By Dave Webb
On Monday, Sept 29, 2025, we fished Strawberry Reservoir and enjoyed great fishing plus amazing fall colors. The aspen trees on the hillsides above the reservoir were ablaze with gold, orange, and fire-red. It was a great time to be out.
We drove up the Sheep Creek Road from Spanish Fork Canyon. At lower elevations, colors were muted. As we approached the tops of the mountains, the hues became intense. That drive is wonderful at this time of year. The road was dry, and it was easy to pull a boat over the high passes. (That will change over the next weeks. Storms can drop snow on that road at any time. It will close for the winter in late October or early November.)
Fish have definitely noticed the change in seasons and are settling into a fall pattern. Water temperatures are falling, and that means active trout may be found in relatively shallow water where they are easy to reach without specialized gear. We caught rainbows and cutthroats near the surface and down 10 feet or so. We also graphed fish deeper, but didn't target them this trip.
Trout become aggressive during the fall. They seem to sense the approaching winter and they feed aggressively to put on weight for to hold them through the cold months. Minnow-imitating lures are very effective during the fall. Rapalas and Pointer Minnows are popular, as are Kastmasters, Needlefish, tube jigs and many other patterns. I like to use a white or speckled jig, lobbing it toward shore and working it back toward the boat.
Pretty much everything we tried caught slot-sized cutthroat and an occasional rainbow. We didn't catch any slot busters this trip, which means we carefully released all fish caught. At Strawberry, I like to use lures with a single hook so I can easily pop the hook out of the fish's mouth without touching the fish or lifting it out of the water. (Fish are a valuable resource, and I do what I can to keep them alive.)
If I want to invite a fish home for dinner, I target rainbows by working the channels up near inlets. I catch more nice bows in those areas.
At Strawberry, the air temperature is usually pleasant when the sun is shining, but it can get really chilly during stormy weather and after sunset. Always have cold-weather gear when you fish there during the fall.
Fishing should just get better and better as fall progresses, until cold weather makes it unpleasant to fish.
I'll be out another time or two.