Strawberry Reservoir is well known as being one of the premier trout fisheries in Utah. With the recent ice-off conditions, we thought it would be the perfect time make a fishing trip to the ‘Berry. Here are some of the logistics of where we went, what we used, and how we caught fish at Strawberry Reservoir.
Strawberry Reservoir Fishing Report
Our original weekend fishing plan was to hit up Starvation Reservoir and go after some trout and bass, but when we heard we could get a boat out on Strawberry Reservoir we couldn’t pass the chance at some fishing at ice-off. So some buddies and I woke up early and spent the day chasing some fish at Strawberry Reservoir.
Coming in we had some high expectations and unfortunately the results didn’t quite live up to our pre-fishing excitement, but we still had a good time. We fished from about 6:45am-1:45pm and ended up catching 8 nice trout between the 3 of us (1 Rainbow and 7 Cutthroat). We had some fish get off and missed a few bites and even though we missed some opportunities, it was still a solid day of fishing.
Strawberry Reservoir Fishing Conditions
We couldn’t have asked for better weather conditions. The water was glass, there was little to no wind and it was clear sunny skies, which made it a great day to be outside and enjoy the lake. Here are some of the specific weather details:
Weather
Air temperature around 59 degrees, skies mostly sunny with some clouds.
Wind
Very little wind most of the day
Water Clarity
Lightly Stained, Visibility was about 5 – 6 feet deep.
Water Temperature
Water temperatures was about 37-47 degrees depending on the spot/time of day
Strawberry Reservoir Fishing Spots
Fence Line
We started the day off by fishing the fence line that is located just south of the Strawberry Marina. We have had some good success here in the past and it wasn’t too much of a run from where we launched.
We bounced around a little bit around the fence line to try and figure out what depth they were in. We ended up catching a couple fish here in about 20 ft. of water with a white tube jig tipped with a night crawler. After about an hour or so we decided to move and find a better spot.
Portal Bay
After picking up a few fish in our first spot we decided to try and find somewhere with a little more action. We thought we would try another spot that has been good to us in the past. We ended up fishing the cover near Portal Bay.
After about 20 minutes of fishing Jigs and PowerBait, my buddy tied on a big gold Jake and slammed a nice cutthroat on the first cast. We stayed here for a bit, but didn’t have much luck. It was time for a big move.
Renegade Point
At this point in the trip we knew we needed to mix things up. We weren’t having much success with what we were doing so we decided to make big move and fish at Renegade which is at the south-west corner of Strawberry. We saw more fishing boats on this part of the lake which seemed like it was a good sign.
Our first stop was the second point on the far west side. We got a few bites on jigs and a Jake and ending up catching a couple before moving on to the rocky shoreline near Renegade Point. This ended up being the most productive spot of the day.
After fishing in 15-30 feet of water most of the day, we decided to change things up and target the shallow rocky areas with drop-off. Sure enough on the first cast we landed a nice cutthroat and things heated up from there. Most of the fish we caught were in 5-15 ft. of water.
Strawberry Reservoir Lures and Baits
We threw pretty much everything we had and fished tube jigs (white, pink, chartreuse) tipped with worms, PowerBait, spinners, and jerk-baits. We caught all of our fish on white jigs and a gold Jake. Here are some details on what we fished with and how we did with each lure and bait:
Jakes Lure – This was one of our more successful lures on the day. I threw a small silver and red with not much luck but my buddy threw a bigger gold and red Jake and caught a couple of fish and had several bites.
Tube Jigs – Fishing with a Jig is a fun and effective way to catch cutthroat trout especially this time of year. We tried a few different variations but ultimately a white/pearl tube jig 1/8-1/4th oz was the ticket. We caught 5 using this technique.
PowerBait – PowerBait was overall a big bust. We did manage to catch a small cutthroat on rainbow twist but that was the only one of the day. Looking back, we should of probably just used tube jigs and lures.
Jerkbaits – We fished a few different variations of jerkbaits but I don’t thing we had the right size or colors. If we had a white or ghost color with a smaller profile, I bet we would have picked up a few on this technique.
Spinners – We tried tossing a few other spinners in both gold and silver but didn’t have any luck outside of fishing a Jake.
Strawberry Reservoir Ice-Off Fishing Tips
Fish Shallow – Looking back this is something that I wish we would have stuck to earlier. During Ice-off the fish will move shallow and feed. You will see the most success fishing in 5-25 ft. of water.
Jigs and Jerkbaits – If you are targeting cutthroat’s, jigs and jerkbaits are the way to go. The best colors are white and pearl.
Move Around – If you are not catching fish in 20 minutes, move around. Fish group up this time of year, and if they’re not where you are fishing it’s going to be a tough day.
Trout Fishing Resources & Techniques
- Best Lures for Brook Trout
- Best Trout Lures for Rivers and Streams
- Fishing a Drop Shot Rig for Trout
- Fishing a Ned Rig for Trout
Final Thoughts
Although it was a slower day, we still had a great time fishing Strawberry Reservoir. We ended up landing 8 fish on the day, but had several bites and had a few get off. We talk to some other anglers and they found success fishing in 5-35 ft. Now is a great time fish Strawberry Reservoir and I can’t wait to get back out there. See you out on the waters.
Tight Lines!
