At just over 7,600 feet above sea level, Strawberry Reservoir is one of the largest high mountain lakes in the United States. The water is cold, clean, and surpasses the quality standards for a blue ribbon fishery. This means that harmful bacterial blooms are infrequent and the fish here grow faster and bigger. Eighteen to twenty-four inch trout here are the norm—not the exception.
Based on angler reports, there is no question that Strawberry Reservoir is one of the most productive trout waters in the Western United States. For an update on current fishing conditions visit the strawberry reservoir fishing report.
Fish Species and Populations
Strawberry reservoir is also one of the best cutthroat fisheries in the West. Anglers can find large cutthroats and rainbow trout, as well as strong populations of Kokanee salmon and a few smallmouth bass. Fishing action for all species is strong and consistent throughout the year.
The most popular game fish species in Strawberry Reservoir include Bearlake Cutthroat trout, Rainbow trout, Kokanee salmon, and smallmouth bass.
In addition to healthy populations of trout, salmon, and bass, Strawberry Reservoir is also home to Red Shiners, Utah Chubs and Utah Suckers.
Cutthroat Trout
A majority of cutthroat (60%) found in Strawberry Reservoir come from natural reproducing populations. The tributaries that feed the reservoir provide excellent habitat for spawning Bear Lake cutthroats and every year fresh fingerlings return to the reservoir to add to the population.
During the spring and summer months cutthroats can be caught using a variety of fishing methods including jigging, cast and retrieve, and trolling. Your go-to setup for catching cutthrout is going to be a 3-5 inch white tube jig—with a 3/4 oz jighead—tipped with a piece of nightcrawler. The heavier jighead allows you to cast farther.
During the early morning of the summer we’ve found that cutthroats are typically about 5 to 10 feet deep so you want to reel in fairly quickly to keep your jig high in the water. As the day progresses, cutthroat are found a little deeper so you also want to allow your jig to settle a little deeper after each cast before reeling in. A slow reel mixed with som jerking motions will often get a bite.
Cutthroat fishing remains good throughout the winter months and winter often produces the highest catch rates of the year. Fishing jigs or small lures (tipped a worm or minnows) about a 1-2 feet off the bottom in about 25 to 40 feet of water should be your default strategy for targeting cutthroat during the colder months.
Kokanee
Like cutthroats, Kokanee salmon also reproduce in the reservoir’s tributary streams and rivers. A lot of Kokanee found in Strawberry come from natural reproducing populations, but wild life managers stock Kokanee annually to keep populations abundant and healthy.
Kokanee fishing in Strawberry is excellent year round but it’s illegal to harvest kokanee from September 10 to November 30. Kokanee salmon season begins Dec 1 but really picks up each spring after ice off around mid May.
Soldier Creek is going to be your sweet spot for fishing for kokanee during early spring. Some anglers report success fishing kokanee at Mud Creek, but our experience suggests you’ll find a lot more kokanee in Soldier Creek.
Bar far the most popular method to catch kokanee on Strawberry Reservoir is trolling. Trolling allows you to cover a lot of water which greatly increases your chances of hooking one of these fish. When kokanee are running shallow during early spring you’ll want to add some planner boards to your setup and during later summer downriggers to get your bait down a little deeper.
Another popular way to fish kokanee is jigging, especially during the winter months through the ice.
Hands down your best bait setup for targeting kokanee on Strawberry is a Hoochie lure tipped with a maggot or small piece of worm.
Rainbow Trout
Rainbow trout are found in many of the same areas as cutthroat, but you’ll typically catch more rainbows near shore in about 5 to 15 feed of water.
A favorite bait that will pull rainbows out of Strawberry all day long is green garlic scented powerbait. Suspend it on a single hook about 3″ below the surface under a bobber or clear plastic bubble you should start getting strikes if there are Rainbows are in the vicinity. This is probably the simplest way to fish Rainbows in Strawberry and it works great. You may even catch some cutthroats in the process.
Alternatively, throw a couple split shot weights on your line, let it sink and then suspend in 15 or 20 feet of water. Test different depths in the water column ’til you find where the fish are. Another simple technique yet effective technique. Suspending powerbait can really catch a lot of trout.
If bait fishing isn’t your thing, a white 3″-4″ tube jig fished on a 1/16 to 1/8 oz weighted jighead hook is a great setup that trout can’t resist. Work the head of the hook up into the tube jig then break a hole for the eye of the hook to come through and attached your line. This is a great setup for casting, and if you tip your hook with a tidbit of juicy worm even better. That worm will keep trout coming back again and again.
As with your bait setups, fish your jig at different depths. Start shallow in about 10 to 15 feet of water and work your way down until you start getting strikes. Sometimes you’ll find Rainbows in 20, 30, even 40 feet of water feeding just off the bottom. The key is to keep moving around. Regardless of whether you’re fishing powerbait or jigs you want change depths, try different locations and just change things up. Give each location about 15-20 minutes and then move on until you find your sweet spot.
If want to try out your fly rod, fish a white streamer from the shore using a weight jighead. The extra weight from the jig really provides for some solid distance casts and ensures a good subsurface retrieve. If you don’t have a jighead, add a split shot to the line just before your streamer near the eye of the hook. This works just as well. Cast out as far as you can then strip back that streamer with short quick jerks. You don’t want the streamer going any deeper than 5 feet so keep your retrieve steady. You can also use this same technique from a boat. Works great for catching rainbow trout.
All rainbows found in Strawberry are stocked by Utah wild life management. Before entering the reservoir trout are sterilized to ensure they cannot mate with native cutthroats. Notwithstanding, Strawberry rainbows are large, fast and provide anglers a wicked fun fight when hooked.
Where to Fish
The four major fishing areas on Strawberry Reservoir are the Narrows, Solider Creek Basin, Strawberry Basin, and Meadows Basin (aka Indian Creek Bay)—a personal favorite.
If you’re looking for larger fish, make sure to fish the back of Indian Creek Bay. Underwater springs in the area produce cooler highly oxygenated water that attracts big fish. You may not find as many fish here, but they’re all keepers. One of the best spots is one mile due south of the restrooms at Haws Point.
If you want to catch a bunch of fish, go over to the Soldier Creek side near the mouth of the Narrows. Fish aren’t as big, but there’s a bunch of them.
A few recommended fishing hot spots at Strawberry Reservoir:
- Anywhere near Soldier Creek Dam
- Underwater springs in Indian Creek
- Indian Creek Bay for larger fish
- Mouth of the Narrows
- Shore fishing off Mudcreek
- Any of the coves
- Soldier Creek mid-summer for Kokanee
If you’re looking for a fun fishing spot for the kids, try wetting your line of the side of Soldier Creek Dam Day Use Area closest to the dam. It’s a very scenic spot to fish and on a good day you can even see trout suspending in the water.
There’s nothing better than fishing Strawberry during the heat of summer, just know the fish start moving deeper when water temperature reach about 60°F.
When it’s too windy and wavy for trolling, focus on fishing the coves about 30 yards off shore. The churning water tends to stir up aquatic insects off the bottom that draws in trout to feed.
When to Fish
No question that early morning is the best time to fish Strawberry Reservoir. Fish are actively feeding at this time of day and catches are consistent. You’ll find good fishing throughout the day, but once the sun is up, the best fishing has ended. Dusk can also be a productive time to fish.
Spring is one of the most popular fishing seasons on Strawberry. During spring “ice-off” as the ice sheet melts away, locals head to the reservoir to pull giant Cutthroats and Rainbows from the warmer water of the shallows where trout are found in droves looking for a fresh meal. The first months of spring produce some of the largest catches of the season.
Trout, salmon and bass are plentiful throughout the summer months and winter is no less spectacular. No suprise, some of the best hardwater trout fishing in the west is also found at Strawberry Reservoir. The best ice fishing at Strawberry occurs from December through mid February.
Flies, Lures and Baits
Most anglers fish Strawberry using spinning gear, but a good fly rod setup is another popular option. Trout in Strawberry will take a variety of flies and lures.
As far as flies go, a #6 woolly bugger streamer is your go-to fly. An olive body with black hackle is a proven pattern, but you can experiment with different color combos. Red on black with gray hackle is another popular presentation.
You can fish a woolly bugger on sinking line or your standard floating fly line with about about a 3″ 3X-tippet leader. 20-25 pound test is ideal. When using standard line, you can add a small shot weight to your leader just above the hook to get your fly lower in the water column.
When fishing a bugger, slow steady strips usually get the fish biting. Just let your bugger sink to the desired depth and then begin your retrieve. If that doesn’t do the trick, experiment with different retrieval speeds and movements.
During late spring and early summer when fly hatches are in full swing, you’ll find some good surface action fishing dry flies. Matching the hatch with your fly pattern is most productive. Just cast your fly and let it sit.
Lures work just as well as flies on Strawberry. In fact, the majority of fish pulled from the reservoir are caught using lures.
Spinners are the lure of choice among anglers that fish Strawberry, and they work particularly well in late evening. Casting in toward the shore and retrieving back to the boat is an effective technique. Spinners can also be trolled deep or just under the surface.
Spoons, tubes, jerkbaits and jigs are also popular lures for targeting trout, salmon and bass on Strawberry. A white tube jig tipped with a nightcrawler, wax worm or chub will keep the fish biting all day long.
When it comes to baits, you can’t beat a good old nightcrawler or some powerbait. These two baits will catch as many fish as any lure or fly. Fished near the mouths of streams or over one of the several springs located on Strawberry will generate a lot nice catches.
One of the most effective techniques for fishing bait at Strawberry is to suspend just off the bottom. Add a small marshmallow to a hook with a worm and it should float a few inches above the bottom. Powerbait will float on its own and doesn’t require any help.
Pro Tips
Here are a few pro tips from local anglers for increasing your catch rate on Strawberry Reservoir.
Tip 1: Keep moving. The more you move around the more fish you will catch. Move spots but also change depths. Fish shallow. Fish deep.
Tip 2: Use white. You can use a white curly tail jig, white tube jig, white streamer, or white spinner. Use white and you’ll catch more fish.
Tip 3: Fish with nightcrawlers. Tip your lures with a bit of nightcrawler and fish will keep coming back to strike your line again and again.
Boat Ramps
The following boat ramps provide access to Strawberry Reservoir.
Strawberry Bay Marina
Miles E of US, 23, #40
Heber City, UT 84032
Directions
Renegade Point Boat Ramp
HWY40
Heber City, UT 84032
Directions
Soldier Creek Boat Ramp
Directions
Aspen Grove Boat Ramp
Heber City, UT 84032
Directions
Chicken Creek Boat Ramp
Forest Rd 646
Heber City, UT 84032
Directions
Mud Creek (small boat launch)
Mud Creek Fisherman Acc
Heber City, UT 84032
Directions
