Yes, big fish roam this large and beautiful lake's depths, but a boat is necessary to reach those hogs most of the time. And seeing as I spend much more time hiking into lakes in the backcountry of Utah, a boat has seemed a superfluous purchase to me.
When Strawberry ices up, though, it opens up the legendary depths of this world-class fishery to everyone. I set out once again to chase some big fish with my partner in crime, Colby. We we armed with a hand auger (yes, my arms are sore as I type this) and a bag full of worms, salmon eggs, and shrimp. We were hoping to maybe get lucky and hook into some Kokanee salmon, but that scenario didn't play out.
We got to the lake right after noon, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous.
Despite the lack of other people in these photos, Colby and I weren't alone. The Berry was packed with other ice fisherman, and while we rigged our gear and drilled holes by hand (a great way to keep warm, by the way) we could hear the hoops and hollers that signaled other anglers on the lake hauling in fish.
Once my hole was drilled, I dumped a tube jig tipped with a salmon egg into my hole.
And I waited.
And I waited some more.
I jigged the tube up and down, sideways, diagonally - basically, the thing was moving plenty. I fished it at every depth. I even tied on a Gitzit jig, then a worm hook, then back to a tube jig. No action, at all.
Colby was stuck in the same situation I was, and it was made worse by the fact that we could see and hear people all around us pulling fish up through the ice, seemingly at will. The fishing was really hot, and was even better in the early morning hours before Colby and I arrived, according to the other fisherman I talked with on the ice. If you want to get into some good fish at the Berry, get there early.
The hours dragged on, and still nothing. Finally, at about 4, Colby and I agreed to give the fish another half hour, and if we still hadn't had any action, we'd pack up and head home.
About five minutes after that agreement, my pole started dipping down ever so slightly. The tip would bounce, then settle, then bounce again. Finally, I grabbed my rod and set the hook, and my drag started screaming. I had a sizable fish on the other end!
I pulled the fish up through the ice, and say a very solid cutthroat. Sadly, he didn't want to stay around for a picture. The fish threw the hook and dived back down into the water.
A few minutes later, Colby pulled out his own cutt. This one and the one I caught were both about the same size - 17 inches and right around 2 pounds. A solid, stocky fish. Per the slot limits at Strawberry, this beautiful fish was released.
After that, the action died completely. No more fish were brought to hand, but despite only 2 fish in over 4 hours on the ice, Colby and I felt as if the trip was a success.
That's a funny thing about fishing - it's not always about catching the fish. It's about the experience, about getting away and losing yourself in God's country for a while. This trip was one of the most relaxing fishing trips I've been on in a while, and even though the fish were sparse, it was a blast.
I plan on making a return trip to the Berry later this season, hopefully after I make it down to Fish Lake.
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