Strawberry 9/30

[jebrown2]

First time poster, long time lurker

Fished Strawberry on 9/30 with two of my brothers. We trolled shallow (no down riggers) and managed to boat a dozen or so fish, mostly smaller cuts. A gold spoon seemed to be the hottest ticket for the day.

It was nice and sunny but cold (about 28 when we launched). We launched around 8:00 and by 9:00 the wind had really picked up so we were limited to trolling areas that were more sheltered from the wind on backside of the island and in the narrows. It was still a good day (we were fishing not working) but not what you would hope for from Strawberry in the fall.

As we were pulling out around 3:00pm and old-timer was just launching and we chatted for a minute. I wished him good luck with the wind and he said that he would be trolling flies so windy was better (the fish see them better in rough water). I didn't ask him for details but I am assuming he was using something like a woolly bugger.

Can anyone here enlighten me on trolling with flies at Strawberry?

Thanks...
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[Fishassassin]

There are few different options for trolling flies. Here's what has worked really well for me at the berry. I typically use a mohair leech in brown black or olive. Showgirls and muddler minnows work well too. First technique is if you have a fly pole I'd run a #2 sinking line and let it sink about 10 feet down. While you are trolling grab the line and give it a few quick twitches here and there to give the fly a sudden darting action. The second technique is to tie a fly about 8-9 inches behind a dodger. Yes the same dodgers we use for kokanee fishing to jerk around the squid. The dodger gives the fly a great action and will improve your catch rate. I like to run a 1/2oz bullet weight about 2-3 feet ahead of the fly just to get it down into the water. Technique number three is to put on a wigglefin action disc in front of the fly and use about 2-3 feet of leader between the fly and the swivel. I use the bullet weight for this setup as well. The wigglefin discs give the fly a very erratic action and helps entice the fish to bite. Just a few different techniques for you to try that have worked well for me over the years. Best of luck!
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[kandersonSLC]

We use our fly rods with Type III or Type V sinking line and troll at a speed of around 1.5 to 2.0. We let out line to the backing and then experiment with letting more or less line out to see what works. Likewise, we sometimes give the flies action and other times just let them troll behind the boat.

The last two weeks, we've had 30+ fish days between the two of us. Attached is a photo of the flies that were hot last week (bunny leeches and a Purple Showgirl). I tie these, but you can find something similar at fly shops.


We like using fly rods, because you can really feel the fight.

[inline "Strawberry Flies.png"]
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[Jig-fisher]

Welcome to the official side. Great first post.
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[catchinon]

Welcome, welcome. Your post is exemplary because it contains lots of details that will help others. We look forward to many posts like this.
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[jebrown2]

Thanks for the tips. Will be trying these out soon.
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[Rom1452]

2 weeks ago with type III sink and a bead head articulated olive crystal bugger worked great trolling. In fact, its really worked for the last month. Sportsman's has them. I'll be trying them again this weekend.
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