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Big Rainbows are not that common. I fish there a lot and to say caught constantly is a bold statement. Cutthroat maybe.
The lake was hit hard and all the big ones were kept, that is why they made the restrictions back then.
I had some guy at the bar bragging how he and his buddies would go catch a bunch of big trout, throw them in the back of the truck, cover them with a bag then go back.
You still see poaching up there, but the regs have made a change for the better.
I do remember several years ago I caught 6 or 7 over 24" (cutts with an occasional bow) in a couple hour stretch. That was normal (pontoon and fly rod).
It has changed, but it will be.
I caught "one" chub this three day weekend. It was about 12" long. Not bad out of all the fish caught.[cool]
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Thanks for the pics and report. I was up ther with my son on Friday caught 1- cutts in 2 hours all in the slot.
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[cool][#0000ff]Your personal recollections seem to be just the opposite of the findings of the DWR surveys and stocking program. Before the implementation of the aggressive cutt plantings and slot limits the average size of all species netted in Strawberry was under 15 inches. Since then it has grown to exceed 18 inches. And before then it was almost unknown to see fish much over 20 inches. Now the larger fish are a significant percentage of the showing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]And until about 3 years ago rainbows were far less common in the catch. They were planted as 4 inch fry and most went into the food chain without getting any bigger. Only since DWR has begun planting the larger rainbows have enough survived to provide a significant rainbow fishery. There are lots of folks who now fish the Berry just because of the increased numbers of rainbows. Some folks don't like to fish for cutts and some just plain don't like to fish for fish they can't keep.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Not challenging your previous catches of large rainbows. Strawberry does produce some big ones. But it has never produced large numbers of big rainbows...in a ratio greater than cutts. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We all have our own memories but sometimes they become "selective"...or slanted to make a point. And there are plenty of 20 inch bows in Strawberry these days. It is just harder to get through the numbers of smaller ones with the planting program dumping in so many footlongs. It also takes some changes in tactics, techniques and locations to offset changing conditions in the lake. If the water level or water chemistry changes you can't expect to still keep catching fish in the same places and using the same approach.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are a few big fish specialists who fish Strawberry just for the bigger cutts and bows. They don't post their favorite places or techniques but they DO catch plenty of bigguns...some say more than ever. Hmmmm?[/#0000ff]
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Wow that's actually the total opposite of us just like u said and no i'm not lieng. Deer creek is on the way and 40 mins closer than strawberry and we never would stop there because of the size. If u wanna know the truth I hate strawberry usually cause the action most summer days is very off and on but the size kept me going with my dad otherwise I wouldn't have gone.
Don't get me wrong, summer fishing was slow usually but when we caught one it was usually 20 inches. I also remember us being able to catch rainbows EVERYWHERE. Now it's hard to get anything but cut throats everywhere except near soldier creek. I'll have to ask my dad if he has any old photos of them.
And for the record we would catch cut throats too but honestly it seemed like the numbers were more even in cuts to bows. I remember one time back then that I hooked like a 12 or 13 inch rainbow though and there was a nice 24 inch or bigger cut throat trying to eat my rainbow. I actually stopped reeling it in and tried to let him catch it lol. My dad said he never saw anything like it haha
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Weekend Warrior will be there in a week, he can put some hurt on the big ones. Waiting for that report.[  ]
I have several friends that leave their boats up there and fish the lake on a daily basis. There are some big fish taken.
The more you fish this lake, the better it gets.
Back in the 1990's for me is when the big fish were the normal.
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[cool][#0000ff]As I said, I do not dispute anything you have said. Just saying that the DWR net and creel surveys show one thing and your experiences are different. That is not unusual because Strawberry is a big lake and not all fish stay in the same areas or feed the same way. It is not uncommon to find mostly cutts or mostly bows in some spots...or at different depths...feeding on different forage. Where you fish and how you fish can influence your success for any given trip.[/#0000ff]
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[cool][#0000ff]Kyle will be stopping by my place Thursday night, on his way from the airport to his family's place in Utah County. He will be picking up some samples of the copper buggers and others I tie along the lines of his old favorite marabou jigs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]PS...he will also be picking up some "minnow hackles" (bait), It would seem that his conversion to the fairy wand is not complete. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]He's good people. Hope somebody gets in an order for good weather for him while he is on the water.[/#0000ff]
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Yes he is good people.
No clue what this copper bugger is, but it could be a good choice.
[#0000FF] PS...he will also be picking up some "minnow hackles" (bait), It would seem that his conversion to the fairy wand is not complete.
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When on a time clock and you are here to CATCH I imagine you will do whatever it takes. Nothing wrong with that.
He has caught some incredible fish on a fly rod, or after what you just said, I thought it was a fly rod...?[  ].
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We use the exact same methods, the same spots and we've even tried new spots. The main thing that's different is that now the bows are usually 13-16inches where as before they were bigger. If it feels like a brick we can call that its a cut throat before seeing it. Who knows though, the lake could be changing as far as snails and other stuff they feed on. Maybe there's more food for them on the bottom or something. I've heard as they get bigger that its actually harder to catch fish because they've gotten smarter and they don't require as much food either because they aren't growing anymore.
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Fishing Lunatic don't take this the wrong way but I just have to ask how many times have you been to the berry in the last 2 years? I seriously doubt you have been there long enough to make a determination like that. There are guys that hit the berry for 15 years sometimes up to 3 to 4 times a week. I am flat out telling you they have the berry dialed and can get the fish you think disappeared.
Now in no way am I saying that comparatively they are getting into them 24/7 as there are up and down years, times of year, etc. but to claim it has never been the same since a specific year you fished it is false.
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[cool][#0000ff]In Kyle's defense I think the minnow hackles are for his other family members. He's a good boy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I started tying the "Copper Pat" jigs several years ago for Kyle and others who hit the Boulders a lot for the big brookies, tigers and cutts down there. Since then I have adapted most of the colors into lookalike fly patterns...mostly on size 4 and 6 hooks. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The copper is made with metallic copper chenille body, root beer marabou tail and is palmer wrapped with your choice of hackle...light brown, dark brown or?...The one in the pic below was wrapped with a brown dyed grizzly hackle. Looks darker in the pic than on the fly. And the root beer marabou usually turns darker when wet.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Browns and gingers have long been favorites on Strawberry and other waters. I have been doing well on Deer Creek with them for rainbows and other species.[/#0000ff]
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this year only two times counting this last trip. Last year probably 5 to 7 days in the summer and a couple days in the fall. We can't go 3 to 4 times a week like those guys ur mentioning but we've always gone pretty often up untill this year.
I'm just telling u guys the facts... if u don't wanna take my word, take my dads. He's almost 60 years old and has fished strawberry since the year it was made when there used to be 2 seperate dams.
Simply put, we get similar results catch wise now except the bows are significantly smaller. If u know any of these people personally tell them to post pictures of 24 inch rainbows they catch out of there...Heck, i'll even be impressed with 20 inches. They are a thing in the past.
It's hard to catch them now. Tube Dude said that there's more rainbows in there now then their used to be...the only possible ways we aren't catching as many big ones any more is that either there's so many of the 13-16 inchers that we can't get to the big ones OR like I suspect, the numbers are much scarcer.
I actually read fish stocking schedules and last year I read it and it said they put in close to 1,000 18 inch rainbows. I made a joke to my dad that now days the dwr has to plant 18 inch rainbows for them to actually be them in the lake.
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[quote TubeDude][cool][#0000ff]In Kyle's defense I think the minnow hackles are for his other family members. He's a good boy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I started tying the "Copper Pat" jigs several years ago for Kyle and others who hit the Boulders a lot for the big brookies, tigers and cutts down there. Since then I have adapted most of the colors into lookalike fly patterns...mostly on size 4 and 6 hooks. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The copper is made with metallic copper chenille body, root beer marabou tail and is palmer wrapped with your choice of hackle...light brown, dark brown or?...The one in the pic below was wrapped with a brown dyed grizzly hackle. Looks darker in the pic than on the fly. And the root beer marabou usually turns darker when wet.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Browns and gingers have long been favorites on Strawberry and other waters. I have been doing well on Deer Creek with them for rainbows and other species.[/#0000ff] [/quote]
A Copper Bugger...(Copper Pat) Nice! California Leech is a sort of Copper color as well and originally with a Rust colored tail, so I get that.
Same flies that work for me on DC do not work at Strawberry, however. They will catch fish but they are not the hot take.
I have no idea when you last fished Strawberry, but I wondered how this fly does there.
I can tell you as far as buggers, Herb Patterson's Painted Lady has been killing them for the past month.
The Crayfish are molting right now and turning the most beautiful shades of Orange, so that was one item I tried to duplicate. Worked very well.
The Pat fly is pretty close to Orange, could be the hot fly.
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[quote FishingLunatic]this year only two times counting this last trip. Last year probably 5 to 7 days in the summer and a couple days in the fall. We can't go 3 to 4 times a week like those guys ur mentioning but we've always gone pretty often up untill this year.
I'm just telling u guys the facts...
..................If u know any of these people personally tell them to post pictures of 24 inch rainbows they catch out of there...Heck, i'll even be impressed with 20 inches. They are a thing in the past.
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Ok 1st of all you and your dad are far from experts on the place. Sorry but do you guys have degrees in Biology, I sure don't but I don't make claims like what you are stating after fishing a place about 10 times a year if that.
The bolded material just proves that you are being VERY ignorant on the subject. I can assure you I know them well and that they are catching the fish you say don't exist anymore.
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[cool][#0000ff]I have tried a bunch of different variations...using slightly different body materials and different colors of marabou. Myself and a few other users seem to agree that the "root beer" color works best on most of these patterns. But there is a rusty orange that sometimes lights them up too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No, I don't fish the Berry as I used to. But I have secret agents who help me test new flavors there and they say good things about the copper. It has also shown good results in some other waters. Ditto for some white patterns. And black.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Being an accomplished fly tyer yourself I am sure you notice there are differences in the colors you buy. The same labeled feathers...from the same supplier...can be slightly different shades of color from one batch to the next. Not sure it makes that much difference to the fish but it sometimes does to finicky fly flingers.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In the long run I suspect that proper depth and presentation is more important than an exact color match.[/#0000ff]
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What ever man, I'm done talking about the topic. I'm not really sure why you're trying to make this into a debate/arguement. It almost sounds like your being defensive for anglers and keeping their catches or something along those lines. I'm telling you what myself as well as my dad and sometimes brothers and sisters have experienced.
Don't believe me? Then u can go drive down there and fish it yourself and prove me wrong. I could ask my dad for a whole history of the lake because he knows it all. It's been poisoned a few times because chub populations got out of control. He'd know the all the specifics about it. Untill about 2 years ago, I hadn't EVER been to deer creek because we always went past it to strawberry. U know why my dad finally caved in? Because at least rainbow wise we weren't doing any better than lakes like deer creek.
My dad is 59 years old and been fishing it practically his whole life. He knows more about the lake than u do or most of ur buddies do. People here can read what I say and take it how they want...I'm in no way discouraging any1 from going to strawberry i'm just saying if u wanna catch bigger bows there than other lakes, don't count on it.
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I haven't noticed change in colors but I stick with the same company for all feathers.
My favorites are always going to be Gartside Softhackles...these things work!
Fishing Lunatic, there are more Rainbows in certain areas and they are a lot of the 17" to 20" range. They will get bigger, and it will be awesome!!!!!
See you there!
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[quote FishingLunatic]...I'm in no way discouraging any1 from going to strawberry i'm just saying if u wanna catch bigger bows there than other lakes, don't count on it.[/quote]
Let me just say that I enjoyed fishing with you FishingLunatic....however I must respectfully disagree with you here.
You and your dad are no longer catching 20+ inch Rainbows at the berry.....ok.......but does that mean that there are zero big bows left in the lake? Absoutely not.
There are plenty of bows in the upper 20 inch class being caught....but by no means do I feel like name dropping some anglers on here.
My suggestion......try new tactics, new locations and new presentations. From what I gathered from fishing with you, there is much for you to learn in your future about the art of fishing. Seek out some "old man wisdom"......that sure turned my fishing world upside down and finally headed in the correct direction.
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I know MY old mans wisdom has helped me[ ] or maybe the other way around[:p]
I also think a lot of people mistake the big cutts for big rainbows.
I know you can tell the difference in the fight.
Plus maybe some will tell you about stellar days there but not about the not so stellar.
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"Desperation is a stinky cologne" - Super Troopers
I don't mind the argument of keeping fish or releasing fish this time but what I am trying to point out is that your belief is not fact. It is an opinion that is not based on anything other than you and your dads experience of 10 times a year. Sorry but is that an official data collection that the DNR uses? Are you conducting gill net surveys, creel surveys, and the other various things they use to determine what you are saying?......Nope you are not.
Go ahead and believe whatever it is you THINK you and your dad knows. At this point I say justify it to yourself and good luck on life. My buddies have proved you and your dad wrong for years. If your dad knew so much about strawberry then he would be catching the bows you claimed are non-existent.
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