Frist trip to da Berry and probably the last

[isda]

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[size 3]3:15 rolls along Friday afternoon and I decided I have had enough of work and need to get my fix. I call a new fishing friend who is already planning on going fishing and ask if there is room for one more. He gets excited and gives me the info on where he is going for a night on the ice. I ask him "are you sure Strawberry is where we want to go", he responds by saying I have always slayed them at night. I give in and head to Strawberry Bay Marina. [/size]
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[size 3]Dark approaches and he is setting up his 6 man while I set up my 3 man. 30 min into we are settled in and trying to warm up. I mark a fish on bottom in 37' of water and drop a TubeDude special down and watch my indicator ever so slightly move, a quick snap of my wrist and I feel weight, Fish on!! I give the rod to my son and he gets the fish up to the hole, Mr. Fish decides he did not want to play top side, and the jig pops out. [/size]
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[size 3]Long story short between three of us that first fish is the only bite we get all night! We drilled by hand (in 20" + of ice) easily 30 holes to go looking for Mr. slimer, from 8' of water to 48' of water and had two lookers but nothing wanted to eat. This lasted till 9 in the morning, when we decided to move in shallower water. As I’m drilling my hole my buddy marks a fish in 10' of water eying his jig. I finish up and quickly drop down my favorite tube jig and as I’m pulling it off the bottom, I feel bump, bump I quickly set the hook and pull in a 19" cut in spawning colors. [/size]
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[size 3]After this I end up packing up my stuff and head home. (other obligations) As im leaving I have a bitter taste in my mouth for that body of water. I don’t usually come home with one fish for 14 hours of fishing. i can count on one hand the amount of times I have been skunked in the past 10 years. I later get a text message from my buddy at 1:30 saying he finally caught a cut and can now go home. [/size]
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[size 3]So I have to say, I don’t know what the big hype is about Strawberry, its big, cold, and I do not get excited about catching one fish (in the slot). I think I have washed my hands of that reservoir and will not be returning for quite a while![/size]
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[FattyGreens]

Hmmm, for me these are the times when I am a glutton for punishment and won't let a lake get the best of me. Just sounds like a rough go, need to go back and show the lake you can fish it. It's hyped up because it's a great fishery, I have talked to folks who have caught in the 50 to 60 fish range up there. Sometimes you catch em sometimes you don't.
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[cuthroat_guy]

Yep,

People in other states can't figure out why utah acts as if strawberry is our premiere fishery.
Infact they kinda make fun of us about it.

Oh well,

Better luck next time, maybe pineview, there's always 50 perch to be caught there.
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[Old_Coot]

Man isda, those first impressions can sure be lasting impressions. You make me think back to [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=300843;#300843"]my first time ice fishing the the Berry[/url]. We sure did well and that day has kept me coming back ever since.

I have had some VERY slow days too. For myself and many people, Strawberry can be HOT and Straberry can be NOT.

Thanks for the report.
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[flygoddess]

That's what you get for calling it "da berry" []
On a serious note...that is crazy. More or less two fish all night? I get the bitter taste. Have you tried Strawberry on open water?
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[whipper-snapper]

I've had the same issue in the past. I would fish where I could drag my sled and it was horrible! However, this year has been very different. I have a buddy who has some snowmobiles and we have gone far away from all the heavily-fished areas. Made the world of difference! Past outings we have put lots of fish on the top side, 90% slot cutts though. The occasional salmon, big rainbow, or even a couple slot busters have come our way.

Now Strawberry is one of my favorites (only because of snowmobiles). Sorry you had a bad go at it. Hope your next ice fishing adventure leaves you satisfied.

If you get the hankering to go again, send me a PM and I will give you the best advice I can. Good Luck!
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[bowdude]

it is the old 80/20 rule. You were obviously fishing in the wrong area.
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[Fishassassin]

The hype about strawberry is the size of the fish and the potential to get a monster. I have struggled to catch many on the ice and I would have to blame the slot limit. We use an underwater camera so we can see quite clearly what is going on under the water. Those cutts have been caught and released so many times that they have become extremely cautious about hitting a lure. Watching the camera we see that only about 1 in 10 actually strike and when they do its very quick and light, if you didnt see it you wouldnt know it had your lure in its mouth. I'm not against the slot limit, just saying its giving the fish an education in how to survive. This is especially true when you have to walk on the ice and are limited to highly fished areas like I am. Just makes me want spring to come so we can get the boat out!
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[rutnbuckhunting]

Sorry Man That sucks. I thought a monkey could catch fish at the Berry. The Berry is usually HOT HOT early ice on then again in a couple weeks from now till ice off. The fish matabaliziom slows down with the temp. Takes em a while to warm back up. They go into hybernation somewhat. Don't give up go fish it when the ice is 50 feet from the edge.
then hang on.
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[isda]

Here is a pic of the fish i caught, they sure do look bigger when holding them, rather than in the pic.

Thanks for the information and tips I really need a sled! get to places that have not been fished as hard!
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