Springtime! Anglers ready for good fishing
On their first day they caught 55 fish in the 2- to 6-pound class. On the third day, they launched their fishing expedition at 4:30 a.m.
They used a jerk bait called the "XPS Excalibur." At one point, a 1-pound fish hit the bait and was followed by a fish that was more than 3 feet long.
On Day 4, while fishing a cove in Last Chance, at around 5:30 a.m., Michelle Gonzales got a hit that she thought was a side-hooked striper because it felt heavy and moved slowly. It turned out to be a 34.5-pound striped bass.
Their secret was to find a successful technique — stop and go jerk bait — and stick with it.
For the past three years, said Wayne Gustaveson, lake biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the shad have been abundant and shad imitating hard plastic lures were the most consistent baits.
Now shad numbers have declined in the southern half of the lake and crayfish are the most common food item. Crayfish are bottom dwellers that scoot from rock to rock. That makes the old standby plastic grub the best bait. Bounce the plastic grub on the bottom, then lift and drop it to the bottom again. Anything eating crayfish — all species of game fish — can be caught in this manner. Crayfish are green and brown in color so plastic in these tones are preferred.
Walleye, stripers and bass have moved into the rocks along the main channel to feed on crayfish. Long rocky shorelines where wind and boat wakes consistently stir up muddy water are hotspots for crawdads.
Elsewhere, the ice is off Strawberry Reservoir, which means good fishing.
"This is a special time of year for fishing Strawberry Reservoir, and many anglers know it," says Scott Root, DWR conservation outreach manager. "Immediately after the ice gets blown off the reservoir, anglers have good success using about all fishing techniques.
"Fish tend to be found in shallower water and have a voracious appetite," he said. "Some of the best methods include casting dark-colored woolly buggers, tube jigs or other minnow-imitating lures near the shoreline.
Some anglers claim to be catching and releasing more than 50 trout using these techniques.
Boats can be launched at all of the traditional boat ramps, and boat docks have been placed in the reservoir. The Strawberry Reservoir Visitor Center and the campgrounds around the reservoir are open.
To make a campsite reservation, call Campground America at 1-877-444-6777.
Special regulations at Strawberry are in place to protect cutthroats in the 15- to 22-inch range. Anglers can have 4 trout or kokanee salmon in the aggregate. No more than two may be cutthroat trout under 15 inches, and no more than one may be a cutthroat trout over 22 inches.
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