08-06-2022, 02:45 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-06-2022, 01:42 PM by wiperhunter2.)
(08-05-2022, 10:47 PM)brookie Wrote: I have been on Strawberry probably more this season than any previous. Started our long-term camp May 16 and my last paid day is Aug 7 (Sunday). Actually I already moved the trailer and boat over to the boondock camping area above Mud Creek today to get a little more time.This is how many kokes are being stocked in Jordanelle during that same time:
Thinking back on the season, I have been asked many times "how's the fishing" and by far my most common answer this year was SLOW. Now I don't keep a documented ledger as I know some here do, so my impressions of the season are just recollections. Back right at ice-off just before the camp season started, we did pretty well for the first 3 weeks on the SC side. In June we started getting them on the Strawberry side, but it never seemed to be fast fishing. We got some, but limit days were far and few between. Then came July - the weather got hot and fishing really slowed down. Now we are into August and with the monsoon rains, it has started to cool down. Last week I saw a surface temp at 75*. This morning it was 67.5*. It may be my imagination or maybe I am learning some new tricks, but it seems however slowly, the fishing might be picking up a little.
I can't be sure why this season has been overall slower than previous seasons, water/environmental temps?, but I pulled the kokanee stocking reports for Strawberry as follows.
2016 405,996
2017 462,970
2018 295,706
2019 345,712
2020 361,099
2021 375,813
2022 449,595
If the kokanee mature in 3-4 years, we can see that the stocking numbers support the off year. I am not sure why the Division stocked over 25% less in 2018 and not much better in 2019. Wonder if this was a hatchery problem? or they divided the stock to other new waters? or what the reason was? I'm sure there are many guesses. Any information from the DNR would be great - did they expect a down year, etc? I guess the positive take away here is 2026 should be a banner year.
2016 152,234
2017 163,360
2018 247,355
2019 206,883
2020 132,082
2021 121,475
2022 160,528
East canyon
2019 10,024
2020 16,965
2021 15,061
2022 19,024
Lost creek
2020 12,528
2021 12,320
2022 12,461
Rockport
2020 30,045
2021 24,087
2022 30,174
These numbers do not include Fish lake, it was added about the same time but adding them all up and subtracting them from the kokes that could have gone to Strawberry and the Gorge could explain some of the down turn in numbers at those two lakes.