Not the Usual Fall Trip at "Da Berry"

Fishing Time: 8:30 to 1:30 PM

Weather:  Partly cloudy, breezy, T-50s

Moon Phase:  1% Moon

Location: Strawberry Reservoir

Water Temp:  50-52 degrees

Best Bait:  White tube jig (1/4 oz) tipped with worm

Who Went:  Bobber John, Devin, Dayton, Dunc

I had the opportunity to take my boys up to Strawberry Reservoir for some fishing from the boat this weekend.  Bobber John tagged along, but the jury is out whether he will do another kids trip again.  We shall see. 

October is usually red hot fishing up at Strawberry, and my hope was to get my boys into some non-stop action.  I should know by now that over confidence in fishing usually ends up with me eating a big slice of humble pie! 

We tried all my usual haunts with very limited success.  We never did find a good group of fish to sit on.  Usually by late October it seems like you can’t move without finding fish, but not so on this trip. 

That’s fine.  I got to watch each one of my boys catch a fish all by themselves, from hook set all the way to the net.  The weather was beautiful and the scenery like always up there in the fall, was unbelievable. 

I was especially proud to see Dayton (5 years old) catch a fish all on his own.  Devin (7 years old) is already a pro, but little Dayton saw his bobber start to go down and he was all over it.  We were screaming at him “reel it in, reel it in”!  He did and had the fish on for a few seconds, but then it came off.  As he was reeling in his tube jig I noticed the fish was still following it to the boat.  I told him to stop reeling and when he did the 20-inch cutthroat kept on coming and inhaled his bait.  We all started screaming again, “REEL”!  This time the fish held on and little Dayt had his first ever cutthroat trout in the boat.  Getting him to hold the fish however, was not as easy, but big brother Dev was more than happy to help out…

Not long after Dayton landed his fish it was Devin's turn.  He made a cast out towards the shoreline and had what we like to call instant action, where the bait hits the water and immediately it's fish on. Dev did a great job with the hook set and reel in.  Proud moment for his old man.

It wasn’t the fall fishing at the Berry that I’m used to, but getting the boys outdoors made the trip a success.  Devin, who is usually terrorizing his little brother all day when we are at home, asked me “Dad can Dayton come with us all the time, it was fun to have him here.”  It looks like little Dayton has earned his spot on the team.