Is ICE OUT at Strawberry Myth or Fact?

[Uintaman]

Curious, I have never really pursued Spring Ice Off. I have heard both sides. Need a fact check. Or I could just go fishing and see.

I really target October at the Berry, and it has served me well and with size on occasion.
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[joshmobile]

[left]Your asking the wrong question. You should be saying can you access any of the open water? You can fish the open water at Ladders which is out a few hundred feet. The other places that have open water you can't access without a snowmobile. Other than The Ladders, there isn't any spots that are easily accesible to fish yet. Should be a matter of days now though.
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[doggonefishin]

Not completely sure I understand your question. Are you asking if 1) ice is out right now at the Berry or 2) asking if the fishing is all that great when ice off occurs?

The answer to the first question is yes, there are places where you can fish from shore right now but not in all areas yet.

The answer IMO to the second is that ice out at Strawberry is the most overrated fishing event in the entire state in a given year. Those that know what they are doing catch fish, those that don't, don't and the anglers in the middle get a few, just like the rest of the year. My catch rates are almost always much higher on the last of the ice season just a few weeks before than what I hear from ice out anglers.
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[Bigguyone]

Strawberry marina launchable yet????
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[mtncat1]

[quote Bigguyone]Strawberry marina launchable yet????[/quote] no i saw a picture on face book it showed open water at mud creek
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[Lipnrip]

The drive to Starvation on 4/18/17 showed there was open water along many edges at Strawberry. Could be from water rising. There is plenty of water moving.
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[utwalleye]

You are just asking if the fishing is good at ice off. The one thing I have noticed over the 20+ years at ice off, Is that when the ice comes off real fast like in less then a week, the fishing isint very good. When the ice comes off real slow, like 2-3 weeks the fishing is really good.
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[irambleon]

I drove by yesterday and you could launch a boat on the soldier creek side if they ever cleared the snow off of the roads.
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[wormandbobber]

I am pretty sure that it is a fact that Strawberry undergoes an ice off period every spring. I can't imagine ice fishing up there in july, august, or september!
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[Old_Coot]

[quote doggonefishin]...Ice off at Strawberry is the most overrated fishing event in the entire state in a given year...[/quote]

+1
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[mtncat1]

then that would be a no on launching s/c
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[Kent]

[quote doggonefishin]

The answer IMO to the second is that ice out at Strawberry is the most overrated fishing event in the entire state in a given year.

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I have fished ice off a handful of times. One year I did great (timed it just right) and the other few times I have done poorly. There is a narrow window when the catching can be fantastic and timing that narrow window is extremely difficult.
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[Chuuk]

I agree that the event has gotten a bit overrated. I think the fact that a very popular fishery starts to open up and start the spring/summer fishing season is a reason people get excited. But also like Kent said, if you time it just right, it can be amazing and keep you coming back for years in hope of striking it just right again. I had a very memorable trip about 7 years ago and I spend each spring chasing that same type of success. Overrated or not, it is still fun to get out in the tube or boat in late April and chase big fish after a long winter.
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