Pike water

[hi_tail]

Is there water in western MT that has solid pike fishing [preferably within 3hrs of the Bitterroot]?
I would like to fish hardwater and have a good chance at icing pike instead of fishing hardwater for species other than pike and occassionally bringing up a slime rocket.
Thanks guys-

[Cornbread]

Marten Creek (Noxon Reservoir 3 hrs from Stevensville)
Finley Flats (Noxon Reservoir 2hrs 30min from Stevensville)
Dog Lake (CSKT Reservation 1hr 55min from Stevensville)
Upper Lone Pine Reservoir(CSKT Reservation 2hrs 18min from Stevensville)
Swan Lake (near Bigfork 2hrs 29min from Stevensville)
Seeley Lake (1hr 32min Stevensville)
Salmon Lake (1hr 23min Stevensville)

Lack of decent hunting and fishing are two of the biggest reasons I moved out of the Bitteroot, but I wish you good luck in finding a place that works for you.

[hi_tail]

Thanks Cornbread!
Have most of your pike from those spots come from relatively shallow water with plenty of vegetation?

[Tacojuan]

Just curious what's considered a good sized pike around there?

[Cornbread]

Most of my pike in winter come from 7 - 30 feet of water in winter up here. As far as weeds in winter goes, some places I fish have a lot, others have almost none. For me personally a good pike is anything over 10lbs but I don't keep them once they get that big. About the biggest I'll keep is 8lbs and that is only maybe one or so per year that size for making smoked pike for the GF's parents. I usually like to keep the 4 - 6lb pike and anything bigger or smaller I put back. Biggest one I have caught so far this year has been right around 16lbs but it has been a really poor year for me size wise for pike. Usually I can count on getting at least one or two over 20lbs. Unfortunately this year I just can't seem to connect with anything over 16lbs. The main problem this year has been that I have been fishing about half as much as I normally do, due to work and other issues. Maybe Saturday I'll finally ice one over 20 for the year? Anyway I get a lot in the 10lb - 15lb range each year but for every fish that size I probably get 20 or more from 0 - 4lbs. They are all still in there though unless somebody else has caught them since I did

[Fishyfishy]

Thanks for the list of lakes Cornbread.  Which lake is your go to for pike?

[Cornbread]

Thanks for the list of lakes Cornbread.  Which lake is your go to for pike?

I bounce around between these three about equally in winter:

Noxon
Dog Lake
Upper Lone Pine Reservoir

Dog and Lone Pine tend to be windy in the afternoons so I probably go there a little less as I HATE wind when I am fishing, summer or winter, and I have by and large stopped fishing Marten and Finley because it gets so much pressure from people fishing it, still plenty of fish there for everyone I just don't enjoy that many people around me. I was up there one day and there were over 18 trucks when I showed up at first light and more people showed up later. The other spots I go on Noxon etc. I am keeping off the internet, sorry, but every time people post spots up here on the web we start seeing huge amounts of pressure on them where as before there was very little. I don't mind people fishing where I am but posting specific spots up here has started to make things ridiculous.

[missoulafish]

 Exactly!

[Bucket Brigade]

Don't worry about me Cornbread...those lakes are to far south for me!  There's good pike fishing here in the Flathead for me.

[hi_tail]

10-4 Cornbread.
Thanks!

[doublehaul]

I bounce around between these three about equally in winter:

Noxon
Dog Lake
Upper Lone Pine Reservoir

Dog and Lone Pine tend to be windy in the afternoons so I probably go there a little less as I HATE wind when I am fishing, summer or winter, and I have by and large stopped fishing Marten and Finley because it gets so much pressure from people fishing it, still plenty of fish there for everyone I just don't enjoy that many people around me. I was up there one day and there were over 18 trucks when I showed up at first light and more people showed up later. The other spots I go on Noxon etc. I am keeping off the internet, sorry, but every time people post spots up here on the web we start seeing huge amounts of pressure on them where as before there was very little. I don't mind people fishing where I am but posting specific spots up here has started to make things ridiculous.

Everyone from Western MT please read this post carefully and take in every word of it.