Strawberry is not the same

[Joe_Dizzy]

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?

Kokanee are out of reach to White Pelicans. They cannot dive so the majority of fish they take are at the surface. In the case of Strawberry there are so many dead trout floating around that the Pelicans don't have to work hard to find a meal.