Strawberry is not the same

[BYUHunter]

Strawberry has been unusually quiet, because the Kokanee have been almost non-existent. I saw the Kokanee Guides were on Jordanelle this weekend, apparently even they threw in the towel this year.

I think a combination of years of drought have made Strawberry's tributaries less productive and conducive to Kokanee spawn, as well as the additional COVID pressure, has done a number on the Koke population. Not to mention the several guides that are up there every day trying to catch limits for their whole boat. Last but not least, the DWR has been putting fewer Kokes into Strawberry, in favor of stocking new reservoirs.

Certainly ain't what it used to be.

I think that we can't overlook the pelican population at Strawberry. On most days I know that there are at least a thousand of those mangy birds flying around and when an adult can consume up to 4 pounds of fish per day - each!  How many of those fish are young kokes?

There's a fairly limited time of year when the Kokes are available to be scooped up - they are shallow in the spring when the ice comes off, and the late fall when the water cools. Pretty much the Months of May, October and November.

Pelicans are migratory, they are usually gone from the high elevations by mid-September, and don't return until late May/early June. 

Long story short, there's a small window of opportunity in May when the Pelicans and shallow Kokes may overlap, but I am guessing most of their diet consists of chubs, planter cutts and bows, and whatever is gut-hooked and released by the powerbait crew.