Fishing Time: 8:30 am to 6:30 pm
Weather: Breezy, scattered rain showers, 60's
Moon Phase: Full Moon
Location: Strawberry Reservoir
Bait: White tube jig tipped with worm or minnow
Water Temp: 60 degrees
Who Went: John, JJ, Me
There’s nowhere like Strawberry Reservoir this time of year. The fall leaves are in full color and the fishing can be red hot as the lake turns over and the fish start moving to the surface to feed. This is what we experienced today as the Berry treated us very well.
Arrived at the visitor’s center around 7:30 am and stopped to observe the spawning kokanee salmon. They were there like clockwork and showing off their bright red spawning colors. Took a few photos before launching the boat at 8:30 am.
Started the day at the mouth of Mud Creek Bay where my buddy John had success the weekend before. John got off to a quick start landing 5 and JJ and I landed a couple.
Continued to move around looking for that special spot that would produce on every cast, but didn't find it all morning. We moved into the narrows and the hillsides were glowing yellow as the quakies have just turned.
Steadily caught fish throughout the day with John out fishing JJ and me 2 to 1. He had the hot hand for sure. I had a bright red spawning kokanee follow my white tube jig all the way to the boat about 5 times, but never could get him to take. I wanted a picture of him bad, but it wasn't to be. I caught a nice rainbow shortly after.
Late afternoon we moved to East Portal Bay near the marina and finally got on a good drift. I started landing them quick and closed the gap on John quickly to just a 2 fish lead, but he responded well and put it out of reach near the end of the day. Final fish totals were: John – 31, Me – 25, JJ – 21. None were over the 22-inch slot limit, but we did catch a few healthy 18 to 19-inch rainbows that put up a good fight!
The weather was good besides one quick hitting rain shower in the early afternoon. John toughed it out while JJ and I ducked for cover. It ended up being the difference in the ballgame as John caught 3-4 fish during that stretch. It was a great autumn day at the Berry and reminded me of why I love to fish up there. Hopefully I can squeeze in one more Strawberry outing before the ice begins to form.
