I went to Strawberry early on the 29th to chicken creek East. It was very slow for us. We averaged about 1 fish an hour, On just about every jig I know. Ice flies, Foxie jigs, buggers all tipped with either wax worms or chup.
I'm bringing a scout group up in a few weeks and want to know if anyone has any suggestions that would hopefully get these boys some action.
Also I've been told that the best way to fish the berry is with a minnow. I am completely clueless on how to rig one up for Ice fishing any clues would be great.
Thanks
Bryan
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First off, welcome to the boards. [
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Sorry the fishing was so slow for you the other day.
My recommendation to catch numbers of fish is... stay away from the crowds. You can go to CCE and do well, but walk for a little while, and get away from everyone. Ladders, CCW, and Soldier Creek are other good spots to check out. I normally fish somewhat shallow early in the morning (15-20') and then move deeper as the day goes on. (30-40') Move around til you get into some fish. Sonar is extremely helpful is you have it.
Minnows can be very productive up at the Berry. I normally use red side shiners on a 2 or 3" tube jig. I usually cut them in half. These can be purchased at the Sinclair in Heber. When I was there last week, minnows were best, but we also scored fish on meal worms. Make sure to take both.
Lastly, sometimes the fish up there can be very aggressive, and won't touch your jig until you move it around a little, and sometimes just the opposite. Have people in your group try different methods (jigging, dead sticking, etc) until you figure it out.
I hope you guys get into some fish up there. Let us know how you did. [
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That sounds great I really appreciate the help. One last questions is do you usually use any flasher or attractor above your tube jig? I will definitely be posting any fishing I do I love this site.
Bryan
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I wouldnt use any kind of flasher or attractor above the jig. The bite can be so lite sometimes that you could have fish hitting your jig but you would know because of the slack line between the attractor and the jig. Just my two cents.
I agree with crestliner. I rarely use a flasher above my jig at Berry. But like I was saying before, sometimes you gotta switch things up, so if it slows down you may want to go to some smaller jigs or ice flies. In that event, flashers would be a good idea because they help get th smaller stuff down. [
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And I also forgot to mention... glow, white, pearl, and rainbow trout colors have worked best for me. Chartreuse can also be deadly.
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Frozenover and I did very well there at CCE on Thursday. Both of us always use a kastmaster 12" to 18" above the jig. I did try one jig without the attractor and didn't get a bite.
For a time each time I would jig the bait up and down, the screen would fill with activity.
Color didn't really seem to matter that much, but getting out away from everyone else did seem to help.
Good luck, let us know how you do.
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Thanks for all the help and answers I will be reporting how we do.
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First and foremost...I love scouting! Just got beaded for my wood badge last month. I'd help scout any way I can.
Try the Soldier Creek area, it seems to be less walking and less people than CCE or Ladders. Park at the dam turnoff and that first bay area is good, along with the other one by the restroom area.
I use a medium heavy tube jig in white or glow colors. This last trip I used wax worms (which did well) and those preserved minnows (in the refrigerator at sportsman warehouse)...I used the small size. The fish really went wild on them. You could also use the frozen minnows (from the minnow man), but I'd cut them up and slap them on the jig.
To use the minnows, I'd just hook them under the head, going straight through the top of the head so when you held your line out, the fish would be upright. Lastly, and I believe most importantly, douse your hook and jig with "smelly jelly". I've always outfished people right next to me who didn't use it.
Hope this helps...anything else, you can PM me.
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