Fall Fishing at Strawberry Reservoir

The fall season is one of my favorite times of year to fish Strawberry Reservoir. As the temperatures start to cool and days become shorter the trout become opportunistic feeders and will start feeding heavily as they prepare for winter. Their aggressive tendencies and attitudes this time of year can make for some special days of fishing.

For this reason, a buddy and I decided to make a quick trip up to Strawberry and we absolutely hammered them, catching well over 45+ fish in just a half a day of fishing. Here are some of the logistics of where we went, what we used, and how we had success trout fishing at Strawberry Reservoir.

Also, if you are looking to connect with other Utah anglers and find some great information and resources be sure to check out the Utah forum on Big Fish Tackle.

Quick Fishing Report Summary

Time fished: 4 hours
Total fish: 45+ cutthroat trout
Anglers fishing: 2
Best fishing spot: Renegade
Best lures and baits: White curly tail jig tipped with a worm
Method: Fished from a bass boat

About Strawberry Reservoir

Strawberry Reservoir is well known as being a premier trout fishery in Utah and is a popular destination for many anglers. Due to its popularity it receives a lot of fishing pressure, but good fishing action can be found year round, especially the spring and fall. With plenty of water to fish and its large population of kokanee salmon, rainbow trout, and cutthroat trout, its a great fishing destination for any angler.

Key Species: Rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, kokanee salmon
Best time to fish: Spring and Fall

Additional Strawberry Reservoir Fishing Resources

Strawberry Fishing Report

Fishing Conditions and Details

Date: 10/12/19
Weather: 50 degrees
Wind: little to no wind
Water temperature: 50 degrees
Water clarity: Murky (5-7ft visibility)
Time of day: 7:45-12:30

What We Used

White Curly Tailed Jigs

What we used: White Burkely Powerbait Grub with a White ball Jighead 1/4 ounce to 1/2 ounce

In the fall you can’t go wrong with fishing a white tube jig or curly tailed jig at the ‘Berry. We caught the majority of our fish on white jigs tipped with a worm. There came a point where we were catching fish every other cast and that’s when we put everything else away and just stuck with this simple rig. Eventually we ran out of our white jig trailers and were forced to switch things up.

If you are looking for an easy and effective rig in the fall a white tube jig is tough to beat, especially when it’s tipped with a worm. This is also a great rig for the family to use and those anglers that are new to fishing.

Flies

We caught a couple fish using some small white flies that were intended to imitate baitfish. We tried a few different techniques, but for whatever reason we didn’t have the same kind of success on flies as we did on the tube jigs.

Jerkbait

I threw a chrome jerkbait early in the morning but without any success. I thought this would have been an effective technique, but the trout didn’t seem to be too interested in the one that I was throwing. After a while with no success I gave up on the jerkbait and just stuck with a white jig.

Where We Fished

Renegade

1st Spot

We launched at the renegade ramp and had some motor issues to start the day, so we started our trip fishing the east bank right next to the ramp. A couple of buddies of mine had success fishing here the week before, so we figured we would give it a try. We probably spent a half hour or so in the spot and got a few bites here and there but we weren’t able to land anything. The water seemed too murky in this area so we decide to make a move once we got our boating issues figured out.

2nd Spot

After the slow start we headed north of the boat ramp and found a nice spot right in front of island mountain. This is where things started to really heat up. We found a bunch of fish feeding on the surface in about 50 ft. of water. We got into a nice group of fish and caught one every other cast using white tube jigs tipped with a nightcrawler. All of the fish caught were cutthroat trout and varied in size. None of them were record breakers by any means but they were sure fun to catch. There were a ton of boats all around renegade and they all seemed to do pretty well from what we saw.

How We Did

Overall we had an awesome day of fishing at Strawberry Reservoir and caught well over 45 cutthroats and had several bites and fish come off at the boat. We caught a few nicer ones but most of them were on the medium to smaller end, but were still a blast to catch.

The key to our success in my mind was putting the trolling motor on high and visually searching for signs of feeding fish. It seemed like the fish were on the move cruising around searching for opportunities to feed.

We caught fish in waves. Once we caught one there were typically a few others in the same spot that were also willing to bite. There were several times where we both caught fish at the same time which made it a lot of fun.

We caught the majority of the fish on a white curly tailed jig and a white tube jig both tipped with a worm at the end of the hook. Most of the action came when we were fishing our jigs just below the surface about 5-10 ft. down. The majority of the fish came while slowly swimming our jigs and every once in a while giving it a subtle twitch or jerk. Anytime we missed a bite we would lower our rod tip down and let our jig fall and in most cases would end up catching them.

Fall Strawberry Reservoir Fishing Tips

Move Around

In the fall trout are aggressively feeding and are on the move as they gear up for winter. If you are not having success in a particular spot, make sure to keep moving around until you can find fish. Trout will often cruise around in a circular pattern searching for opportunities to feed. This is why being on the move is so important. Fishing can be too good this time of year to waste your time in a bad spot.

Tip Your Jigs with a Worm

If you are fishing with a jig, tipping it with a worm is a must. I have tested this out on many occasions and having a small piece of a worm on the end of your jig hook always out performs not having one. In my experience, just a small piece of worm can make a world of a difference.

Be Ready for the Follow up

The fish can be pretty aggressive this time of year and if you get a bite and miss, don’t be surprised if they come back for it. Keeping working your bait or lure in and get ready for a second or third chance at setting the hook. In fact, let your jig fall down and slowly move it up and down. The cutthroats simply won’t be able to resist.

Final Thoughts

We had a great time fishing at Strawberry Reservoir this past weekend and I can’t wait to get back out there again. I hope you have found this fishing report to be insightful and that it helps you in some way on your next fishing trip.

Also, if you are looking for other great spots to fish for trout in Utah be sure to check out The 12 Best Trout Fishing Destinations in Utah

Tight Lines!