On the Bitterroot River doubling up with pike and trout

Jack and Jeff again, pike and trout. Taken Oct 8.

Northern Pike - Jack got this on the Bitterroot July 22

Jack Mauer with a Northern Pike

Jeff on the Bitterroot catching trout, pike and oops, a sucker

Jeff caught some really nice trout including a beautiful brown..but he hasn't sent me his trout photos. These were the only ones on Jack's camera..so here they are. Jeff just sent this photo of his buddy and the brown trout he caught that day. Here it is. And he sent this photo of Jack holding another pike. They are doing their part in getting some pike out of the Bitterroot.

Jerry on the Bitterroot in September catching pike and trout

September 23, Jerry and Jack fished the lower Bitterroot. They caught trout but the only photo Jack got was this one of Jerry with a pike he caught. It was a good day of fishing but any day they take pike out of the Bitterroot is a great day.

Sorry Jerry for the late post, I am catching up on some of the photos I missed posting. This is a great one of you and that nasty pike. Merle

4 x4, pike and trout, Jeff and Jack on the Bitterroot in Sept.

OK, I am WAY behind but Jeff asked me to get these up on the blog. Jeff Rogers and Jack are getting pretty darn adept at hooking and boating pike. They almost always have great trout fishing, but on this day, they caught lots of each. Yes, by the end of the float, they were both worn-out. Here you go Jeff, brag it up. Click on the photos to view them in full screen.

Later in September, less smoke, more pike and brown trout

Fish photos, the best way to say it.

Less smoke from fires, more fish for Jack and Jeff

Jack and Jeff fished the lower Bitterroot and found lots of trout and lots of pike. Jack caught the one pike, but Jeff caught five. They are doing their part in getting the pike out of the Bitterroot and getting in some trout fishing, too. Tricos are the name of the game on this stretch in early September.

Pike and trout fishing on the Bitterroot River in early September

Hickman with a nice trout

Jack with a smaller pike

Jack with a big pike and Freda, our Chessie, is looking on.

a sharper photo of John's trout.

Ice fishing in western Montana - pike was the big catch

Five pound pike

Successful day on the ice

Ten pound pike!

Pictures say it all. Thanks for forwarding these photos to us Mike!

Triple play pike day

Marshall and Jack both think pike fishing is a ton of fun. Jack took Marshall to some of his favorite holes today and the success was amazing. Three pike. I think that is a record for Jack's boat on the Bitterroot. Yes, they kept them, yes they will eat them. As you can see, it was a beautiful fall day on the Bitterroot.

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Jack with a pike he caught in the Bitterroot River

We love fishing in the late fall because we can find targets to shoot at, both trout and pike. The trout are usually noses and fins feeding on tricos and spinners. The pike are a different story. We look for them in certain slow water spots and try to throw big, gaudy flies. Once in awhile, we can actually see the big lunkers deep in the water. Seeing them doesn't mean they will take the fly, there-in lies the challenge.

Catching a big pike is a thrill. They are much bigger than most trout and are an effort to land. Jack caught this good sized pike October 12. Usually, I ask Jack to give them away, but on this day, our friend and avid pike fisherman, Eric, showed us how he fileted them. We cut up the firm meat into steaks, covered them with fresh, seasoned bread crumbs and baked them. They were delicious. I was pleasantly surprised. I am ready to go pike fishing again soon.

Here are more photos in a slideshow. One is of us releasing a decent sized trout next to the pike. You will see the size comparison.

Christmas means staying in touch with new and old friends

The 2010 fishing season for Wapiti Waters was a wonderful one. Current friends and clients fished with us and we made wonderful new friends. We recently received an email from new friends in Alaska. They fished with Jack in late October and caught trout. Jack also caught a darn big pike. They sent photos in the email and here they are. See the featured photo above and then view the rest in the slideshow below.

Thanks to everyone who fished with us in 2010. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and  happy new year!

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Fly fishing for pike on the lower Bitterroot

I forgot to post this. Jack caught a big pike on the Bitterroot earlier this month. He is still on his mission of removing pike from our local coldwater fisheries.

Now that Milltown Dam is removed and the reservoir gone, maybe we can get the pike numbers down. The reservoir was a major rearing area for pike because it was good habitat for young pike. It had warmer, slow water and lots of smaller trout that young pike could eat.

Pike eat a lot of juvenile trout so we don't mind harvesting these voracious fish. 

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Fly Fishing - trico-pico day on the Bitterroot with Marshall

Marshall with his pike from the Bitterroot.
Photo courtesy of Marshall Bloom.

All photos are courtesy of Marshall Bloom. They used his camera. This is a day on the lower Bitterroot. They were looking to fish tricos and to catch pike. Looks like a pretty successful and beautiful day. Thanks, Marshall, for the photos! By the way, grilled elk steak was the main course for lunch. Yum.

See all of Marshall's photos of pike and the Bitterroot River below.

View all of Marshall's photos in a new window

Wapiti Waters recommends (and really uses) these items:

Pike story: Big fish in Bitterroot

Missoulian story by Joe Nickel - Pike story: Big fish in Bitterroot – but good luck hooking one

via Pike story: Big fish in Bitterroot – but good luck hooking one.

Also see on Facebook link below.

Fly Fishing Montana with Wapiti Waters

Pike story: Big fish in Bitterroot – but good luck hooking one

www.missoulian.com

Written by JOE NICKELL Photographed by MICHAEL GALLACHER of the Missoulian | Posted: Thursday, March 18, 2010 8:00 am | Loading…

Bitterroot in March 2010 - Jeff Rogers and his bevy of trout

Jack fished with Jeff today. They fished the lower river and in spite of no skwala hatch to speak of there was some VERY good fishing. They caught pike and trout, big pike and trout.

The weather was cold in the morning, but it warmed up to about 66 degrees. There were a lot of boats and wade fishermen out.

To see what Jack and Jeff's day was like, see the photos below.

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Fly Fishing the Bitterroot River in October with Jack

Rainbow on the Bitterroot River
(Photo by Merle Ann Loman)

Fly fishing the Bitterroot River in the fall is fantastic. The weather changes dramatically during the day giving stellar light shows and the fall hatches mean you will probably see fish noses and fins in select places. As the trout work the hatch, It is definitely a challenge to have targets to throw to. The fun part is trying to pick out which rise form is the biggest trout. By this time of year the trout have seen just about everything but a good presentation. In other words they are very educated but still feeding consistently. The flat smooth water where you find them feeding makes it even more difficult to execute a convincing presentation and drift. Proper selection of dry-flies and tippet are essential.

• See slideshow - photos of the Bitterroot River in October

Give yourself plenty of time to concentrate on certain areas. On the Bitterroot River, there are many pods of feeding fish giving the amateur angler lots of chances to work on technique. If you put the fish down with bad casts, just row back up and wait. Chances are, they will begin feeding in a similar place again. If you don't want to row up-river, keep going to the next pod. You can see them feeding as you float down the river. Very cool.

Jack Mauer with a Northern Pike (Photo by Merle Ann Loman)

Want a change of pace? Bring along a 9 weight rod and a box of colorful streamers. As you fish for trout and you come upon a backwater of slow water with significant drop-off next to it, you might consider changing your arsenal to a heavier rod and a very large bright streamer. You have just come into northern pike habitat and they are a HEAVY fish. If you throw the streamer at the drop-off, let it sink and then retrieve it in frequent jerking motions, you will likely tick-off a pike. When a pike hits the fly, you have a fight on your hands. Pike are non-native and predatory so catching them and getting them out of the river is a good thing. The pike in the photo to the right had a whole fish in its stomach. See the slideshow for pictures of the fish. It isn't pretty.

• See an article about Northern Pike in the Bitterroot

This pike was about 33 inches long and a tremendous fighter. As Jack caught it, another boat approached from behind. You could hear them cheering Jack on as he worked at bringing the fish into the boat. He thought about getting to shore and landing it there, but it was netted from the boat, barely fitting the net.

Cutthroat trout (Photo by Merle Ann Loman)

This particular day was about 50 degrees with a slight breeze and overcast. The sun and clouds created unbelievable light shows. Even though this autumn hasn't produced as many colors and hues as usual, the rainbows and even the gray cast of the aspen have been beautiful. Besides amazing scenery, birds provided entertainment. While looking down the river at pods of fish feeding, beyond and on the curve was an Osprey looking for its dinner. It flew in a tighter circle, dove straight down and made a huge splash. As it came out of the water, there was a sparkle as the sun hit the fish in its talons - probably a whitefish. A few minutes later an eagle soared down the river, passed over the boat and continued downstream. Near the take-out, a Belted Kingfisher played the bank. They are a funny looking bird with a shaggy crest or topknot.

Related articles by Merle Ann Loman:

Pike fishing on the lower Bitterroot | Montana rivers | Montana birds | Bitterroot River | Fly fishing | Outdoor recreation articles on Examiner.com

For more info:

Bitterroot River – Wapiti Waters Fly Fishing Montana description
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks – Field guide for Northern Pike
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks – Field guide for Belted Kingfisher
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks – Field guide for Bald Eagle
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks – Field guide for Osprey
Merle’s SmugMug photo site – More Bitterroot River photos in their original format

If you like these articles, be the first to see them, subscribe by email (see above), by RSS, Twitter, or Facebook.

Northern Pike fishing adventure on the lower Bitterroot River with Jack Mauer

Jack Mauer fishes for a living, but what does he do on his day off? He gets up early and goes fishing for Northern Pike. His favorite spot is a section in the lower Bitterroot (exact location is undisclosed at this writing). For this short but productive float, he has permission to put in on private land and takes out at the next public access point. I get invited along for many reasons: photography, dog handler for our 6 month old Chesapeake puppy, and last but not least, rower of the boat when we get to pike territory.

Northern Pike, or pike, or northerns, are native to Montana but only in the Saskatchewan River drainage on the east side of Glacier Park. They have been illegally introduced in many areas and are now present in every drainage west of the Divide. A highly piscivorous animal, they feed on fish and also eat other vertebrates such as frogs. Northern pike threaten native game and non game fish in the area and popular sport fish like rainbow and brown trout.

With a long skinny head they have large teeth on the side of their mouth, and rows of many small teeth inside their mouth. They don’t chew their food, they just swallow it whole. Characteristics of the pike are: light markings on a darker green body, lower half of the cheek completely scaled; five or fewer pores on each side of the underside of the jaw; and rounded tail tips.

Pike especially like lakes and reservoirs, but on the Bitterroot River they are found in the warmer, slower water. Weeds are used for camouflage while hiding and waiting for food to float or swim by. They tend to live in water which is less than 15 feet deep, near a backwater area and close to shore. A submerged log in about 7 feet of water is another prime hang out spot for Pike. Because the Bitterroot is Jack’s home river, he has located the buckets of water where the pike are and can row directly to them.

When fishing for northerns, it might be a good idea to use a steel leader (a short piece of steel line). The pike's sharp teeth will cut easily through most fishing regular fishing line. Jack uses an 85 pound test hard monofilament tippet with a very bright streamer that has 2 hooks.

The idea of the streamer is to try to imitate the features of baitfish and minnows, which are what pike naturally feed upon. Since Pike seek their prey by sight, it is important for the streamer to move, so active artificial movement or live bait movement is very important. Anchor the boat above the holding water so you can cast to the bottom end of the bucket and retrieve your line through it and past the pike. Jack fished both deep (with a streamer that sinks and swims) and more on the surface (with a streamer/fly that didn’t sink as well). In both cases, he casts out about 60 feet or more, hopefully beyond the pikes position. Then he retrieves his line with a subtle jerking motion and some pauses in between twitches. The goal is to attract the attention of the pike and make it think his streamer is injured prey. Sometimes after hooking a pike, he saw other pike chasing it to the boat looking for their own meal.

After hooking and reeling in the pike, Jack uses a huge pair of needle nosed pliers to get his streamer and hook out of that nasty looking mouth.

Unlike fishing for trout, you want a bright day to fish for pike. If the water is smooth, meaning not much wind, and the sun is at an angle instead of right above you, you can see this distinctive fish in the water. This might be obvious, but sighting a pike makes it much easier to cast to.

Small northern pike remain in shallow weedy water through much of the year. In mid-summer, forage reaches peak abundance and the fish remain active. Large northern pike move deeper as summer progresses and water temperatures warm, seeking oxygenated water of 65 degrees or cooler. Large northern pike become lethargic in warm water, eating little and sometimes losing weight. For these reasons northern pike fishing falls off in warmer weather.

Jack has more time to fish for pike, and in addition on the lower Bitterroot River there is often the opportunity for good trico fishing. It makes for a great day with a wide variety of fishing styles, i.e. fishing a No. 18-20 trico dry fly on 6X tippet versus a larger, flashy streamer with 85 test monofilament tippet and a heavier rod.

Northern Pike are exceptionally good to eat, with firm, white flesh. The bigger fish are easier to bone and except for one troublesome Y-shaped bone, the Pike is relatively easy to filet. You can serve it many ways including grilled, fried, and baked using whatever seasonings and sauces you like. Jack isn’t much of a fish eater but he has a number of friends that like to eat the pike so he gives them away. That is a win/win for the trout in the river and his friends.

This aggressive and voracious fish attacks the lures or flies and puts up a great fight making the catching a thrill. Northern pike can grow to nearly 40 pounds in Montana and provide an outstanding sport and food fish in the appropriate waters. Pike are caught not only for sport but also to help get them out of inappropriate waters. Because of their voracious fish-eating habits they can literally eliminate their food supply in only a few years, leaving a population of terminally-stunted "hammerhandles." This is why widespread illegal pike introductions in western Montana have become a fishery manager's nightmare. So, go ahead, get out there, harvest a few pike and help Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks with removal of unwanted populations!

To see all the photos in a new window, click Jack's Trico/Pico fishing day.

Resources and links

Billings, Montana Pike Fishing Club called Pike Masters

Montana, Fish Wildlife and Parks Field Guide for Northern Pike and Northern Pike Education Page
I only found a few articles on strategies for pike fishing. Below is a link to an article from Game & Fish Magazine with useful information on pike and how to fish for them.
Northern Pike Strategies by Jim Barta from Michigan - If you are a northern pike fanatic, the author has a few weapons you should consider adding to your arsenal.

Wade fishing on the Flathead River

I couldn't resist posting these two photos on their own. They show how beautiful the river is and how calm it was.

OK - Let me throw this one in here, too. Jessa knows how to capitalize on the fishing.

Floating the Flathead River

Last weekend we did a two day family float on the Flathead River from Buffalo Bridge south of Polson to Sloan's Bridge west of Ronan. The normal cubic feet per second (CFS) at this time of year is about 3200. This year it is near 10,000 CFS. The river was big, beautiful, and full of fish. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have a wonderful management program. Clean water and a healthy ecosystem are proof of that. Here are a few photos. I am preparing a slide show that I will upload soon.

Visit here again soon to see the slide show. There will be photos of fish, birds, scenery, camp, cliffs, and girls and boys.