Deer Creek/Jordanelle/Strawberry

[P4NDA]

Hey guys! 

First post here so take it easy on me! I grew up fishing at Strawberry with my Mom and Dad. Long story short my dad passed away about 13 years ago when I was 14 and right after that my mom sold our boat. I got into shore fishing and fly fishing and have done well with that but last year my wife and I purchased a boat. I'm now trying to figure out this whole trolling thing since it been years since I've done it. Honestly, haven't been having too much luck and I'd love to get into some fish with my 2 boys (7 years old and 4 years old) before they get bored. If anybody has any tips or tricks that they wouldn't mind sharing, it would be much appreciated. Specifically Jordanelle, Deer Creek, or Strawberry as those are the lakes we go to most. 

Rod Setups? Lures? Sweet spots on the lake? 

I LOVE fishing and want my kiddos to enjoy it as much as I do. My biggest worry is them getting bored of not catching anything. lol

Thanks so much!

- Cole aka P4NDA

[FishfulThinkin]

Welcome to BFT. There are lots of friendly and knowledgeable members here so I'm sure you'll get some good answers. I also fish those 3 waters a lot
so I'm happy to share what I can. Are you after trout? In my opinion that would probably be the easiest species to target in those 3 waters if you are
trolling. My recommendation would be to start at 20' trolling at about 1.5 mph. There are many good lures that will catch trout including spinners, spoons,
flatfish, triple teasers, Jakes, dodger with a worm etc. Adjust your speed and depth to match what the fish want. Good luck and welcome to BFT

[liketrolling]

we can help you a lot 
first do you have a fishfinder?
do you have downriggers? if not do you have the money to buy some ? sometime you can buy used ones
do you have a lead line and pole .
there is a lot of videos on youtube that will show you how to troll.
sometimes you can catch fish in the top 10 feet of water but most of the time they are deeper, that is why you need a fishfinder to show you how deep they are    but you still catch fish with out a fishfinder, but you need to know how deep the fish are. fish move if they are there one day they may not be there the next day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=J4P6DNO8i00

Lead Core Fishing 101
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25USiBKwObg&t=314s


Deep Diving Fishing Lures
https://www.amazon.com/slp/deep-diving-f...nbggvou4a6
this is Jordanall                       Deer Creek                    Starwberry

[P4NDA]

Thanks for the responses so far guys! 

I should have mentioned some of my gear -

Fish Finder: Yes 
Downriggers: No. I've been using a clip on weight to get down further if needed
Lead Line and Poles: Yes
We've been trying for Rainbows and Kokanee. I was told Kokanee setups have good luck with Rainbows as well. Kind of like a 2 in 1. 

Last year I would go in and just talk to the guys at Sportsmans or Cabelas. I went off of what they were recommending. I got a few things of pop gear, Flashers, different color squids, and wedding rings. Used the colored Berkley Gulp Maggots and Worms as bait. We only got skunked a couple times. I just feel like it's really slow compared to when I look at posts on here and see you guys killin it!

I've never really tried spinners, spoons, flatfish, triple teasers, or jakes. Do you run those alone of with flashers, etc... I'll have to do some reasearch on them. I was planning on going up to Deer Creek on Saturday with some buddies. Any spots that you guys would recommend? Again, I really appreciate all the help!

[FishfulThinkin]

Thanks for the responses so far guys! 

I should have mentioned some of my gear -

Fish Finder: Yes 
Downriggers: No. I've been using a clip on weight to get down further if needed
Lead Line and Poles: Yes
We've been trying for Rainbows and Kokanee. I was told Kokanee setups have good luck with Rainbows as well. Kind of like a 2 in 1. 

Last year I would go in and just talk to the guys at Sportsmans or Cabelas. I went off of what they were recommending. I got a few things of pop gear, Flashers, different color squids, and wedding rings. Used the colored Berkley Gulp Maggots and Worms as bait. We only got skunked a couple times. I just feel like it's really slow compared to when I look at posts on here and see you guys killin it!

I've never really tried spinners, spoons, flatfish, triple teasers, or jakes. Do you run those alone of with flashers, etc... I'll have to do some reasearch on them. I was planning on going up to Deer Creek on Saturday with some buddies. Any spots that you guys would recommend? Again, I really appreciate all the help!

Most of the lures I mentioned can be used without a dodger. F7 flatfish is a good size and if you put that on your lead line with a short leader and use a snap swivel you should be able to catch some at Deer Creek. I'd start at about 3-4 colors of lead line but use your finder to see how deep they are and adjust. It you use a Triple Teaser don't use a snap swivel but tie it directly to your leader for better action. The thing I llike about flatfish is the good action that tells you if it's working properly while you are trolling. If you get a weed or hooks across the line it won't work so it's quite easy to tell when you need to check it.

[a_bow_nut]

I was planning on going up to Deer Creek on Saturday with some buddies. Any spots that you guys would recommend? 

The area just north of the island has worked well for me over the years. Picture attached.

[P4NDA]

Thanks for the responses so far guys! 

I should have mentioned some of my gear -

Fish Finder: Yes 
Downriggers: No. I've been using a clip on weight to get down further if needed
Lead Line and Poles: Yes
We've been trying for Rainbows and Kokanee. I was told Kokanee setups have good luck with Rainbows as well. Kind of like a 2 in 1. 

Last year I would go in and just talk to the guys at Sportsmans or Cabelas. I went off of what they were recommending. I got a few things of pop gear, Flashers, different color squids, and wedding rings. Used the colored Berkley Gulp Maggots and Worms as bait. We only got skunked a couple times. I just feel like it's really slow compared to when I look at posts on here and see you guys killin it!

I've never really tried spinners, spoons, flatfish, triple teasers, or jakes. Do you run those alone of with flashers, etc... I'll have to do some reasearch on them. I was planning on going up to Deer Creek on Saturday with some buddies. Any spots that you guys would recommend? Again, I really appreciate all the help!

Most of the lures I mentioned can be used without a dodger. F7 flatfish is a good size and if you put that on your lead line with a short leader and use a snap swivel you should be able to catch some at Deer Creek. I'd start at about 3-4 colors of lead line but use your finder to see how deep they are and adjust. It you use a Triple Teaser don't use a snap swivel but tie it directly to your leader for better action. The thing I llike about flatfish is the good action that tells you if it's working properly while you are trolling. If you get a weed or hooks across the line it won't work so it's quite easy to tell when you need to check it.

Awesome!! I'll give this a try on Saturday! Any specific color or pattern that I should be looking for?

[Therapist]

Panda,  good for you in wanting to teach your kids how to fish.  Remember, a 4 and 7 yr. old have a very short attention span, so you need to be aware when they begin to lose interest.  As to your trolling, lead core can be very successful, with a few tweeks.  First the leader:  Take  the end of your lead core and strip out the last 8 inches of the lead.  The dacron sheath should slide down without any difficulty.  Take some 10lb Flurocarbon line and slide it up into the end of the Dacron till you hit the end of the lead.  Tie an overhand knot at the lead/line junction and another one at the end of the dacron.  You now have a leader that will go through the eyes of your rod without hanging up.  Make the leader about 3-4 ft and tie a size 00 ball bearing swivel on the end.  The swivel will slide through the guides also and you can now tie on any length of leader you want.   Use 6,8, or 10lb flurocarbon for your leader ( flurocarbon sinks where as Mono floats.  The fluro will help keep small lures down.)  You don't need expensive flurocarbon,  I use Berkley Vanish, decent knot strength and a lot less money.  I would purchase filler spools of 6,8, & 10 lb Vanish and a Plano line box to keep them in.  That way you can change the diameter of the leader and the lenght as needed.  I would not use a swivel at the end of the leader for things like Flatfish, Rapalas,  Flicker Shads, etc.  For things like Dodger/Squid combos, Pop Gear, Triple Teasers, etc,  a good ball bearing swivel w/crosslock snap works great.  Again, Berkley makes a good swivel, recommend size 00.   Choice of lures is up to you, if looking for Kokes/Rainbows, go with the dodger/squid combo.  You can tip the squid with a half a nightcrawler to entice more strikes.  I would not recommend the BIG popgear w/ the huge blades.  They really pull hard, have a hard time staying down, and I don't think they work as well as the smaller willow leaf blade gear.  Put about a 12-18 inch leader behind the gear, a # 1 or 2 bait holder hook, thread on a nightcrawler, and fish.  A little wrinkle to this is to use a Mustad, "Slow Death " hook on the leader.  The "Slow Death" hook has a kink in it that causes the crawler to "roll" as it is pulled through the water, adding action to the rig along with the flash of the blades.

Another recommendation to get the kids excited about fishing is take em to Utah Lake and catch White bass.  Or fish off the shore somewhere for carp.  At their age,  they don;t care what they catch, just so they catch something.  I gaurantee, that you will hook them for life if they catch something when they go out.  A 5,10, 15lb carp will hookem for life !!!  You go to Deer Creek, Strawberry for yourself, take them to Utah Lake to get em hooked !!!!  Or Willard, or any of the small ponds the DWR has around the area.  Good luck and have fun !!!

[liketrolling]

I found that the people that work in the fish stores don't know alot.
this is my youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VBygUwAnhM
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaxiZFSQyVD7hny6bXry-Gw

the 3 lakes you are asking about I use dodgers   with a squid and weding rings 
deer creek light green dodgers and a 18" leader to a green weding ring  put worms on hooks this works a jordanell to for rainbowas
strawberry in the fall for cutthrout trout  a white tube with worms on hook no dodger  in one of my videos I show you how to tie them
that is when you take the kids you can have 100 fish day   trolling at strawberry you will not catch alot of rainbows.
without downriggers you will not catch alot of kokanee.

[fishskibum]

sooner them kids learn to enjoy time spent fishing vrs. catching the better fisherman they will become
and yup
them drag free drifts matter

if you dont need to fill your freezer id second the carps recomendation
them carps dont gits the respect they deserve and i know they make them youngens
i catch my share without electronics or high dollar boats and gadgets and they make my just a big kid

the great people at fish tech know a lot about all kinds of fishing they sell live and breathe it and highly recomend them
i dont think they spew tube it though
i have a lot of gear, pop, dipsy divers, side planers, jplugs and stuff i used to fish Benton harbor, St joe and lake mich with before i moved west and devoloped a bad whippy stick addiction.
i dont want or need to sell it, but if you think you can use it pm me and its yours for the summer.

[Therapist]

I agree with Fishskibum, the folks at Fish Tech have great info.  Anglers Den in Ogden is pretty good also.  Mickey, Byron, and the rest of the crew at Fish Tech are all fishermen, accomplished fishermen, who know the waters in Utah.  Take their advice to the bank.  You can also ask Tube Dude, and others on this board direct questions and will get a positive answer.  Remember,  get the kids out on some of the community fisheries to catch fish.  Utah Lake, Willard, Bountiful Pond etc. Check DWR website for the location of the community fisheries.  Remember, the boys have short attention spans and will not tolerate a long day on the boat.  Take em to a community pond, have a picnic with them, and let them catch fish, get em hooked !!!!

[_6x_]

Hi Panda,

All good advice here.  Two quick things:

(1) A lot of us -- if I may speak collectively -- post our good days more than our bad days.  I've had days of 100+ fish at Strawberry in the last year, and also days on which I caught nothing.  More of the latter, to be honest.  There is no substitute for a little good luck, and getting on the water at the right time. Point is, the reporting is always a selection of the total fishing days, and usually the selection is not representative.  That's for the good, since otherwise reports would be boring.  But I find it helpful to keep in mind.

(2) I'd consider taking your kids white bass fishing -- especially right now!  (Although maybe not right, right now, becuase water flows at the lower provo were way up yesterday and so fishing was poor.)  But now is the best time for catching a lot of fish really easily.  I try to take kids to fish the spawning white bass if they don't already love fishing.

[WeekendWarrior]

You guys are all awesome!  Thanks for sharing your knowledge.  There are so many people on here that benefit from the information that is share, including me.  Hopefully we can all get into some this weekend.  Good luck!

[P4NDA]

Thank you all again for the help! Today was awesome and we ended up bringing home 10 fish! Threw 2 back that were on the smaller side and lost probably another 10 more before getting them in the net. I think the longest we went without getting a bite was 30 minutes or so.

[a_bow_nut]

Glad that it worked out for you guys.