Fishing Forum

it was too nice to not get out today. no wind and warm. perfect day at strike. well we checked the hump and there was no fish there. tried another spot and found them. first 3 fish were crappie. only got 2 more all day. found the perch. we ended up with about 80 perch. most were 9 to 11 inches.they hit a variety of colors. also got a 2.25 smallie and a 19" rainbow on crappie gear.
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sounds like fun ! i bet the bass and trout put up a good fight on the crappie tackle
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I have never fished CJ Strike, but I want to get over there this spring. When would you say is the best month to hit it with a float tube or from shore. I have two young sons and an old father who would all like to see some action. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I will also be near there in late March, do you think it owuld be worth planning an extra day to hit the water?

Thanks for any info.

JP
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Thanks for the report. I heard about the same from a couple different groups of friends last night. Now I got a dilemma for tomorrow: CJ for the numbers or Cascade for the size? [crazy][mad]
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i only fish for crappie when the bass are done.check the internet for wind because strike is bad for wind getting out of hand with few plays to hide. if you want to get the most crappie april and may are probably the best. if you want smallies which i fish for 9 mothns a year july august sept are the easiest for numbers.on good years, not last, i caught at least 1000 smallies. they all go back. oh yeah avery i was not fond of my cascade trip.
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Thanks for the info, smallies. We will let y'all know how we do when we go.
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Thanks for the report. That perch report made me do a double take. It surprises me that nobody else has remarked on it yet. I was hoping it would be that way because they were about 8" last year.....

FR
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Way to go. Those are nice sized perch for there. A bunch to fillet, but it will make some great dinners!
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Way to go G! Man I am wanting to get out there. Just don't want to break out my boat yet......
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I mostly fish Strike for crappie, perch and trout. I've seen crappies over 15" come out of it. My biggest crappie from Strike is 13", but I'm hoping to break 15" this year.

It has some very nice bass, though. Smallmouth outnumber the largemouth, but they are in there. When I was there last June, a lady caught a 7 pound largemouth on a crappie jig. Here is a picture I took of her husband holding the fish:



Strike has some nice perch, too. I caught these in December of 2010. They are some of the largest of the 40 I brought home that night:



During the same trip, I saw a perch floating dead on the top of the water that was an honest 15" inches. It looked like a walleye. I also caught these trout while jigging for the perch:



I rarely get skunked at Strike. I don't catch fish like these every day, but it's very rare to not catch anything. So I'd say it's worth extending your trip.
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Those are some beautiful fish! Hope the perch are as fat this year too.
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ILS,

Thanks again. The temptation was too great. Photo attached.

FR
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Nice! It doesn't take many at that size to make some nice meals.
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Thanks StacyR for the info and great pics. Any recommendation of where to start fishing from, CJ is a big body of water. I will be using my float tube and my mobility will be limited to that aspect. Sounds like vertical jigging is the thing.

JP
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I'd suggest investing in a hydrographic map of Strike. There is one available from the Fish-n-Map Co:

https://www.fishnmap.com/item.php?item=898

If you have an iPhone or Android smartphone, Navionics makes an app that has Strike, along with a ton of other lakes and reservoirs all over the US. It costs about $10:

http://www.navionics.com/NavionicsMobile.asp

I have the one for Android, and it's very useful. If your device has a GPS, it will show your location and direction right on the map.

Watch the temperatures for a few days before your trip. If the temps are above 60, the crappies and other warmwater fish will start moving into shallow areas to feed and put on weight for the spawn. Those areas warm up faster than the main body of water. I'd launch at Cottonwood or the Narrows and fish along the shore. Just look for any spot that's shallow, gets a lot of sun and is protected from the wind.

If the weather is colder, try fishing out in the narrows where the depth drops off. If it's not too windy, you can try fishing the humps out in the main body of the reservoir. It's a spot where the bottom comes up from about 80 feet to within 35 feet of the surface. There are two peaks, with 60 feet depths between them. It's easiest to find them on the map, but there are usually a few boats out there. It's not too far to reach from a float tube, but it is out in the main body of water. Watch out if the wind kicks up.
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the sporting goods store in bruno also has the maps and then you are supporting a local guy also spend a bit of money there and really talk to him he hears alot and really knows the lake well
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