GET PIKE AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN ARSENAL

Get PIKE at Rocky Mountain Arsenal by Brian La Rue

It can be hard to escape the responsibilities and headaches of everyday life. Whether you have bills to pay, important appointments or dates on the honey-do, calendar or project deadlines at the job, it’s nice to know you really don’t have to go far to wet a line and clear your head. Heck, you might even catch a new species or something different. Local ponds provide this close-to-home escape, and spots like the Rocky Mountain Arsenal come into play with something different, like pike.

Your close-to-home water my surprise you. For me, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal is literally just down Highway 76. From Brighton to Commerce City, I can be at the water’s edge in than 20 minutes. It is home to numerous species, but most tackle the two lake’s catfish and bass. Then, there is the cluster of anglers that target pike religiously out there. Before we dive in for the fishing, you must understand where the entire “arsenal” name/idea came from. The history is quite interesting and makes for a great conservation story if you have not already heard it.

Back in the day, Native Americans hunted bison and grew numerous crops on the land. Then came the settlers who raised cattle and numerous crops, as well. But, In the 1940s with World War II and Pearl Harbor, the fertile area was quickly transformed into a chemical weapons manufacturing facility called the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. As the war came to an end, the area was also used to develop agriculture chemicals by the Shell Chemical Corp. It was also used for coldwar weapon production and demilitarization.

It was not until the early 1980s, that both the Army and Shell began an extensive environmental cleanup. The transition to a wildlife refuge was well underway as nesting bald eagles brought management interests from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This “discovery” also prompted Congress to designate the site as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1992. Cleanup efforts continued and were completed in 2010—offering some 15,000 acres—making it one of the largest urban refuges in the country.

The refuge is home to 10 miles of hiking trails, 330 species of animals, and a unique, drive-thru road which will yield easy sightings of deer, bison, eagles and more. You’ll find a visitor’s center with all the facts, history, and exhibits, but it’s the refuge’s two lakes that offer the fishing, so let’s get on with it!

The main lake is called Lake Ladora. At nearly 55 acres, one can walk around the entire lake with help from a pair of waders at one point. The lake is only a little over 17.6 feet deep at most, and can be waded from the shallower spots easily. I’ve seen a few wader-clad guys after Memorial Day for wading (fishing typically opens early May, but is closed to wading to protect spawning fish) out near the middle. You can get away from the shoreline on most of the water to haul a fly and avoid non-wading anglers. About 1/3 of the lake is along a rocky shoreline/ramp which drops off into the deep quickly, and of course those are the most productive spots in my experience.

Northern pike, bluegill, and largemouth bass make up most of the action on Ladora. As you might imagine, the pike attract the most anglers. On any given limited open day (only open 3 days a week), 15 guys will be out there. Whether you target pike with floating line, a sink tip or full-sink line, it of course all depends on the water temperature and time of year. Since the lake isn’t very deep, space to cast is the biggest factor, and then your fly selection. Pike are not too picky, but be sure you either have something big and flashy, like a red and white or white and chartreuse streamer, or crawdad patterns; comb the bottom for those times when water temperatures are high. Baby bass or bluegill imitations will produce as well, so really any kind of largemouth imitations will do the job. If they are picky on the day you try your luck, go a little smaller with a smaller-profiled streamer, so they can’t make as quick as a decision.

I like an 8-weight out there, as the pike often run 20 to 32 inches. Get to the refuge gate before it opens, drive to the lake/pay station (in 2020 it was $3 per angler per day from June 1 to Nov. 30), and then make the dash to claim a spot. If you fish off the rocks (mostly guys with baitcasters and spinning rods—but most productive), stick with a floating line so you can pull off the roll cast as the backcast space is not worth trying to haul anything more than 25 yards of line. Then you have the onlookers that stand right behind you on the trail—halting any chance of a cast.

If you can pull off a little diagonal cast, you can probably throw a little better slightly perpendicular to the shoreline. I have been out in summer when the water was warm and fishing was only good on the bottom with sinking line or at least intermediate line, and the bite turned off by 10 AM. Go in November with nasty weather days, or early in the year at open-

ing (May) and they will hit streamers like they haven’t eaten in months.

Largemouth and bluegill add fun into the mix when the pike aren’t biting. Numerous times while fishing a crawdad imitation, you might get bass or pike depending where you cast. The bluegill will hit small nymphs to help new fly fishers get bit, or for a bored pike angler to have a little fun.

The other lake can be a bit of a circus. Lake Mary has solid cats, nice-sized largemouth, crappie, perch and tons of bluegill in it. There isn’t much shoreline to fish from, but boardwalks—thus the circus—offer access. Folks will be fishing hot dogs for 15-pound cats here. A well-placed, 4-inch worm, or leech imitations along the reeds will entice 3-pound largemouth, but you’d better practice your bow & arrow or flip cast to avoid hooking a half-naked kid running around unsupervised or fish on the colder days. Stick to the big lake unless you have no interest in pike and your first one on the 8.4-acre pond in the morning.

Lastly, to sum it all up, the fishing season starts in early May, but wading is only allowed after Memorial Day and the season runs through November. It will cost you $3 for the day permit aside from a CO fishing license, and fishing is only allowed Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Get there early with the opening of the refuge itself, and drive to the lake. You will have company, so get out early or fish late and if there’s a bit of weather, that might scare some of the competition off. Good luck, and if you don’t get to the Arsenal, find your own backyard pond or lake and have some fun.

About The Author

High Country Angler contributor Brian La Rue enjoys giving fly fishers ideas of where to go for an adventure. Feel free to reach out to Brian at Brian@hcamagazine. com if you want your lodge or guide service featured in an upcoming promotional marketing plan.