Hey BFT’ers I am thinking about hitting the berry on Saturday, how thick is the ice, can I drill through it with a hand auger? Also where should I go, I have only been able to get up there once this winter and I got skunked. I am willing to walk a while if I have to. Thanks for any info.
SKUNKED AT STRAWBERRY???
is that posible??.. hmmm … I guess if guy didn’t drill a hole…
the ice is in great condition
hand auger? yup use sharp blades.
tip: 1 the descent.
** when you are dropping down stop your jig dead and count too 5 set the hook with a quick jerk…do this every 5 ’ nothing… continue down to the bottom, till your line is slack tip#2…bounce the bottom hard afew times then reel up 6 " and set the rod down.**
tip:3
Dead stick any jig (glow works great for me)6" from the bottom in 30’ of water.
try a tip#4bite sensor to hook the shy ones.
tip with mealy… and you should have great success.
If you miss the hookset, no problem, just drop it right back and they will slam it again, and again.
have had success in almost every place I’ve tried. with at least 20’ feet o water
the bite slows Waaayyy down around 10:00 so get your time in early…even in the dark is good!!
if the bite kills, imediately switch bait to a different flavor, especialy half a crawler.
have your tape measure out and ready, cuz when you get into them it’s gonna be fast and furiou
and most importantly tip#5
don’t forget to drill a hole in the ice first!!
Hey PBR that last trip was the first time I have ver been skunked at Strawberry, we didn’t even get there until dark so maybe that had something to do with it? Thanks for the info, I just hope I will be able to make it up there[unimpressed]
Trevor, MGB and I will also be fishing Strawberry on Saturday. We will have a power auger, and no guarantees, but both of us have had some success up there this year. You are welcome to tag along if you would like. If you are interested send me a PM and I will give you the particulars.
H4BB-
On tuesday the ice conditions were perfect and easy walking and the fishing was good. It was about 30 inches thick with solid ice and hard packed frozen snow. I use a hand auger with sharp blades and its not a problem. We usually use the hand auger with 2 people facing each other and both working the auger and it is a breeze to get through the 30 inches.
They probably got several inches of snow last night and if they got more than about 6 inches it could have weighed the ice down and created a slush layer but I hope not.
PBR gave some good advice about technique but we haven’t been catching very many suspended fish. All of them have been on the bottom. The suggestion about bouncing the jig on the bottom a few times and then dead sticking it about 6’’ up is a winner.
If it was me I would hook up with kentofnsl and MGB on saturday since they offered. Those two guys know what they are doing when it comes to Strawberry.
Good luck!
Thanks for the invite kentofnsl, but I had t owork today, hope you guys catch some fish![:)]I wish I could have gone[:(]