11-23-2002, 12:29 AM
The kids were at the high school state chapionship game and snowboarding at the canyons today. So I headed up to Strawberry for a couple of hours. The fog was thick and heavy over the whole lake, it did not burn off until after noon. The roads are icey and snowed pack past Strawberry Bay (the end of road mait) Especially in the shaded areas. There is no ice left remaining any where on the lake.
Fishing was great! I started at Horse Creek (finished there also) tossing brown and black wolly buggers. Hooked my 1st rainbow since May today. Not very big but it's a start. Hooked up on the brown wolly. After several more cast and no takers I switched to a double renegade and brown wolly. Within minutes I had a nice cut on. Caught one more then nothing for about 20 minutes. At that point I went to some bait (minnow and nightcrawler) while I had a sandwhich and a cup of coffee.
A word of caution to those who might fish the south side. While I was squated down eating that sandwhich I felt something watching me. I kept looking around but saw nothing there. About halfway thrugh the sandwhich the hair on the back of my neck stood stright up. I jumped up and spun around, I still didn't see anything. But I kept looking at the sage and grass. Then I saw it .... a black tip of a tail swishing just above the sage about 50 feet away. I knew I was looking at a cougar tail. I grabbed a couple of rocks hollered REAL loud tossed the rocks at where I saw the tail, and up jumped and scampered away a female cougar. I have to say it took an hour for my heart to slow back down. From that point on I kept one eye on the brush and spent most of the rest of the trip in waste deep water.
Well they were no longer hitting flies, they didn't like my bait, so I tried some spinners, mepps, eagale claw, assorted sz and colors. No takers. I broke out the suoer doupers and cast masters, still no takers. Then I went to some bass stuff. They didn't like the raplas, one hit a top plug but he wasn't nothing to brag about. Then I tried this finesse vibe lemon shad. Its made by Renegade and sold at Wal-Mart. I think I paid 2 bucks for it. Well about every third cast I would hook up. This little lure just sucked them in! I ended up with 9 for the day and was running about an hour late. I got there around 10 in the morning and was planning on leaving no later than 1 as I had promised my daughter I would go shopping with her. It was now 2:30 PM and I was still fishing. I caught the heavyest cut of the season on that shad. It wasn't the biggest I've caught, but it was really thick across the back, not the usuall skinny Cuts I've gotten use to. I spooled the new reel with 4 pound test and he took it to the limit. When I got hm close enough to pick him up (my pretend landing of this fish) I looked him over and then cut the line at the hook. He was exhausted, just laid there on his side. So I took him by the tail and rocked him gently back and forth until he perked up and swam off. So if yer going to the Berry fishin is still good, today was a perfect day no wind calm waters and warm sunny skies (after the fog lifted). Got the scar of my life, caught a great fish, and had a pleasent time enjoying being out in nature.
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Fishing was great! I started at Horse Creek (finished there also) tossing brown and black wolly buggers. Hooked my 1st rainbow since May today. Not very big but it's a start. Hooked up on the brown wolly. After several more cast and no takers I switched to a double renegade and brown wolly. Within minutes I had a nice cut on. Caught one more then nothing for about 20 minutes. At that point I went to some bait (minnow and nightcrawler) while I had a sandwhich and a cup of coffee.
A word of caution to those who might fish the south side. While I was squated down eating that sandwhich I felt something watching me. I kept looking around but saw nothing there. About halfway thrugh the sandwhich the hair on the back of my neck stood stright up. I jumped up and spun around, I still didn't see anything. But I kept looking at the sage and grass. Then I saw it .... a black tip of a tail swishing just above the sage about 50 feet away. I knew I was looking at a cougar tail. I grabbed a couple of rocks hollered REAL loud tossed the rocks at where I saw the tail, and up jumped and scampered away a female cougar. I have to say it took an hour for my heart to slow back down. From that point on I kept one eye on the brush and spent most of the rest of the trip in waste deep water.
Well they were no longer hitting flies, they didn't like my bait, so I tried some spinners, mepps, eagale claw, assorted sz and colors. No takers. I broke out the suoer doupers and cast masters, still no takers. Then I went to some bass stuff. They didn't like the raplas, one hit a top plug but he wasn't nothing to brag about. Then I tried this finesse vibe lemon shad. Its made by Renegade and sold at Wal-Mart. I think I paid 2 bucks for it. Well about every third cast I would hook up. This little lure just sucked them in! I ended up with 9 for the day and was running about an hour late. I got there around 10 in the morning and was planning on leaving no later than 1 as I had promised my daughter I would go shopping with her. It was now 2:30 PM and I was still fishing. I caught the heavyest cut of the season on that shad. It wasn't the biggest I've caught, but it was really thick across the back, not the usuall skinny Cuts I've gotten use to. I spooled the new reel with 4 pound test and he took it to the limit. When I got hm close enough to pick him up (my pretend landing of this fish) I looked him over and then cut the line at the hook. He was exhausted, just laid there on his side. So I took him by the tail and rocked him gently back and forth until he perked up and swam off. So if yer going to the Berry fishin is still good, today was a perfect day no wind calm waters and warm sunny skies (after the fog lifted). Got the scar of my life, caught a great fish, and had a pleasent time enjoying being out in nature.
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