Fishing Strawberry

[PACKFAN]

I havent fished kokanee in strawberry since before COVID, Im planning on spending next week at Starvation and would like to try the Soldier creek side for Kokes. I havent noticed any posts about the fishing there. Does anyone have any info on what the Kokanee fishing has been there? Thanks

[brookie]

Haven't fished the SC side for more than a month, however fished the Strawberry side yesterday as the Jordanelle wakeboard event decided my fishing location. Not a lot of boats out for a Friday. Found an active school of fish on the lvs right in the middle between bear paw and the dry storage facility. Ended up with my 4 and off before 10:00. I was out in that spot by myself until Kokanee Krew (Corey) tolled past with around 10 boats following him - they were not even discrete - looked like a parade - all we needed was pretty girls throwing candy. Found myself in the middle of boats, just let them pass and went back to fishing ?. They didn't have any candy. The fish were pretty deep, 35 to 43' is where I caught them. Surface was 65*.

[wiperhunter2]

Haven't fished the SC side for more than a month, however fished the Strawberry side yesterday as the Jordanelle wakeboard event decided my fishing location. Not a lot of boats out for a Friday. Found an active school of fish on the lvs right in the middle between bear paw and the dry storage facility. Ended up with my 4 and off before 10:00. I was out in that spot by myself until Kokanee Krew (Corey) tolled past with around 10 boats following him - they were not even discrete - looked like a parade - all we needed was pretty girls throwing candy. Found myself in the middle of boats, just let them pass and went back to fishing ?. They didn't have any candy. The fish were pretty deep, 35 to 43' is where I caught them. Surface was 65*.

Nice report, John, any size to the kokes you caught?

[PACKFAN]

Haven't fished the SC side for more than a month, however fished the Strawberry side yesterday as the Jordanelle wakeboard event decided my fishing location. Not a lot of boats out for a Friday. Found an active school of fish on the lvs right in the middle between bear paw and the dry storage facility. Ended up with my 4 and off before 10:00. I was out in that spot by myself until Kokanee Krew (Corey) tolled past with around 10 boats following him - they were not even discrete - looked like a parade - all we needed was pretty girls throwing candy. Found myself in the middle of boats, just let them pass and went back to fishing ?. They didn't have any candy. The fish were pretty deep, 35 to 43' is where I caught them. Surface was 65*.

Thanks, I would like to give it a try next week one day.

[brookie]

Haven't fished the SC side for more than a month, however fished the Strawberry side yesterday as the Jordanelle wakeboard event decided my fishing location. Not a lot of boats out for a Friday. Found an active school of fish on the lvs right in the middle between bear paw and the dry storage facility. Ended up with my 4 and off before 10:00. I was out in that spot by myself until Kokanee Krew (Corey) tolled past with around 10 boats following him - they were not even discrete - looked like a parade - all we needed was pretty girls throwing candy. Found myself in the middle of boats, just let them pass and went back to fishing ?. They didn't have any candy. The fish were pretty deep, 35 to 43' is where I caught them. Surface was 65*.

Nice report, John, any size to the kokes you caught?

They were not the size from days gone by. A couple 16", a 17" and a smaller one. I wasn't excited by the size. I will be on Jordanelle Monday with some family friends.

[wiperhunter2]

Haven't fished the SC side for more than a month, however fished the Strawberry side yesterday as the Jordanelle wakeboard event decided my fishing location. Not a lot of boats out for a Friday. Found an active school of fish on the lvs right in the middle between bear paw and the dry storage facility. Ended up with my 4 and off before 10:00. I was out in that spot by myself until Kokanee Krew (Corey) tolled past with around 10 boats following him - they were not even discrete - looked like a parade - all we needed was pretty girls throwing candy. Found myself in the middle of boats, just let them pass and went back to fishing ?. They didn't have any candy. The fish were pretty deep, 35 to 43' is where I caught them. Surface was 65*.

Nice report, John, any size to the kokes you caught?

They were not the size from days gone by. A couple 16", a 17" and a smaller one. I wasn't excited by the size. I will be on Jordanelle Monday with some family friends.

I would guess in the next month or so we will start seeing more of those bigger kokes, at least I hope so. Good luck tomorrow.

[Redrebel]

Haven't fished the SC side for more than a month, however fished the Strawberry side yesterday as the Jordanelle wakeboard event decided my fishing location. Not a lot of boats out for a Friday. Found an active school of fish on the lvs right in the middle between bear paw and the dry storage facility. Ended up with my 4 and off before 10:00. I was out in that spot by myself until Kokanee Krew (Corey) tolled past with around 10 boats following him - they were not even discrete - looked like a parade - all we needed was pretty girls throwing candy. Found myself in the middle of boats, just let them pass and went back to fishing ?. They didn't have any candy. The fish were pretty deep, 35 to 43' is where I caught them. Surface was 65*.

Nice report, John, any size to the kokes you caught?

They were not the size from days gone by. A couple 16", a 17" and a smaller one. I wasn't excited by the size. I will be on Jordanelle Monday with some family friends.

I was there last Monday. Most of my kokes were in the 19 inch class and pushing 3 pounds. I think there’s some bigger kokes under the smaller ones at strawberry. I did lose a bearing on my way home and ended up costing me a spindle. Hesitant to go out with my new axle, but I have to just go for it.

[liketrolling]

Haven't fished the SC side for more than a month, however fished the Strawberry side yesterday as the Jordanelle wakeboard event decided my fishing location. Not a lot of boats out for a Friday. Found an active school of fish on the lvs right in the middle between bear paw and the dry storage facility. Ended up with my 4 and off before 10:00. I was out in that spot by myself until Kokanee Krew (Corey) tolled past with around 10 boats following him - they were not even discrete - looked like a parade - all we needed was pretty girls throwing candy. Found myself in the middle of boats, just let them pass and went back to fishing ?. They didn't have any candy. The fish were pretty deep, 35 to 43' is where I caught them. Surface was 65*.

Nice report, John, any size to the kokes you caught?

They were not the size from days gone by. A couple 16", a 17" and a smaller one. I wasn't excited by the size. I will be on Jordanelle Monday with some family friends.

I was there last Monday. Most of my kokes were in the 19 inch class and pushing 3 pounds. I think there’s some bigger kokes under the smaller ones at strawberry. I did lose a bearing on my way home and ended up costing me a spindle. Hesitant to go out with my new axle, but I have to just go for it.

if some one put on your axle you better check the bearings a shop put on a new axle on for me and did not have the nut on right  it went out at Flaming gorge had to go to green river to buy a bearing so we could get the boat to the water. had to rent a slip for the boat so I could go back to Salt lake to get a new axle.   keep checking your hubs make sure they are not getting to hot.   that will tell you if something is wrong

[Redrebel]

Haven't fished the SC side for more than a month, however fished the Strawberry side yesterday as the Jordanelle wakeboard event decided my fishing location. Not a lot of boats out for a Friday. Found an active school of fish on the lvs right in the middle between bear paw and the dry storage facility. Ended up with my 4 and off before 10:00. I was out in that spot by myself until Kokanee Krew (Corey) tolled past with around 10 boats following him - they were not even discrete - looked like a parade - all we needed was pretty girls throwing candy. Found myself in the middle of boats, just let them pass and went back to fishing ?. They didn't have any candy. The fish were pretty deep, 35 to 43' is where I caught them. Surface was 65*.

Nice report, John, any size to the kokes you caught?

They were not the size from days gone by. A couple 16", a 17" and a smaller one. I wasn't excited by the size. I will be on Jordanelle Monday with some family friends.

I was there last Monday. Most of my kokes were in the 19 inch class and pushing 3 pounds. I think there’s some bigger kokes under the smaller ones at strawberry. I did lose a bearing on my way home and ended up costing me a spindle. Hesitant to go out with my new axle, but I have to just go for it.

if some one put on your axle you better check the bearings a shop put on a new axle on for me and did not have the nut on right  it went out at Flaming gorge had to go to green river to buy a bearing so we could get the boat to the water. had to rent a slip for the boat so I could go back to Salt lake to get a new axle.   keep checking your hubs make sure they are not getting to hot.   that will tell you if something is wrong

I appreciate your tips, sir. I am kind of a maintenance fanatic and I check my hubs frequently. I had the bearings on my bench to change when I did my Midsummer oil change, which I just got finished with. I personally feel that the bearing failure was because of Parleys. The Rear bearing was completely snapped. The trailer fabrication shop that did it for me. Welded on two new spindles with hubs attached already. I will be keeping an eye on everything a little bit closer now and keeping a spare Hub and components from here on out. Hoping to go to strawberry or Jordanelle to try it out within the next day or two. Having the Boat for three years and this is my first big mechanical failure. I can’t complain too much. I do have to give a shout out to Metalcraft trailers because he helped me get it patched up and off the side of the road as quick as I could. That day on the water was fantastic though. Tail dancing and airborne activity with each fish! Who did your repairs in salt lake?

[Paddler]

Nice report, John, any size to the kokes you caught?

They were not the size from days gone by. A couple 16", a 17" and a smaller one. I wasn't excited by the size. I will be on Jordanelle Monday with some family friends.

I was there last Monday. Most of my kokes were in the 19 inch class and pushing 3 pounds. I think there’s some bigger kokes under the smaller ones at strawberry. I did lose a bearing on my way home and ended up costing me a spindle. Hesitant to go out with my new axle, but I have to just go for it.

if some one put on your axle you better check the bearings a shop put on a new axle on for me and did not have the nut on right  it went out at Flaming gorge had to go to green river to buy a bearing so we could get the boat to the water. had to rent a slip for the boat so I could go back to Salt lake to get a new axle.   keep checking your hubs make sure they are not getting to hot.   that will tell you if something is wrong

I appreciate your tips, sir. I am kind of a maintenance fanatic and I check my hubs frequently. I had the bearings on my bench to change when I did my Midsummer oil change, which I just got finished with. I personally feel that the bearing failure was because of Parleys. The Rear bearing was completely snapped. The trailer fabrication shop that did it for me. Welded on two new spindles with hubs attached already. I will be keeping an eye on everything a little bit closer now and keeping a spare Hub and components from here on out. Hoping to go to strawberry or Jordanelle to try it out within the next day or two. Having the Boat for three years and this is my first big mechanical failure. I can’t complain too much. I do have to give a shout out to Metalcraft trailers because he helped me get it patched up and off the side of the road as quick as I could. That day on the water was fantastic though. Tail dancing and airborne activity with each fish! Who did your repairs in salt lake?

I had a Metal Craft trailer for my Alumacraft.  One hub always had grease contamination.  I finally tracked it down to a small piece of welding slage on the spindle right where the inner seal was.  I filed it down flush and problem solved.

Do they offer oil bath hubs?

[Redrebel]

They were not the size from days gone by. A couple 16", a 17" and a smaller one. I wasn't excited by the size. I will be on Jordanelle Monday with some family friends.

I was there last Monday. Most of my kokes were in the 19 inch class and pushing 3 pounds. I think there’s some bigger kokes under the smaller ones at strawberry. I did lose a bearing on my way home and ended up costing me a spindle. Hesitant to go out with my new axle, but I have to just go for it.

if some one put on your axle you better check the bearings a shop put on a new axle on for me and did not have the nut on right  it went out at Flaming gorge had to go to green river to buy a bearing so we could get the boat to the water. had to rent a slip for the boat so I could go back to Salt lake to get a new axle.   keep checking your hubs make sure they are not getting to hot.   that will tell you if something is wrong

I appreciate your tips, sir. I am kind of a maintenance fanatic and I check my hubs frequently. I had the bearings on my bench to change when I did my Midsummer oil change, which I just got finished with. I personally feel that the bearing failure was because of Parleys. The Rear bearing was completely snapped. The trailer fabrication shop that did it for me. Welded on two new spindles with hubs attached already. I will be keeping an eye on everything a little bit closer now and keeping a spare Hub and components from here on out. Hoping to go to strawberry or Jordanelle to try it out within the next day or two. Having the Boat for three years and this is my first big mechanical failure. I can’t complain too much. I do have to give a shout out to Metalcraft trailers because he helped me get it patched up and off the side of the road as quick as I could. That day on the water was fantastic though. Tail dancing and airborne activity with each fish! Who did your repairs in salt lake?

I had a Metal Craft trailer for my Alumacraft.  One hub always had grease contamination.  I finally tracked it down to a small piece of welding slage on the spindle right where the inner seal was.  I filed it down flush and problem solved.

Do they offer oil bath hubs?

I don’t have a ton of experience with oil bath hubs. My only fear with them is with all the expansion and contraction with heating up and dropping the trailer in the water that if a failure does happen a greased hub allows for a little bit of time which is exactly what happened in my situation. I was able to pull apart the hub right on the side of the road and it wasn’t even hot. I could be incorrect and I am inexperienced in this area but on an oil bath you’re going to have a quicker extreme failure versus a breakdown if the oil seal fails? I’m interested in what other fisherman’s routines that pull a boat? What do you do to inspect before launching and after retrieving? Carry a spare hub?

[Bduck]

On previous boat trailer (singe axle) I had to eventually replace the axle after throwing bearings. The Gorge trip claimed 2 separate occasions of bearings. The new axle had a grease channel going thru spindle to inner bearing. After new axle install, I never had any more issues with bearings, also, this newer axle eliminated the use of bearing buddy's. On my next boat trailer (tandem axles) I had to replace all 4 bearings since it was used previously in salt water. I found that there was a replacement inner hub seal that compensates for a groove worn in on spindle from old seal. Since using upgrade seal no issues with moisture penetration. But now I'm back to bearing buddy's with this trailer. When installing bearing buddy's, I would then tap buddy to almost seat position, then apply a small bead of RTV and continue to seat buddy. Probably an overkill for additional sealing since there is possible penetration at grease fitting but it works for me. 


Found this business in Rocksprings
They carry axles & bearings which I 
had to use. There are locations throughout
this region including SLC

[dubob]

I don’t have a ton of experience with oil bath hubs. My only fear with them is with all the expansion and contraction with heating up and dropping the trailer in the water that if a failure does happen a greased hub allows for a little bit of time which is exactly what happened in my situation. I was able to pull apart the hub right on the side of the road and it wasn’t even hot. I could be incorrect and I am inexperienced in this area but on an oil bath you’re going to have a quicker extreme failure versus a breakdown if the oil seal fails? I’m interested in what other fisherman’s routines that pull a boat? What do you do to inspect before launching and after retrieving? Carry a spare hub?

I have an 18.5 foot Thunderjet on a single axel EZ-Loader trailer with oil bath hubs.  I've been hauling it back and forth from Weber County to Flaming Gorge since 2017 when I bought it new.  The clear window on both hubs shows both to be 2/3rds full.  There is no sign of leakage on either hub and I've never had a failure.  Your experience may be different.  If you go with greased hubs, MAKE SURE you clean and repack them every year just before you store it for the winter.  I used TJ Trailers in Ogden for this service on my previous boat trailer.  If you go with oil bath, just check them for leaks on a regular basis.

[Redrebel]

Sorry to hijack the post PACFAN I do appreciate the advice. To get the thread back on track…. I fished strawberry today. Axle didn’t fall off and I made it home. Fish weren’t too acrobatic today but I’m gonna have to take a day or two off. Lots of fish to the boat and constantly setting up lines. 8 cuts and a Koke just in the first pass. That continued for a couple hours. Steady fish until I pulled lines at 1.

[MrShane]

Also running a 1850 boat, but a fiberglass Ranger, on a single axle with bearings lubed via oil bath.
I bought boat new in 2016, logged many local trips plus yearly multiple trips to the Gorge, Idaho, and the hot temps/roads to Powell.
Zero failures.
Other than jacking them up each spring and giving them a spin while listening for abnormal noise and feeling for abnormal movements, they have recieved zero maintenance.
And mine have a solid metal cap, not a sight window.
Other than a walk-around inspection before trips, they will not need any further maintenance until an oil seep is noticed.
100% confidence to drag that rig anywhere.

[Paddler]

Also running a 1850 boat, but a fiberglass Ranger, on a single axle with bearings lubed via oil bath.
I bought boat new in 2016, logged many local trips plus yearly multiple trips to the Gorge, Idaho, and the hot temps/roads to Powell.
Zero failures.
Other than jacking them up each spring and giving them a spin while listening for abnormal noise and feeling for abnormal movements, they have recieved zero maintenance.
And mine have a solid metal cap, not a sight window.
Other than a walk-around inspection before trips, they will not need any further maintenance until an oil seep is noticed.
100% confidence to drag that rig anywhere.

The original caps on my EZ Loader were plastic.  They look vulnerable to damage but I guess they're not, otherwise EZ Loader wouldn't use them.  I replaced them with aluminum ones with a sight glass.  My annual maintenance consists of a glance at the sight glass.  If the oil level is good and the oil is clear and not milky, you're good to go.  

You might think about swapping out your caps to the sight glass type, that would save you the trouble of jacking up your wheels and spinning them, which doesn't tell you what the oil looks like anyway.

Hard to argue with 40,000+ miles of maintenance-free service, plus salt water use.

[MrShane]

Also running a 1850 boat, but a fiberglass Ranger, on a single axle with bearings lubed via oil bath.
I bought boat new in 2016, logged many local trips plus yearly multiple trips to the Gorge, Idaho, and the hot temps/roads to Powell.
Zero failures.
Other than jacking them up each spring and giving them a spin while listening for abnormal noise and feeling for abnormal movements, they have recieved zero maintenance.
And mine have a solid metal cap, not a sight window.
Other than a walk-around inspection before trips, they will not need any further maintenance until an oil seep is noticed.
100% confidence to drag that rig anywhere.

The original caps on my EZ Loader were plastic.  They look vulnerable to damage but I guess they're not, otherwise EZ Loader wouldn't use them.  I replaced them with aluminum ones with a sight glass.  My annual maintenance consists of a glance at the sight glass.  If the oil level is good and the oil is clear and not milky, you're good to go.  

You might think about swapping out your caps to the sight glass type, that would save you the trouble of jacking up your wheels and spinning them, which doesn't tell you what the oil looks like anyway.

Hard to argue with 40,000+ miles of maintenance-free service, plus salt water use.

Agreed, I will need to look in to the aluminum/sight window glass.
My hubs are not EZ Lube, I will have to investigate the options.
The biggest reason for jacking up/spinning wheel at beginning of season is mostly to see if run-out is changing from season to season.
Also see if any ‘noise’ is detected.

[dubob]

My hubs are not EZ Lube, I will have to investigate the options.

Shane, My 2017 EZ Loader trailer came with a metal cap & sight window.  I doubt you will have any trouble finding a replacement with sight window direct from EZ Loader or from Amazon (yes, Amazon carrys them).  ?

[Paddler]

My hubs are not EZ Lube, I will have to investigate the options.

Shane, My 2017 EZ Loader trailer came with a metal cap & sight window.  I doubt you will have any trouble finding a replacement with sight window direct from EZ Loader or from Amazon (yes, Amazon carrys them).  ?

I bought my trailer in 2005.  I wish it had come with aluminum caps initially, would have saved me a few bucks.