Strawberry-Where have the rainbows gone?

[icerman]

Took my son and a friend to Strawberry today. Made the 1 mile hike to my favorite spot where I usually catch my limit of fat rainbows. For the second time in a row, only cuts, not a single rainbow! Anyone have a suggestion where to go to catch rainbows this year? Everyone I spoke with on the ice has been catching Cuts.

The weather was awesome, Ice great, catching, well though it wasn't what I would call "hot" it was OK, at least the beginner fishermen caught 7-10 each! Even one above the slot! White gazillias, waxie, 20' down in 22-25 FOW was what we caught them in.

Any suggestions on the bows would be appreciated.
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[brookieguy1]

Not only are the 'bows legal to keep, but far better eating also. The rainbows just go home as soon as they get caught. You would have to be part goat to eat one of those nasty cutts! I would fish Strawberry on a frequent basis if there were a higher percentage of rainbows. Those Strawberry cutthroat are some boring weak fish.
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[RockyRaab]

Face it, Strawberry is a catch and release lake. You go there for the tugs, not for table fare.
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[RedNekFishR]

I fished between Chicken Creek and the Ladders last weekend, caught just 3 fish but all were bows and all were released. I noticed the rainbows were extremely dark in color, drastic comparison to the silver bows caught two weeks previously at Renegade.
Went back to the same spot yesterday, and all I could pull up were the standard 18-20" cutt.
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[95f1camaro]

This has been an odd year for rainbows for me. All 5 rainbows I have caught has been over 21" and they have been voracious. I'm yet to see a small one.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Don't claim to be an expert on 'Berry bows. But if they are anything like the triploids in Starvation many of them do go through a false (sterile) spawn early in the year. They color up and some develop eggs or milt. Then they move in to shallow rocky areas or the area they were first planted...like around the ramps. So looking for them in the shallows off the ramps or around rocky shoreline will sometimes get more bows than fishing the deeper spots. At least until they discover they are not very good at spawning.
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[icefishingman]

I love catching those cutts. But I do try moving in shallow, like 8 feet of water every now and then to find bows, and can sometimes. But it has been a weird year on the berry. Like no bows whatsoever, and I haven't had one good day. I've hit 12 fish once. Very .
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[WingNutt]

Caught one rainbow up there this weekend, it was milting all over everything. Released asap back in to the water.

Was disappointed that was the only keepable fish of the day. Everything else were cutt's
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]It is probably best to release any rainbow that is dark and colored up...or dripping milt or eggs. Not so much to protect the spawn...because even if they lay eggs they are not fertile. But those fish that develop eggs or milt do so at the expense of their body fat reserves. Their flesh is normally a nice pink color but fades to a very light and softer tissue during the spawn. Not as good for eating so best to release them.

I have inadvertently kept a few bows that were not showing spawn readiness...but which had eggs or milt and lighter and softer flesh when filleted. Some of them are still suitable for the smoker...but definitely not the same quality as healthy non-spawners.
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[ducksfresh]

[quote TubeDude][#0000ff]It is probably best to release any rainbow that is dark and colored up...or dripping milt or eggs. Not so much to protect the spawn...because even if they lay eggs they are not fertile. But those fish that develop eggs or milt do so at the expense of their body fat reserves. Their flesh is normally a nice pink color but fades to a very light and softer tissue during the spawn. Not as good for eating so best to release them.

I have inadvertently kept a few bows that were not showing spawn readiness...but which had eggs or milt and lighter and softer flesh when filleted. Some of them are still suitable for the smoker...but definitely not the same quality as healthy non-spawners.
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Great advice Tube Dude!
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