Fishing Forum

Dang,

When I bought my boat last year, I thought I'd get to fish sometime... I guess Strawberry is still frozen..

Any guesses when as to when it will melt?? Are we looking at May, or do you think sometime in April it will be ready.

Also, from all you experienced folks, what works best in the spring for fishing on the Berry ??

Last fall I was having a very relaxing time trolling and had a lot of success jigging as well.

Seems like the fish I caught all liked it when I put Chub meat on my white jigs. Night Crawlers worked, but not nearly as good as chub meat.

Also, is there a quick/easy way to catch a bunch of chubs to use for bait ?? I usually just bought them from SportsMans frozen, but I'm guessing that it's not too hard to catch some minnows somewhere if you know what you're doing.. Do Minnow Traps work very well ? And wat do you bait them with, or do you just stick-em in the water and let them fill up with chubs ??

So if you have any news about Strawberry conditions, any prophecies about when it will thaw, or any advice about fishing Strawberry in the spring, I would LOVE to hear from you.

Also, looks like a few people are going up to East Canyon with their boats!! Is the road from I-80 to East Canyon open yet? I seem to recall that it was closed last year at this time.

Is Jordanelle thawed enough to take a boat out and get it started for the first time in the season?

Is willard all thawed yet. Sounded like somebody had a fun time about 3 weeks ago playing Titanic.. Is it safe out there yet?? I've never tried caching walleys, but I hear they might almost be as fun as trout. Probably not, but heck, I'll try anything once...

(by the way, that was a tease intentionally intended to rile some avid walley fishermen into some serious rebuttles.. [cool] )

Thanks a bunch,
Curtis
aka: luvthemcutts
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A friend went snowmobiling this weekend and said it was still frozen solid, with alot of snow on top of the ice. Starvation open as well as some other lakes
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Mabey by the end of April,early May.Just need it to warm up.
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You can catch chubs with a piece of worm right off the docks. They are the bigger ones and are easy to fillet into chub strips. Works good and kills the breeder chub. I have had a hard time catching them in my trap there. They are kind of smart. I would buy one pack of frozens and try to catch some big ones while youre there. I cant wait for soft water either but its not looking good right now. I say April 29th it will start up pulling back. It seems like it was around may 10th.
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I got a little spoiled for a few years getting early and mid-April open water at the Berry, but first week of May is historically a more accurate time. Significantly earlier than that is out of the ordinary. And with the "spring" weather we've had, this year is not going to be out of the ordinary.

Once the ice comes off you can go over to Mud Creek and catch a butt load of adult chubs. I catch them on buggers over there all the time stalking the cutts. Catch one, cut it up, and fish with that meat.

About this time every year I get the Berry bug big time. And that's no good as it is still another month away. Last I heard was 20+ inches of ice with a lot of snow on top. Another month unless we go to 75 degrees here for the next 2 weeks.
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Try June maybe, depending on the weather
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You can use the Search feature above to find out when Strawberry has been ice free for the last 6 or 7 years. Just type in Strawberry, select the Utah forum then hit search. Look for dates that are around the end of April or the first of May and you will find out when the ice has gone off all the way back to 2002.
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I'll check my fishing log tonight and give you dates for the last few years when I get home tonight. My guess is it will be similar to last year....second week of May or there abouts.
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That would be great, I know a lot of guys keep logs like that. From what I remember it seems to me it is usually the middle of May plus or minus a week or two.
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I didn't start keeping a log until 2004, so that as far back as I can go. But here are the dates every year.

2004: April 14- Most bays open and patches of the edges around the lake open. Ice shifted around the edges as day progressed allowing more open water, but still most of lake covered.

2005: May 2- Only a little bit of water open along certain edges. Very little of bays open. Ladders and where Strawberry River comes in are only places to fish really. Minimal open water in other bays. Little fishing opportunities.

2006: May 1- Ladders and small portions of main bays open.

2007: April 14: Decent amount of open water. Most edges had pulled back 25-30 feet by end of day. Most bays wide open to 100-150 feet as day progressed, but main lake still frozen.

2008: Went up on May 9 in a "scouting expedition" A small open portion at the Ladders, small portions of main bays open, but very little fishing opportunity. Went back up May 17 and lake completely ice free.

There you have it gents. So it has varied from April 14 to Mid May. I'm guessing this year will be more like last year than any other year. 2nd week of May...put it in stone!
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Even on those years when the ice pulled away from the shore early, it sounds like it would have been a week or or so until the lake was totally ice free. I'd say the dates when the ice will be pulling off this year will be very close to what your thinking. Unless another big winter storm comes in[:/], lets hope the worse is over. WH2
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[quote wiperhunter2]Even on those years when the ice pulled away from the shore early, it sounds like it would have been a week or or so until the lake was totally ice free. [/quote]

Generally speaking, my experience is that when the ice is free around all the edges, you have 2-3 days until the ice is all gone. And if it warm and windy (which the Berry frequently is in May) it can all come off in 1-2 days. Once it breaks free, it comes off fast.
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Coming back from Starvation today the Berry looked awful cold, frozen and no sign of edges. Sorry. In fact it made me think of hitting it through the ice some time soon. Caught 3 nice fat Brownies, 17 up to 20 on Starvation. Fished till noon then the big blow came up and we took off for home. The water temp. was 40 degrees. Pretty cold for the fish still. It was cool to see and hear the loons. Didn't see anything on the finder. Took some pictures but didn't get a chance to transfer from camera. The Browns are sure fat this year, I think they love the perchies. [fishin]
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