Strawberry, the good old days!

[KC5]

This was strawberry in its glory days! You think strawberry is a great place now, you should have been there when it was like this, so many great memories, so many friends, there were camps like this around the lake, families spent a lot of time together at the berry. Opening day was amazing, so many boats you could amost walk across the water on them, everyone enjoying the heck out of it.
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[joevanoni]

my earliest fishing memorys are of strewberry, It was the place I thought was fishing heaven, Fish so big I had to have dad help me reel them in couse they wanted to pull me in.
Then when wwe had our limits we went scavengerhunting along the shoremtomfind the lost treashures other fisher people had lost .And if you caught the first fish you got a tootsie role so big it lasted forever. It got so bad for me that if dad did not take me I wouldstandout by thee mailbox and be so MAD at him for not takeing me, But when he finally got home I wanted to know all about the trip and let him know DONT DO THAT AGAIN.I would find a bubble with strawberry water still in it and would treet it better than a favorite Christmas gift. Going to strawberry was the only thing I wanted to do.and I still think about fishing in general like that. I need to see some profeshanal help.
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[PIKEMAN99]

Those were the days. That almost looks like Clarks camp looking north. Correct me if I am wrong. I used to clean people's garbage out of the bottom of them boats for a quarter a boat. I used to pray that I would get 3 boats to clean a day. So I could buy an Ice cream sandwich, a can of hires root beer and a quarter to play the pin ball machine. Our cabin was over at the edge of mosquito bay. We tore down a set of duplex's and built a 1,000 square foot cabin. We thought we were living large. The old man worked at Geneva and had 13 weeks paid vacation and 3 weeks sick pay. I stayed there with him all summer long. Damn I miss that good old man. I sure wish we would of had pictures if you got any more I am anxious to see them. That's what everybody said. There were so many boats on opening day you could walk across them. Oh yeah the fish size. A Coleman cooler back then was 22 inches long. We would stack them in there like books. We ate a lot of fish. Thanks for sharing.
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[KC5]

Unless you lived through the berry at that time you will not understand, so many memories, watching the huge cuts try to getup the spillway. Catching tons of fish, BBQ them right in camp so we could catch some more, throwing a fly behind a bubble in the willows and watching a huge cut pound it. I'd go back any day!
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[joevanoni]

Over 55 years of good fishing memorys that thothing can compare to.I hope in heaven they have a vidioe of it.
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[Kent]

That picture brings back fond memories. Thanks for posting.
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[Bovineowner]

I am 46 and my first fishing memory was with may dad and Grand dad on Strawberry in a 14ft aluminum boat and an outboard motor. That old lake looked like the ocean to a little kid from the desert. Big old fish and so much fun! Those were sure fun days! Grand dad is gone now and my own dad is crowding 80. I will always have those memories that I will never forget and always cherish! Thanks for the reminder![]
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[SBennett]

Why were they "Good old days" one may ask?
You mentioned the reason in your post: 'Opening Day'!
In order to have an 'Opening Day', you must have a 'Closing Day'.
Strawberry will NEVER get back any where near it's glory days until we give the fish 'rest time' for a few months.
I don't know about the rest of you but I would gladly support a winter closure in order to taste again what we once had.
Anybody else with me?

P.s. Thanks for the awesome photo, I remember those camps vividly.
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[KC5]

A few more photos, I promise you the fish were just as big, we went to harvest fish to eat! And they never went to waste, and you know what there was always plenty to catch, a busy day on the berry today was a light day back then
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[Lundude]

that looks like charlies Camp!! What a great memory
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[lovetofish]

Thanks for posting the picture, it does bring back many memories.

My parents had a cabin at the old Clarks camp on the front row about eight cabins south of Clarks headquarters. I remember helping my dad put the dock in and out each spring and fall. The old outhouse in the back.

Back then before the first poisioning there were tons of perch and we would use bobbers to avoid catching them. We would look for what my dad called a feed line. Sometimes it would take a while to find what he was looking for but when we did find it we would knock them dead and were never bothered by perch.

In some ways it still fishes the same but it's not the same as before. Great times and memories back then. Both my parents have passed away and all the old cabins are gone now. But I have to agree it was better back then.
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[mtncat1]

I love the pics do you have an idea where they would be on the currant lake
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[brookieguy1]

People forget the brook trout. Lots of nice, delicious brook trout. If they were back, I would spend time there.
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[Fishrmn]

How 'bout a summer closure? There are more fish harvested during the summer. If you were to close Strawberry during June, July, and August there would be more fish left for people to catch during the other 9 months of the year.




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[OCF]

The photo with the concrete lined canal appears to me to be where Indian Creek use to dump into the reservoir. It was located south of Haws Point & just immediately north of where the reservoir opens up into the meadows. You can still see remnants of the submerged earthen dike that use to span the narrow pinch point on your fish finder. So the canal use to dump in just north of the dike.
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[Kent]

[quote SBennett]

You mentioned the reason in your post: 'Opening Day'!
In order to have an 'Opening Day', you must have a 'Closing Day'.
Strawberry will NEVER get back any where near it's glory days until we give the fish 'rest time' for a few months.
I don't know about the rest of you but I would gladly support a winter closure in order to taste again what we once had.
Anybody else with me?

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Not me.
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[Fowl-Hook]

Many thanks for refreshing those many memories with a few pictures. Those indeed were the good old days, it's not possible to covey how fantastic Strawberry was for those of us lucky enough to have been there. Opening day was something to behold! Charlies and Camp Strawberry reminded me of China Town, mostly shacks, helter skelter parking, launching from shore for the most part, hundred's or more wooden boats and corn flying by the handful. Everyone more than friendly kids and families everywhere,
Every shack occupied on weekends.

The Cutthroat hatchery that it is today will never compare with or without season dates!
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[mtncat1]

thanks for the info I frequent strawberry a lot but I am real foggy on where the old camps used to be, I was very young when I went there with my dad and am just triing to stir up some old memories do you know where the old camps were? thanks again.
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[kastmaster]

Funny how your description of the old camps as Chinatown kinda fits the Marina parking lot on the past Saturdays that I've been there (shacks, helter skelter parking, etc. ) except for the corn flying by the handful. You can also substitute the boats with ATVs and snowmobiles launching to their favorite spots

[PIKEMAN99]

Mtncat1 try to answer a little bit of it for you th the old strawberry camp was just south of the fish ladders by the big red Noal Clarks camp was between mosquito Bay and Mud Baythe Philips camp was on the north side of halls. So it would be straight across from where they're at now and Charlie's camp was around the corner from thishos point towards the dyke
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