Fall Fishing!
by Don Allphin
Oct 10, 2005
Fall is always a great time of year to catch fish no matter what species you pursue. Colder weather signals the fish that it’s time to store up, eat as much as possible before winter sets in. And, if the fishing reports I’ve gleaned over the past week are any indication, this particular fall fishing season should be one of the best we’ve seen in years.
As water levels increased this year in most of our reservoirs, fish seemed to lose contact with the shorelines. That is, they had plenty of cover and food off shore, spread out over wide areas. Now that temperatures have dropped and the first few fall storms have stirred up the water, the fish have finally found the shorelines again and with them, a plethora bait fish and other food.
Last week a couple of friends and I spent a day on Strawberry. The fishing was absolutely spectacular. “I’ve never seen so many big fish,” said Dave Bartholomew of Pleasant Grove, after we netted the first few giant fish.
He was right. The fish we caught averaged 23 inches, with several measuring several inches longer than that. On an average fall trip to Strawberry I’ll catch a few fish over 22 inches but the majority will average 17 to 19 inches in length. What’s more, the fish were roaming the banks looking for food, and finding plenty. The air was filled with the smell of fish oil from bait fish that had been attacked by the marauding cutthroats.
We targeted the backs of bays and the middle sections of points with Pointer Minnows and Rapalas that we retrieved three to five feet under the surface. The large trout aggressively chased our baits all over the lake. John Bartholomew, Dave’s brother and my other companion for the day learned just how aggressive the fish could be on a single cast.
Bartholomew threw his Pointer Minnow to the shore and almost immediately, a very large cutthroat exploded on his bait. He set the hook and for an instant we all glimpsed the huge fish. Then, inexplicably, the line went limp and the fish was gone. There on the end of his line was a partially digested 10-inch chub hooked in the tail by his lure. The cutthroat must have had the chub in its mouth yet still struck John’s presentation. John had pulled the bait right out of the fish’s mouth.
Don’t let the fall pass by without getting out to one of our local reservoirs to experience the incredible fishing.
About The Author
