My Target this Weekend

[MN BassFisher]

I found a pretty sweet reservoir the other day, I hiked up to it and liked what I saw, which is beautiful scenery, with only a few noticeable holes. I also saw a Mountain Lion sign with some pretty funny tips, and found 2 curious Red Foxes (both in the picture) that didn't seem too scared of me being near them. I don't think this place sees much pressure because it's about a 2 mile hike so you have to pack and plan accordingly. I have heard that there are some species in there that I've never caught so hopefully I can follow this up with a good report of me catching some new species!

[Antero]

Those cat signs are all over in areas where there are people and cats. They are even in towns, Green Mountain Falls for one. Eye opener for sure but in my many, many miles on foot and driving I have never seen one. A couple of tracks I thought could be but I am not a track authority so not sure. A big tom was killed a few miles from my home and I have seen pics taken by folks I believe so watch your back!

[MN BassFisher]

I figured it was just a precaution and didn't put much stock into it. But yeah, hiking 4-5 miles and only seeing a couple people definitely had me wondering if I was being "watched" by more than the two foxes haha. Have you been getting out much Antero? I will be checking out Antero soon since I've never been on it and I figured we have to be getting close to primetime bite.

[Cthulhu]

odds are decent that you walked close enough for a Lion to see you but doubtful that you'll see one. They are present in relatively good numbers in Colorado. When I taught on the westslope one of my students got a huge Tom during the hunting season. I've seen Lion sign several places out there but never an actual Lion, though I have family members who have seen them.

I know there was one that lived on the outskirts of a town I lived in, a friend was a local wildlife guy (don't remember exact title). It would be seen in town during the winter occasionally as the deer flooded the town to during the winter. I know I was hiking and fishing a creek on that side of town and same across a secluded area loaded with deer carcass parts, partially buried and partially eaten. I left very quickly. And didn't go back to that spot.

[Antero]

Not getting out at all....I pretty much gave up ice fishing. At 65 it gets hard to drag the gear.....it ain't pretty. Waiting for open/warmer water and ice off the rivers and creeks. I usually get out in late March on the Ark around Salida and Buena Vista. Depending on snowmelt and spring rains the water level is good and there are plenty of fish. By the way, I am hearing that Spinney may not be open for boating this yr. Not enough water. Hope we get some big dumps this spring, it will help everything around here, from fire danger to fishing.

You guys interested in cats and grizzlies will want to read these 2 Colorado based books.

Beast in the Garden and Ghost Grizzlies. Highly recommended.

[MN BassFisher]

I'll have to check those out! I heard that today about Spinney and that upset me, I was really looking forward to getting out there in the Spring. Yeah Ice fishing can be tough on the body, I enjoy it but it's more of a time killer for me until the lakes open up and I can cast. I just bought some fly rods so I'll be trying to give that a whirl this summer too.

[MN BassFisher]

So I went up to this reservoir on Saturday Morning. My friend Kerri, tagged along so she could get some hiking in, when I went out onto the ice she continued hiking for another mile or so. Apparently there was a gate past the reservoir with no signs posted or anything and it was wide open so she kept hiking. She saw a bunch of fresh footprints so she knew others had been back there. About a mile or two past the reservoir she ran into a man and his son on an ATV with a gun exposed asking her if she was "packing". She said no and they said she shouldn't be back there without a gun as there are a lot of Mountain Lions. They said the day before they actually shot one that was charging them. She was pretty freaked out and they were nice people who gave her a ride back to the reservoir I was on and she came running out with this story to tell me. Pretty crazy, but I guess that's why they had those signs posted! I caught about 20 Brook Trout on Saturday morning, I took video of it but I'm still editing that - I will post it when it's finished. Kerri caught her first Brook Trout that day as well as her first Brown trout!

[Antero]

I walk my dog in the Pike National Forest every morning, many forest service roads and trails are near my house. Yesterday about 7:30 AM I was coming out of the woods and a guy in a truck stopped to chat. He asked me if I saw a big red dog on my walk. I did not. He claimed that the nite before his dog was running a lion and did not return to him. He said there was a fresh elk kill in the area and a cat was returning to feed on it and he was actively hunting this cat. His dog was a hound of some sort and was a veteran lion hunter. The dog had a GPS collar and he was hoping of course to find it alive and well.

This hunter said there were three cats in the area that he was aware of thru tracks and sign. That morning I saw about 100 elk and a coyote and no cat. I walk miles every week in this area and have never seen one but I will be a bit more careful now!

[MN BassFisher]

I went and hiked St. Mary's Falls yesterday afternoon and for a 2 mile stretch I didn't see another person which didn't really bother me but as the sun was setting there was one moment I heard some noises coming from the top of the hill I was on and I would be lying if it didn't cross my mind and freak me out for a few seconds. I would have had to get pretty crafty with my 3 inch knife and trekking poles!

[MN BassFisher]

I can't decide what to target this weekend. Saturday is supposed to snow a little bit but I kind of want to hit the triple this weekend, fly fish, ice fish, and kayak fish since that was never an option back home in MN. Anyone else plan on getting out this weekend?