Great day on the Berry.

[DeadI]

Had a great day on the berry today. Fished from first light till about 1:15 pm. At about 11:30 am the bit slowed down but didn't stop completely. There were 4 of us in the boat and we boated 67. Had another 20-25 at the boat that we couldn't get in the net before they got off. The takes were faily hard. All on tubes tipped with minnows.

Love this time of year at the Berry.
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[brookieguy1]

Sounds fun. Any good 'bows?
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[DeadI]

3 bows. 1 good one.
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[Henries8]

How are you tipping your jig with a minnow? I have tried it and they last for about one or two casts and then they are gone. Is there a trick to it? What kind of minnows are you using?
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[DeadI]

The small shiner minnows that you get from Sportsmans or other
Stores we take and cut about a 1/4 inch piece off and hook it through the skin on both sides. Your right they only last a cast or two.

I have found that if you lob your cast it stays on longer. However if you jerk to set the hook it comes off as well. Even better is if you get a chub and use fillet pieces that are about 1/4" by an inch or so. The chub skin is allot thicker and does not come off hardly at all, and I can usually catch 3 or 4 fish or so on one piece.

The other option is to take and tip them with night crawlers. About a half inch piece threaded on the hook works good. I like the chubs best though.
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[Henries8]

Thanks for the info. It sounds like you have the same issues we do. I just thought maybe we were doing something wrong so that is why I asked. I used minnows for the first time two weeks ago up there and that was very frustrating trying to keep them on the hook for more than one or two casts. Headin up Friday to try our luck!!
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[Kent]

Minnows stay on much better if they are kept partially frozen. If they get warm they get soft.
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[Troll]

If you catch your own minnows, place then alive in a bag of salt. This will "cure" the skin and meat and make it a little tougher so it stays on the hook longer.

I put all the minnows in a Tupperware container full of salt when I catch them. Then that evening put about a dozen minnows in a baggie with enough salt to cover them, then into the freezer.

You can also add powdered food coloring to the salt and as it penetrates the minnows it will give them color, red, green and blue are my favorites.
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[ratnest]

I have thought about heading up to the berry, but don't have a boat. any tips on where to fish from shore, and types of lures.
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[Troll]

I saw shore people catching in all the same places the boat fishers were.

Just be there at daybreak, when things are calm and the fish are in close to shore.

I recommend a worm below a float, or a white tube jig under a float, tipped with a piece of minnow or worm.
I saw bank fishers using bait on the bottom too, they were catching.
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[ratnest]

So where are "all the same places as the boats"

I am not too familiar with Strawberry, I know of Chicken creek, the ladders, I have seen a sign for Mud creek I think.
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[Troll]

Yes, those places, as well as across from the marina, Haws point, Renegade. I haven't fished the Soldier Creek side this fall but in the past it has also produced.

The key thing is that the fish have the fall feed bag on and are aggressively eating all they can. Much of what they eat is in the shallower waters all around the lake, so shore fishing from where ever you can get to, is pretty good right now.

I would suggest getting a little farther away from the most popular spots if you can, they have been getting fished a lot recently. You don't have to go far, just the next cove or point can make a world of difference.

I fish from a kayak, which I launch form shore in the same spots I have mentioned. I don't go far from them and I do quite well, by my standards.
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