Utah's Strawberry Tank may arguably be the best trout fishery in the western United States. It has acquired a track record just recently ... throughout the globe ... as a place to catch huge fierce and also rainbow trout.

A beautiful ... and also very large ... high-alpine reservoir, jahody is my favored Utah angling destination. Depending on a mountain-rimmed valley at 7,600 feet, it covers greater than 17,000 acres in most years.

At Strawberry, you'll locate 2 excellent entertainment complexes: Strawberry Bay Leisure Facility as well as Soldier Creek Recreation Complex. With angling access, boat ramps, and full-service marinas. Strawberry Bay additionally has a café. Camping and also barbecue locations lie throughout the Strawberry Storage tank location.

Background Of Strawberry Storage tank

The Strawberry Dam ... on the Strawberry River ... was completed in 1912. Concerning 24 miles (38.6 kilometres) eastern of Heber City. An earthfill structure, the dam is 72 feet high and consisted of 118,000 cubic yards of materials. However trout weren't stocked until 1923. It had not been long, though before Strawberry made a credibility as a dynamite fishery.

It wasn't till 1974 that the Soldier Creek Dam was completed as part of the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Task. It is 7 miles (11.2 kilometres) downstream from Strawberry Dam. The dam between Strawberry and also Soldier Creek was breached in 1985. As well as caused a much more massive storage tank. The water surface of Strawberry Tank increased by about 45 feet. As well as the surface enhanced to its present 17,163 acres.

Yet human activity ... as it does so often ... set in motion a collection of occasions which plagues Strawberry Storage tank to this day. Through the years ... starting around 1945 ... for reasons understood only to those that did it, nongame fish were illegally introduced right into Strawberry. By 1960, those unfavorable non-game fish ... or chubs ... had invaded the fishery. The depressing outcome? Chubs comprised 90% of the fish in the tank.

Strawberry was treated with poison ... rotenone ... in 1961 to eliminate the chubs. Once again, non-game bait fish were introduced right into the storage tank ... possibly in 1972. And by the mid-80's, they made up 93% of the fish in the tank.

So, again, a rotenone project was undertaken in 1990. The largest recognized such treatment in the world. But most likely due to the sheer dimension of the storage tank, not all the fish were eliminated. However, the biologists had a plan. The objective was to take care of the chub's numbers by presenting Bonneville fierce ... a ravenous chub predator ... right into Strawberry. The cutthroats had actually victimized chubs for centuries.

Recent researches ... as well as amazing fishing outcomes ... reveal that this technique is functioning. Majorly. It has actually proven to be really reliable in controlling the chub numbers. The cutthroats ... from Bear Lake supply ... have prospered. As well as, after clean and sterile rainbow trout were presented, they as well have actually thrived.

In 1996, a four fish limitation was introduced. Only one could be over 18 inches. And also anglers were asked ... although not required ... to launch all ruthless trout. The intent was to let the cutthroats grow huge enough ... in enough numbers ... to manage the chub populace.

The state ... recognizing that this program was actually working ... boosted the slot limitation in 2003. All cutthroat between 15 as well as 22 inches needed to be released. You can now maintain one aggressive over 22 inches and also two under 15 inches. But you could keep all the rainbows ... approximately a limit of four.

Although frustrating for those who like to take fish home, the port restriction ... together with the natural growth of the rainbow trout ... has actually caused lots of massive fish. And Strawberry Reservoir is now a world-famous trout angling location.