In the best of times, putting a salmon on Elevenmile Reservoir ice is a roll of the dice. In the current winter, with a depleted population of kokanee, the odds are further stacked in favor of the house, but with a bit of gaming strategy, it still can be done.

"They're starting to show up some more, but it's pretty erratic," said Larry Falk, proprietor of the 11 Mile Marina (719-748-0317), offering, among other things, ice-fishing guide service and equipment rentals.

Salmon, for years a primary attraction for ice fishermen, plummeted in numbers two summers ago, apparently the result of a gill-lice parasite compounded by a perfect storm of warm water temperatures, lower oxygen levels and other stress factors. In any event, the Colorado Division of Wildlife documented an across-the-board loss of kokanee from all age classes.

Losses were manifest in a disappointingly low spawning run of salmon in 2007 and the suspension of spawn-taking efforts in the inlet stream last fall. Other spawn sources remained productive, and the DOW continued stocking the reservoir in hopes of rebuilding Elevenmile's population.

By some indications, the salmon are coming back, though a full assessment will require several years.

"We're seeing a couple of distinct age groups," Falk said. "While some have been running 8 to 10 inches, others have been averaging 14 to 16. An average good day would be six, maybe eight, kokanee; we haven't been seeing the limit (10-fish) catches."

In good years or bad, the game plan begins with location. Kokanee are highly mobile and typically travel in large schools. Though the salmon present a moving target, this season's most-productive areas have been along a line from Coyote Ridge to Duck Island, and the river channel generally running from Duck to Goose islands.

Locating salmon doesn't guarantee a jackpot, however. Timing is equally important. The fish still have to be in the mood.

Anglers report marking large schools of salmon on their fish finders, sometimes for extended periods of time, but the kokanee can be all but impossible to entice. All offerings summarily are refused. Then, for reasons best known to kokanee, the bite begins.

Salmon begin hitting vertically jigged spoons such as Kastmasters, Krocodiles and Swedish Pimples, usually tipped with a mealworm. Suspended jigs such as pink or chartreuse Tiny Tots and Rat Finkies, among many others, produce salmon. The activity might continue 15 minutes, then end as abruptly as it began.

Location and timing improve the odds, no doubt, but on some days even the best efforts of salmon fishermen come up snake eyes. Fortunately, the kokanee are not the only game in town.

Fishing for trout as a rule has been good through the hard-

water season. Rainbows and cutthroats might be suspended over deep water in the same regions as salmon and willing to take a variety of jigs and spoons. Cruising trout might be shallower than salmon, possibly visible from a black-out hut. Fishermen should adjust accordingly.

Shallower areas of the lake, often as not near rocky structure, tend to be more productive. Late-season trout can be maddeningly finicky, however. Fishermen routinely report watching a procession of trout moving in to inspect their jigs, then darting away. By one rule of thumb, the later the season, the smaller the jig.

As the season progresses, spawn-ready rainbows and cutts begin moving toward the inlet. The Cross Creek region in the west end of the lake becomes as good a bet as any for hooking a larger-than-average fish, but it can become a virtual shanty town of ice huts.

Expanses of ice over the prime salmon grounds, meanwhile, remain uncrowded. For ice anglers who enjoy a bit of elbow room as well as the challenge of a long shot, Elevenmile's kokanee once again appear to be a sporting proposition.