# Historical Fish Species in Strawberry Reservoir



## woollybugger (Oct 13, 2007)

Im looking for information about what species of fish have existed in Strawberry Reservoir at one time or another. Since Strawberry is over 100 years old, and the fact that fisheries management has changed considerable over the past century, I wonder if anyone has any sources about which species have been in the reservoir at one time or another. I remember catching brook trout in Soldier Creek back in the 80's. I have heard rumor of brown trout and perch existing in Strawberry during the 60's. 
Also, has anyone taken the recent survey about fisheries management in Strawberry? >>O


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

I took the survey. I think Strawberry is an example of successful fisheries management. Place was in trouble, but has really bounced back! 

I can’t tell you the historical species through the years.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

In the 60's I remember big and I mean big rainbows, and yellowstone cutthroats, along with browns. There were also yellow perch in it before they poisoned it in the early 60's. I also slightly remember chubs but I could be wrong.

I also took the survey


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

just a thought: Have you contacted the Strawberry project coordinator at the DWR? He'd have access to everything you want. No reason not to go straight to the source...


Basically, he'll tell you: Everything. You name it, it's been put in there.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

woollybugger said:


> Also, has anyone taken the recent survey about fisheries management in Strawberry? >>O


No. Do you have a link?

As for the the question, yes it has had about everything. It had perch there over 60 years ago. It also had a bit of a brookie fishery that some old timers loved. Browns too. (I have seen one verified picture of a brown caught there since the most recent treatment) Bass fishermen have bucket biologied smallies too. The current lineup of cutts, bows, kokes, and chubs are well known.

Anyway, PBH is right. Your best bet would be to contact the manager. I believe it is still Alan Ward.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

woollybugger -- thanks for asking this. I've wasted a bunch of time this morning at work reading anything I could find on the history of Strawberry. It has actually been quite interesting. 
There is a bunch of good historical info here: 
https://redrockadventure.com/fish/utah-fishing-lakes-reservoirs/strawberry-reservoir

In particular, I liked this article:
https://redrockadventure.com/fish/u...servoir/154-strawberry-fishery-rotenone-ready

A few comments on what I've read this morning:

A. It took 7 years to grow that 26 lb state record cutthroat! And, it did it _without_ a pisciverous prey base. That's awesome.

B. 30 years. That's how long it has been since the last treatment in 1990. Credit a sound management strategy put in place along with the rotenone treatment for this. Using this strategy and example, Panguitch Lake has followed suit. Panguitch continues to thrive since the treatment 14 years ago in 2006.

C. Both projects (Strawberry and Panguitch) were met with much criticism. Looking back, the DWR obviously made a good call by proceeding with those treatments, and following with the right management strategies to quickly recover and produce thriving fisheries.

D. Finally, all this makes me wonder: What could Scofield be today if rotenone had been used 20 years ago? 10 years ago? 5 years ago? Heck, what could Scofield be next year if it had been treated last year? Unfortunately, the only thing we know today is that we're still waiting to see what Scofield's potential future is.

Strawberry is a good example that people should look at more often.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

I've fished "the berry" since the mid 60's. I don't recall catching any perch. I have great memories of huge rainbows, cutbows , browns and brook trout. 


Trolling out from the willows near East Portal with a strawberry wobbler in the evening would always produce a 5+lb. cut or rainbow.


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## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

PBH said:


> What could Scofield be today if rotenone had been used 20 years ago? 10 years ago? 5 years ago?


Scofield has been treated several times. First time was back in the 50s. Last time was in the early 90s. Those treatments were meant to get rid of the chubs, but obviously didn't work. Current management is using predators (wipers, tiger muskie) to keep the chubs in check. Give it a couple more years and we'll see what happens.


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## crow45 (Aug 23, 2019)

My parents had a cabin at Clarks Camp for years and years stating in the later 50's. Clarks Camp was located by Mud Creek.

Before the first poisoning Strawberry had a very large population of perch. Most of the cabin owners used to use tactics to avoid catching perch because most of them were fishing for trout. They caught: Rainbows, Cutts, an occasional Brown and Brookie and of course Perch. I don't remember them ever catching any chubs. I almost forget they also caught a sucker now and then.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I have a really old pre-reservoir map of that valley. It shows several springs and other features that dont show up on any modern maps. Fishing some of those spots has been amazing... just say'n.


Clarks camp was fun. Spent alot of quarters in that small store there by the spill way. Man, I haven't thought of that in ages. I have a mounted brookie and a cutt from those days on my wall.


LOADS of chubs back then... the ummmm fishing "technique" of the time didnt help. Heheh. Never heard of a perch from there though.



-DallanC


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

My first experience at Strawberry I was around 8 years old. I remember going out in a boat and while the others were fishing I looked down off of the other side of the boat and there was a huge school of yellow perch just swimming in circles near it. This had to be around 60 or 61


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Mid 1980's Strawberry Brookie. Caught just out from the spillway at Clarks Camp










Berry Cutt from the same trip:










-DallanC


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Finnegan said:


> Scofield has been treated several times. First time was back in the 50s. Last time was in the early 90s. Those treatments were meant to get rid of the chubs, but obviously didn't work.


That's incorrect. Those treatments, combined with the management plans at the time, were done as a part of a plan used at the time that called for treatments on a somewhat regular basis. These were not intended to "eliminate" chubs, but rather as a "reset button". This was pretty normal for strategies at that time -- look at other reservoirs, like Johnson Reservoir. Treating them was something that they did every 10 or so years. This provided an opportunity for the trout to get a "head start" over the chubs, and thrive for a period of time until the chubs would again take over....then they'd treat.

With Strawberry (and eventually Panguitch), managers finally said "enough". They drafted a new strategy that called for multiple treatments, ensuring a total kill (vs. partial) combined with protection for the pisciverous species. As has been proven with both Strawberry and Panguitch, it worked. Not only did it work, but the expense of the rotenone treatments have paid for themselves over the long run simply from the success of those projects.



Finnegan said:


> Current management is using predators (wipers, tiger muskie) to keep the chubs in check. Give it a couple more years and we'll see what happens.


Give it a couple more. Sure thing. What's another couple years when it's already been over 20?

Ironically, a couple years is all it would take to be right back where we are today. We could still have those same species (wipers, tiger musky, etc.). The difference? Growth rates! Right now, those fish are seeing very slow growth rates. Had the State treated Scofield with rotenone prior to stocking wipers and tiger musky (and rainbows, cutthroat, tiger trout....), then those same fish would be experiencing FAST growth rates today!

A couple more years...

...if we have to wait a couple more years, why not treat it today and be in better shape when those couple years are up???


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

PBH said:


> With Strawberry (and eventually Panguitch), managers finally said "enough". They drafted a new strategy that called for multiple treatments, ensuring a total kill (vs. partial) combined with protection for the pisciverous species. As has been proven with both Strawberry and Panguitch, it worked. Not only did it work, but the expense of the rotenone treatments have paid for themselves over the long run simply from the success of those projects.


I thought the volume of strawberry is so large now its completely unfeasible to even think about treating the entire lake. When it was a separate lake from Soldier Creek, it wasnt as big of a deal.

IIRC, last time I saw talk of treating strawberry, DWR said it would take the worlds entire production of Roteone for a year to have enough to treat it. That was long ago though and my memory is fuzzy on it. Either way, they will not treat Strawberry ever again.

-DallanC


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

Dallan -- there is no need to treat Strawberry again! The way the last treatment was handled, followed by a sound management plan (even if it was extremely unpopular at the time!), proved successful, and thus there is no reason to consider a treatment today or in the near future.

The sad thing is that the best available tool (rotenone) is being taken out of biologists hands because of people ignorant to it's use. So we'll "give it a couple more years" and see what happens....:noidea:


I'm not saying that the current management plan won't work...eventually. I'm just trying to understand why we want to keep waiting for a solution....


:faint:


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