Flies and lures only way to go for today's anglers

It's been difficult, but some of the old-time Strawberry anglers are finding they have to change their ways. The old pop-gear-and-worm method of fishing has gone the way of the old dial-up telephones.

Flies and lures are the new touch-tones for today's anglers.

And the reasons are simple — they work. This is especially so at this time of the year when the surface temperature of the water is warmer than fish like, so they go deep.

One longtime Strawberry angler reluctantly turned in the old pop-gear and worm for a fly and, on his first trip to the reservoir, reported he caught more fish than he'd hooked in a long, long time — all fat and healthy.

The latest report is that the fish are current holding at a depth of 35 feet in water that is 50 feet or deeper. This is where fish find the most comfortable water temperature.

What has been working well has been a fly connected to a long leader or a lure like a Rapala, trolled deep.

There is a belief that the pop-gear actually scares the fish off, where a single fly or lure doesn't.

And, again, the secret is to get the fly or lure down to the fish.

Another angler reported catching 12 fish from within his float tube. The first four were hard to catch and took a long time. Deciding to call it quits, he started a slow troll back and let out a lot of line. On the short ride back he caught eight. The reason for his success was the extra line allowed the fly to drop down to where the fish were holding.

Popular flies have been the white Crystal Killer and the brown California leech.

Most of the fish have been in the 18- to 20-inch class, with a few going over the slot limit of 22 inches.

The Uintas, as is typical for this time of the year, have been excellent for catchable-size trout. Popular lakes have been Trial, Mirror and Washington. One large group of anglers hiked into the backcountry and reported catching about 300 fish among them over a two-day span.

Elsewhere around the state, the latest report from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources shows:

LOST CREEK RESERVOIR — Fishing success was fair to good. Anglers report success using PowerBait, especially orange and green. Pressure was moderate to heavy.