Strawberry Predictably Fantastic!
As I have reported lately, Strawberry is not only coming on, it’s here with a vengeance. I was finally able to get out to the reservoir in the past week or so and found the fish in exactly the same areas in which I had hoped they would be. And, the fish were aggressive, large, and focused on finding and eating what was presented.
My companion for the day was Brian Platt, a local PA and friend. The following is recap of our day which you too (as long as you have a boat) can duplicate from now until the ramps ice over.
We launched my boat at just before 8:00 a.m. at the Strawberry Bay Marina. The air temperature was 26 degrees and we discovered not only us, but the fish also preferred sunny banks. We initially tried the backs of a couple of small coves only to find the fish hugging any shore that was basking in the early rays of the sun. Our first large cutthroat (23 inches) was in less than a foot of water and followed the lure like a shark until it overtook it from behind.
We decided that though the fishing was beginning to heat up with the air temperature, we needed to focus not on points, nor the backs of coves and bays, but instead midway between the two. And, that decision made our day.
We worked main lake shorelines several hundred yards away from points but moved towards the points while we fished. (Remember, we were using my electric trolling motor with a foot pedal controller to move along the shoreline.) In each of the areas two things had to be present for there to be active fish. One, Rocky banks were absolutely crucial. The trout were hiding around boulders and jagged rocks sticking out from the shore. Two, the shoreline had to have a gradual drop. We caught most of our fish in less than 10 feet of water.
Our lures were very typical for this time of year. Brian and I both threw large suspending jerkbaits in ghost shad and rainbow colors. We also fished with tube jigs (Gitzits) in white and green colors tipped with small pieces of night crawlers. We actually tried an experiment when passing by a very active school of large cutthroats that proved both fun and telling at the same time.
On our first pass we both caught fish on our jerkbaits yet had several others chase but not take our lures. On the second pass we went back to our tubes and caught more fish on the tube jigs making the same casts as just 20 minutes previous. This told us the fish were very active and continued to be active even on the second pass. Additionally, the large cutthroats were not focused exclusively on minnows, but rather would eat crawfish as well. So, a general “feed” was on and we stretched our good fortune to eight different parts of the reservoir before 1:00 p.m. when we left to go home.
When I asked Brian what he learned during our morning on Strawberry, he put it pretty well. “It was amazing to watch the fish follow and circle our lures before they struck,” he said. “At first, I couldn’t see the fish although you told me they were following. But then you had me watch one of your casts and I saw why you watch each cast from beginning to end. It was a lot of fun to see the fish hit our lures.”
It was a pleasure to spend time with Brian. He caught on quickly and began catching fish with very little help from me. Strawberry is truly a marvelous place to fish in the fall. The larger fish will move even shallower than they are right now as the water cools and bait fish move into the shallow grass.
Don’t put your boat away yet. Get out to Strawberry for some fantastic action!
About The Author
