I know many people have said that the slot limit is working and I agree. There seems to be more and more cutts at the Berry and the gill net surveys show that the 1-2 year old chub population is declining. This is all great news. But were are all the over the slot cutts hiding. Last year I ice fished Strawberry about 11 days and we caught a ton of fish, but 90% of them were between 17-19 inches with a few over 20''. All last ice season we landed 2 fish over the slot and they were only 22 1/2 inches. We landed one 23 incher this summer and so far this winter in 12 fishing trips to the Berry I have yet to see a fish over 22 inches landed by anyone I was fishing with. We are still catching 90% 17-19 inchers. It just doesn't seem like the fish are getting that much bigger....
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I have had a blast catching several hundred fish up there this winter and when you can consistantly catch fish that are 18-21 inches long what is there to complain about. I was just wondering why we are not seeing more fish over the slot limit. I would be curious to hear why you all think this is the case?
I am also curious how many of you have landed fish this winter over 22 inches at the Strawberry. I don't want to hear about any of the eye ball measurement kind (Ya, Vern thet won looks ta be bout 24 inchers thar nexed ta my size 10 boot, don'tcha thunk...) if you know what I mean. If you say that you put a tape measure on it I'll believe you...... (maybe even you petty[
])
Thanks for your replies!
Still searching for the Strawberry lunkers!
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I think that strawberry is going to remain consistant with these 17"-20" cutts being the most common fish in the mix. The larger ones will always remain the exception and not the rule. Any body of water has restrictions on what size the majority of the fish will acheive and I beleive Strawberry has reached this level.
Keep after 'em and just realize that when you do catch the 22"+ sized cutts it's really quite a trophy and appreciate the moment.
Good topic. I'd like to hear some conflicting opinions to mine and hopefully learn some things!
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i agree with you big cat. although skip the lurker iced those 2 27 inchers i have failed to hook back up on them. would like to get in one more trip prefubaly this weekend. when we was up there fishing last summer had my boat docked in marina for the weekend and was talking to a couple guys who were netting the shiners in the marina said they done really well on the big fish driffting when the wind blows.didnt ask them what they considered big. but i belive they know what they are doing . it is extremly hard to catch the larger cutts trolling because by the time they reach 7 8 pounds they have been caught and relesed a dozen times or more. hence they get way intelligent thats when you have to go to real fish food minnows.
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My opinion is that as soon as a cutt gets 22 and 1/16 inches long, too many fishermen keep the fish. With Strawberry receiving as much pressure as it does, it doesn't take much to seine out a lot of the barely keepable cutts. The same applies to the rainbows. They plant a large number of bows in the 'berry every year, but what percentage of the fish we catch are rainbows? Not many. Another possible factor is spawning mortality. The 19-22 inchers are spawners and run in the creeks come spring. Some of these fish die. Apparently, pelicans caused a big problem last year by eating the spawning cutts as they went upstream and when they were trying to come back to the lake post spawn.
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I think that doggonefishin is right. This summer I saw several cutts put into boats that were over the slot. But isn't that why we want them big? Now don't get me wrong. I have only iced one over 22" this year and it went right back, but there are a lot of folks that are fishing the Berry for the big fish that they CAN keep. If the DWR doesn't want them taken out' then they better raise the slot size. I would like to see all the cutts put back, but the regs. make keeping them legal so, we'll just have to live with it! That's my 2 cents worth.
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BIG FISH ARE ALWAYS WHERE YOU FIND THEM. THEY DONT SCHOOL AS MUTCH TOGETHER ONCE THEY GET THAT BIG 2 OR 3 TOGHER MOST TIMES. THE SLOT FISH SCHOOL MUTCH TIGHTER. HOW MANY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS EAT WITH THE STUDDENTS? NOT MANY.. TO TARGET THE LARGER FISH . FISH TIGHT TO WEED LINES AND THE BANK AT FIRST LIGHT AND LAST LIGHT OF YOUR DAY. THAT THERE DINNER TABLE. GOOD LUCK
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Also, rememer the adage: Big bait, big fish. If the bigger cutts are eating the one AND two year old chubs, they are eating stuff just a little bit bigger than a 1/16th ounce paddle bug or whatta cricket. If you are going to target the bigger fish, plan on some slow days. They might be hard to find, or tough to get to bite.
Fishrmn
What you say is certainly true, Big Cat. But I like what I'm seeing! Big fat rainbows and cutts, with the occasional XXL thrown in for good measure. I feel like if it's given a chance over the long term, there'll be some of those monsters we'd all like to hang into.
But if you read what the DWR keeps saying about all the citations still being written to bozos who won't abide by the regulations, those fish may never re-gain a stronghold on the chub population.
Personally, I just look at the 'Berry as the place to go when you want a chance at 20" fish. I'll do my keeping of trout for the skillet some place else. And in all honesty, I'd like to catch one of those 22+" cutts up there and just take a quick photo and then let him go too!
We're heading up this weekend ... Good fishin'!
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