Went up to the Berry yesterday to do some jigging. Kentofins and Old Coot have been helping me with methods and know how.
We started at 7:30 east of Renegade and started catching with pointers and jigs right away. Not fast, but not bad. We threw to shore and scored some nice fish. Later in the morning we moved out to 25 feet and started jigging for the fish. We caught 23 fish by noon. Not great, but not bad either. Where else can you go and catch trophy fish like that in those numbers?
There were two guys just south of us that we catching them as fast as the jig got down. Must have been in the honey hole. One guy used two poles, one with white tube, the other with a light green. He had constant action. We tried to move over by him to investigate, but the wind kicked out tails and we had to move out.
Great Day! Thanks to all who share and help those of us out there that are still new to jigging. I can't wait to get up there with my toon boat and fly fish on Friday.
Here is a typical 20 inch fish at the berry. Very healthy.
[signature]
Jared, sounds like you had a good day. Those two guys are fellow BFT members. One of them was fishing with me on Saturday. Good luck on Friday I may be up there on Saturday.
[signature]
Very nice....that is what I am talking about. I HAVE GOT to get up there one more time. Renegade is my choice, but lately, been doing really go at Bryants.
Thanks for the report. I look forward to them Chinook.
[signature]
And there was another boat full of BFT folks fishing the same area. You should have had a BFT official outing.
[signature]
How do you get your kick boat in at Bryants? Or is that just East portal and you cruise to the North?
I went to East Portal a month ago and could not find the fish. Went there to save money, like you, and I have done well there in the past. I was on my kick boat and I went South East, I went North along the shore toward Bryants and could not find the little buggers. Maybe I need to try it again.
A week ago I went to Renegade and started going south east along the shore and got into the bay just east of the ramp and did well on black buggers and a olive crystal. That is why I was thinking of going back there.
Thanks for the support you give BFT
[signature]
You know, I wondered if they might be BFT'ers. I should have asked. The guy I went with was ticking me off because he wanted to get close to them and we could not hold his boat. His anchor was too light. Do you know who it was. I need to apologize for my buddy. He could not get over how many fish they were catching.
Again, thanks for help. I need to find a fellow BFT guy to go with on a boat that is rigged for fishing.
[signature]
Cool. At Renagade, we launched at the ramp, and cruised north then west.
Moving slow and stripping slow. Water about 20' deep.
Read allot of fish and hooked a couple. The wind kicked up (go figure) and I was flying.
It carried me right out to the point. I threw out a BIG white bunny and BAM! looked down and I am in 42'. Threw out again and BAM!
Now I was getting blown and moving even with trying to slow it down, so I am not saying the fish were on the bottom. I was using a very fast sinking line though.
There was a couple of times, I cast and a few seconds later BAM. So they were at all levels from what I could tell, and all good size. Best time in a long time.
That was last year at about this temp, not going to say same time because it has been a weird year.
I do keep a journal for the most part and it was same temps both air and water.
As far as launching at Bryants. You are right, we launch at East Portal and head north. There is that underwater stream somewhere along there.
GAWD I got to get up there!!!!
[signature]
RE; "Do you know who it was. I need to apologize for my buddy."
That was me and Kastmaster in the other boat. No apology needed. Were you guys the boat with 2 anglers or the one with 3?
RE;" we could not hold his boat. His anchor was too light."
True, George and I were discussing that at some length as you guys (and the other boat) were struggling with that. Sorry that it complicated the day, but it sounds like you had a good time anyway. That's what counts. Your buddy just needs to pony up for a more substantial anchor and you will be good to go.
[signature]
Talking about anchors, I just bought a little 12 foot aluminum boat. What kind and size of anchor should I get? I pretty much fish the Berry most of the time. Any advice would be appreciated.
[signature]
Larry, the guy that took me on his boat, was so concerned that you guys were catching fish so fast that he had to get closer to see what you were using. I told Larry that it takes time to find the right spot, feel the takes and master the jigging method. Where we were at before we came by you when a fish came into the cone, we had action. We just didn't have as many fish under our boat. Who knows. Sometimes you are in the right spot and sometimes not.
As I told him, you looked like you were using tube jigs. He wanted to know what you were using to tip your jigs with and I told him I would ask if you were a BFT guy.
Thanks for not yelling at him. I kept telling him not to get too close to you guys. Anyway, you looked like you had a great day. One of you with two poles was constant action. Nice.
[signature]
Thanks for that information. I have had really good days cruising North, then west from Renegade. I have had that same thing happen in the 40' water. Fish slammin as soon as I get it out. Go figure. I was using a white zonker and caught over 30 fish last year at about this time.
I am going to Strawberry on Friday. It will be the day after record warm temps. Should be good if the wind will cooperate.
I think you are coming down with something. Maybe the F1S1 virus (Fish Strawberry Virus). Call in sick and quarantine yourself far from anyone on Strawberry. I think you will be cured.
[signature]
RE"As I told him, you looked like you were using tube jigs. He wanted to know what you were using to tip your jigs with and I told him I would ask if you were a BFT guy. "
You were correct. We were using tube jigs. You can tell Larry that I was tipping the jig with a small piece of chub on the rod I was vertically jigging. On the rod you saw me cast out periodically, I just had that one tipped with crawler because the chub meat was too fragile to stay on the hook with the cast. I would then slowly reel it in and was getting bit on that at a nice rate too. Unfortunately, that rod/reel had some mechanical issues and I wasn't able to utilize it to its fullest extent, but as you saw, we had a good day. Most of the fish were caught simply vertcally jigging. The fish seemed to move through in small groups. It would be hot for a while, then a break, then chaotic action again. My hot colors were white with dark flake and chartreuse. As the day wore on chartreuse was working better and better.
Good luck on your next trip.
[signature]
Thanks Barry, I will pass it along to Larry.
I caught a bunch of chubs at Jordanelle and cut up the fillets with the skin on. Old Coot said to cut it up in dime size pieces. With the skin on, it is tougher than leather. It will never come off the hook even when you try to take it off. Lasts a long time, can cast all you want and the fish love it.
We were using white tubes with gold and black flakes. We were the first ones there and before the sun came up, I threw pointers in rainbow color and caught some fish close to the shore. We also caught some throwing tubes to shore and jigging off the bottom slowly back to the boat.
Larry tried using a worm on a white tube with gold and black flakes and that worked well too. Like you said, they would move thru and we would get wild action and then it would go quiet. I used a fish finder that I mounted on the back of his boat and I could tell when fish would come in.
If you ever need someone to share the gas on your boat or someone to fish with, give me a shout. I would love to go with you.
[signature]
I guess I was the other boat with anchor problems. I talked with Kent and he gave me some ideas about my problem. We usually do not anchor. I am sorry if I got too close to anyone ttrying to get my anchor to hold.
We did not have a good day and only caught a few.
[signature]
COUGH! COUGH! I think you are right...SNNNNIIIFFFF[
]
[signature]
That is definitley frustrating when you know the fish are there and you can't get your jig to them. I think we were not giving the anchor enough rope to hold if we moved a bit to deeper water. We kept tying the anchor off straight down and if you slide at all it lifts off the ground going to deeper water. I think we need to stretch out the anchor rope a bit to hold better.
Anyway, it had to hilarious to anyone watching us. We looked like Laurel and Hardy out there.
[signature]
Well I know that is what it probably looked like with me.
I just bought the boat last year and still getting things I need and a new anchor and two anchor chains are on my list for today.
[signature]
I just had some mushy chubs from Sportsmans Warehouse. They were fine for vertical jigging but had very little staying power for being casted.
When you go Friday, if the fish aren't cooperating on flies, don't forget your gear and the techniques you were trying Tuesday. I have had incredible days up there in my float tube kick trolling a tipped jig while watching my sonar. When I mark some fish, I will reel in and send down an offering and vertically jig them. The action can be fast both on the move and stationary. Of course, the same can be done if you have "depth charge" sinking line on your fly reel too. Obviously, the wind complicates vertical presentation a bit more when in a tube or toon compared to in a boat but you also can follow the fish easier than constantly pulling up and dropping anchor as is needed in a boat.
Re:"Anyway, it had to hilarious to anyone watching us. We looked like Laurel and Hardy out there."
You guys didn't look that bad out there, really
]
[signature]
We hit the berry today (friday), 4 in the boat, a bit windy and chopped up pretty good, did not affect the fishing though, we fished several sposts on the lake, didn't seem to matter, boated over 40 fish, many over the slot. Even caught a few bows, our pattern was to set up at the west end of a run, drift jigs, tipped with minnow, however I had some egg sacks, those were like candy, I was fishing with 2 poles one jig the other dragging a bugger, caught several on the fly. at one point we had 5 fish on at once, way exciting. Caught one of the largest fish I the last ten years, Guarantee I will be back before ice up.
[signature]
Any ideas on wind tomorrow. I mean I know we are talking Fall and Strawberry.....just askin' Might need to drown a fly.
[signature]