Fishing Strawberry

[Kent]

Change in plans.
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[doggonefishin]

I want to come!.................................................but I have to work[]...........and I'm sick[pirate].................Have a good trip. []
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[bowdude]

Kent... a neighbor and I are also heading up in the morning. Not sure where yet, possibly Renegade. I will be pulling the snowmobile behind the pick-em-up. You are welcome to tag along with us if you want, The truck is a 4 door with a back seat. I will have the tent, heater, sonars and every thing else you can think of to make it a comfortable morning.
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[T-Boz]

How much of the surrounding roads around strawberry get plowed or do they not at all? I’m looking to go for the first time on Wednesday but Ive never been ice fishing up there so not sure which routes to take but I will have a sled with me for access. Any info greatly appreciated!!
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[bowdude]

The roads are groomed pretty well every day. There is always some youngster who thinks his 4x4 can float on top of the road and sometimes does for a few yards. I just as I pass them by and figure that after they get out, they will have learned their lesson. One guy on his 4 seater side by side spent a while digging out at Renegade one winter. We stopped to chat a few minutes and then he made a classic statement. He said, "doesn't matter what color you paint it, it is still not a snowmobile".

A sled will get you well away from the crowds and into some great fishing. Often we will have the entire Renegade bay to ourselves.
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[catchinon]

There is a parking lot by the highway at the turnoff to the Soldier Creek dam area. It is a bit of a haul down to the lake from there with a fair little hill, but the crowds may be a little thinner there. Just get there early to find a parking spot. But you won't have to worry about any off-highway travel. You could also access Chicken Creek and The Ladders from the highway side. Good luck and have fun.
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[T-Boz]

thanks for the tips, If you end up going to renegade today let me know how you do, I believe I will be heading there on wednesday! Best of luck today
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[bowdude]

We drove all the way across the lake and ended up almost in the narrows. There were several frozen over slush spots all over the lake and no one had actually driven across the ice into Renegade. I wasn't sure what was causing the slush spots and not knowing what the ice thickness was, I decided not to be the first to go into the bay. Turned out where we fished the ice was plenty thick, likely just as thick all the way into Renegade, but as mentioned, I did not want to be the first.
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[T-Boz]

Where did you park and access?
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[bowdude]

Parked at Rainbow Bay and grove down the boat ramp. Easy access.
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[T-Boz]

Hey thanks again, awesome I will give it a try on Wednesday.
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[Kent]

How much snow did you find on the ice and did you see any four wheelers on the ice?
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[T-Boz]

Last question, do you need a parking pass or anything to park near the reservoir or around the reservoir?
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[bowdude]

Kent... there were several snowmobiles, a few ATV,s in around Rainbow Bay and 1 eight wheel Argo that came out across the lake where we were. I did not not see any side by sides.

T-Boz... I have never seen anyone need a parking pass around the reservoir. I generally park at Rainbow Bay by the lodge/store and head out from there. At early ice, when I am unsure of the ice thickness, I will park at the turnoff to Renegade and drive the road to Renegade Bay.

If I am fishing Soldier Creek Dam, I will park at the turnoff to the dam. It can get crowded there, so you need to arrive early to find parking. Same with Rainbow Bay. If you arrive much past 7:30, parking can be a premium. I stay away from Chicken Creek, Mud Creek and the ladders... too many people and in my opinion, there are better places to fish.
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[T-Boz]

Hit up strawberry today for the first time in my young ice fishing career. Arrived just after 7:30am after missing the turnoff to the marina with the first pass. Loaded two ice sleds and a passenger on the back of my snowmobile and headed south out from the marina. We went about halfway down the lake just south of haws and stopped there as quite frankly we were scared to proceed not having been there before. Fished with no luck for 30 minutes marking only 1 fish when 2 sleds ripped passed us and went clear out to renegade with ease. So we packed our gear back up and proceeded to renegade which was our original destination but now we knew we could make it safely. The fishing was really slow all day with the exception from 10:15-11:15 we pulled in 5-6 cutts within that hour with a slot buster lunker that set a personal record! (See utah contests) the weather couldn’t have been better and we ended a great day of fishing about 3:30pm. Also we ate great too see pic below. Ice thickness was 9” of solid clear with anywhere from 3”-8” of snow and or slush on top! Of note if you go out on the berry do not shovel the snow or slush off the ice or you will find yourself floating in 4”-5” of standing water!
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[hookngrinin]

Sounds like a great first trip to the 'berry. It's a fun place to fish. Congrats on the nice cutthroat. That'll give you a big bump in the contest standings and the biggest fish posted so far.
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[T-Boz]

I don’t know if I can ever fish another body of water again!! [fishon] the berry has me hooked!! Can’t wait to go back!!
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