Ice fishing taking off at area lakes

FISHING



Ice fishing has been excellent in all the lower reservoirs with safe ice to be had in the majority of each lake. Perch, crappie and bluegill are on fire right now, as well, of course, as the trout. Most people are now starting to hit the lower lakes in droves to get those tasty pan fish while the getting is good. Ice fisherman wait all year for this time of year to capitalize on the much better eating fish after having their fill of trout all year long. What was once a few people on the ice chasing trout for something to do in the winter as little as 10 years ago, the reservoirs are now filled with literally hundreds of ice fisherman on the lakes enjoying constant action and some of the best eating fish you can get your hands on.

How all these warm-water fish got there could be a heated debate for days. But they are here now, they have taken hold, and the sportsmen love every minute of it and can’t get enough. Our warm-water fisheries on the Western Slope you can count on one hand versus everything that holds water and the endless miles of rivers and streams that are full of trout. I guess there is a reason there are so many boats in this area heading west to Lake Powell in convoys all summer long.

Rifle Gap: Fishing is excellent for perch and trout. Crappie and pike fishing is fair, with an occasional walleye being taken. The much feared stunted perch explosion was just that. It was a fear. The perch are growing aggressively, and the jumbo perch fishery is almost here again. A lot of this is due to sportsman acknowledging the fact that pike are a crucial predator in keeping this reservoir in a healthy balance by releasing pike they don’t want to take home and eat. No one wants a repeat of what happened to Crawford. Even the crappies have taken off in Rifle and have gotten to numbers and size that have never been in the lake since its inception.

Harvey Gap: Fishing is excellent for crappie, perch and bluegill with the occasional pike and bass. Fish are currently all over the spectrum from 18 to 50 feet of water. Larger schools are being found in the deeper depths with the crappies typically being found around 20 to 25 feet of water.

Crawford: Fishing is excellent for crappie and perch but, as always, they are on the small side. Keep as many as you can, and can eat, to help the stunted over population. Releasing any pike would also be a good management tool to help the fishery in the long run. A few catfish and bass have also been reported.

Blue Mesa: The coves are safe for the most part with anglers doing well on browns and small mackinaw. The large lake trout of the past seem to be dwindling a bit, and a lot of sportsmen are trying to push for a slot limit to be put back in place to get these fish back to what they once were. Perch fishing is starting to really pick up with perch being reported to 16 inches. Finding them consistently on that large body of water is the hard part.

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WATERFOWL



We are currently still at a peak on the numbers of ducks and geese in the valley, and everyone seems to be doing great. All the birds are now concentrated on the rivers with new migrations coming every day. The largest concentration of ducks seems to be between Delta and Olathe with a good late variety of species. A lot of the geese from Loma to Grand Junction have moved down the Gunnison to better fields southeast of Delta, but the numbers remain good enough to get an easy morning hunt in.

Waterfowl hunters have only three weeks left of hunting with the season ending Jan. 25. It looks like it is going to end fantastic!