colebrook all the rules of pike fishing change. As TT said he caught his in 40' of water. There is limited spawning areas but nature will always find a way. Years ago there was an old guy who use to sit up the north end for hours every day. He looked like santa clause with a fishen pole. He told me he would get a few good ones a year.

[lowaccord66]

John, I know the statenever stocked them but where are they still coming from. I can't believe there is a breeding population of them in there. Fishfinger got that one last fall, mine were caught 10-15 years ago, saw one about 8lbs. come thru the ice about 5 years ago. I heard that they came down river from a small stocked pond in Mass. that the dam was breached back in the late 80s. What is your thought on this.

TT I have heard the dam break story before as well, however I spend a ton of time up in Mass chasing pike just north of Colebrook and can say there are no small ponds that were stocked with pike and had a dam to break. 

The only place I can think of is 1000 acre swamp which was stocked with Tiger musky and that dam was broken during Irene. Even still Mass never put pike in there.

If you trace the farmington up into Mass you'll notice there are no lakes with dam that have pike close enough for that to be a viable possibility.

[lowaccord66]

The state does list the pike in the lakes and ponds book. In a place like Colebrook all the rules of pike fishing change. As TT said he caught his in 40' of water. There is limited spawning areas but nature will always find a way. Years ago there was an old guy who use to sit up the north end for hours every day. He looked like santa clause with a fishen pole. He told me he would get a few good ones a year.

I have a hunch on where they may have spawned Rich.  If you ever walk the road that the dam is on you'll notice a smaller dam and what looks like a pond on the left, signs all over that say wildlife refuge, you can see it from rt. 8 on the right driving north.  Now if you take a look at google maps you,ll see how wuen the water is high it connects to colebrook through a cut they made.  How high the water needs to be is beyond me as well as when the last time it may have been connected to the main lake.  Its sizable and looks very pikey.

[ESOX FIX]

TT I have heard the dam break story before as well, however I spend a ton of time up in Mass chasing pike just north of Colebrook and can say there are no small ponds that were stocked with pike and had a dam to break. 

The only place I can think of is 1000 acre swamp which was stocked with Tiger musky and that dam was broken during Irene. Even still Mass never put pike in there.

If you trace the farmington up into Mass you'll notice there are no lakes with dam that have pike close enough for that to be a viable possibility.

How cool would it be if a few tigers made it to Colebrook when that dam broke.

[suckerbait]

The pike in Colebrook worked down the Farmington River from Shaw Pond in Becket back when that was a pike fishery. Massachusetts used to stock Shaw. I have seen and caught pike in the Farmington. I am 100 percent positive they are reproducing in Colebrook.

[TT]

The pike in Colebrook worked down the Farmington River from Shaw Pond in Becket back when that was a pike fishery. Massachusetts used to stock Shaw. I have seen and caught pike in the Farmington. I am 100 percent positive they are reproducing in Colebrook.

Thanks.  That's the story that I heard.

[octanehi5]

Now they just have to add Walleye to the mix,They can reproduce there.It would make it a great body of water. Pike and walleye taste very similar,Once you learn how to fillet a pike with out getting the bones.Many people in the mid west prefer pike over walleye. I like them both Catching and eating

[SeaDog1]

Now they just have to add Walleye to the mix,They can reproduce there.It would make it a great body of water. Pike and walleye taste very similar,Once you learn how to fillet a pike with out getting the bones.Many people in the mid west prefer pike over walleye. I like them both Catching and eating

Hi,
Love Pike and Walleye !

Even better is Pickeled Pike, Pickerel, or Walleye.
Just did a big Pickerel.
Just Google up "Pickeled Pike" for recipes ! (Can be used for any pan fish also.)
Absolutely delicious as a side dish while watching the Superbowl !

[saxmatt]

Nothing like a good game and some pickled pike. Goes together like peas and carrots.

[thndrvlly]

The pike in Colebrook worked down the Farmington River from Shaw Pond in Becket back when that was a pike fishery. Massachusetts used to stock Shaw. I have seen and caught pike in the Farmington. I am 100 percent positive they are reproducing in Colebrook.

are we talking below the dam for those pike being caught in the farmington, thats really  hard to fathom unless your talking closer to the ct river

[lowaccord66]

are we talking below the dam for those pike being caught in the farmington, thats really  hard to fathom unless your talking closer to the ct river

He's talking above the dam...had forgot about shaw pond...I've enjoyed this thread!  Rich the word on the street is the tigers didnt take in 1000 acre which is surprising as the lake is very similar to where we were in November.

[jackctf]

No joke and if I can find the pic I will post it up.  But my cousin in the early 90's landed a 42" by himself and with me as a witness a 46". Both trolling for trout using live shiners on 8lb test.  His picture is still up at the Riverton store and he made some magazine back than. 

[TT]

Thanks Jack, that's the pic I remember.