Fall Fly Fishing at Strawberry

For fall fly fishing at Strawberry, start by finding reachable feeding water, then retrieve a Woolly Bugger - Bead Head, Olive #10, or suspend a Balanced Leech, Red #10, at a measured depth. Change depth before repeatedly changing colors. Watch for surface feeding: an autumn subsurface box does not cover every hatch.

Quick answer: Look for accessible weed edges, shelves and changes in depth. Retrieve a single bugger to explore a stretch; suspend a single leech or chironomid to spend longer at a chosen level. Check the fly for weeds, control slack and test depth and motion separately. Consistent rises may call for a surface fly outside this selection.

Fall is an opportunity, not a fixed schedule

Cooling through autumn can create opportunities to reach feeding trout from shore. Chad Agy describes that seasonal opportunity in his September 24, 2025 Strawberry article. The useful question on your trip is whether fish are within reach now. A promising shoreline can change with wind, light, vegetation and the depth available beside it.

There is local evidence for autumn bank fishing—and for looking beyond streamers. High Country Fly Fishers' September 17–21, 2025 Strawberry outing report describes a bank-fishing seminar and anglers finding rising fish at different locations. Its September 2024 outing report includes shore fishing with hopper patterns and a session cut short by wind. These are dated examples, not a forecast for your trip. HCFF activity reports.

Begin with observation. Look for repeated rises, fish following the shoreline, a visible weed edge and somewhere you can cast and retrieve without crossing other anglers. One splash is a clue; repeated feeding along the same path is more useful. Give yourself a reason to choose the first cast.

Before your trip, check the Strawberry Reservoir seasonal guide and dated conditions.

Choose reachable water before choosing another fly

From shore, test the nearest useful water before lengthening the cast. Make a small fan of presentations across an identifiable feature. Notice where the fly collects vegetation or where a follow begins. Neither is a depth reading, but both help you choose the next presentation.

A floating line is a practical starting point for the two rigs below. It is not a way to reach every depth in Strawberry. When fish are beyond its useful range, choose another accessible area or an appropriate sinking-line system. A longer countdown alone cannot solve every line-and-depth mismatch. Phil Rowley's sinking-line teaching emphasizes matching the system to the layer and using repeatable countdowns to compare presentations. Rowley, August 25, 2025.

Before leaving, check weather and seasonal facilities. The federal Strawberry Bay listing is a planning reference, not confirmation that a ramp or service is operating. Check the reservoir and tributary entries in the current Utah fishing guidebook. A lake bank-fishing suggestion does not authorize fishing a closed tributary. DWR's September 1, 2026 kokanee notice also warns against disturbing spawning fish and eggs.

Choose a role for each fly

The fall selection gives you several subsurface profiles. It does not identify what a trout ate merely because that trout took the fly.

Start with one choice, then make a deliberate comparison. For example, change an Olive #10 bugger to an Olive #12 Pine Squirrel Leech while keeping the cast direction and retrieve similar. Hook number is not a measurement of weight; recheck the actual presentation after the change.

Two ways to fish: retrieve or suspend

Retrieve one bugger to explore

Join a floating line to a 7-foot-6-inch tapered 3X leader, using the factory loops. Add 18 finished inches of 3X fluorocarbon with a double surgeon's knot. Tie on Woolly Bugger - Bead Head, Olive #10, with a non-slip mono loop approximately ¼ inch long. Include that loop when measuring the extension to the fly eye. The nominal total is 9 feet. Use one fly, without an indicator or added shot.

This is our shallow-water starting setup, not a named guide's prescribed formula. Check every connection with a firm pull before casting.

Keep the rod tip low and pointed along the line. Control the line with your rod hand and retrieve with the other hand, gathering loose line where it will not snag. Start with a 3-inch strip followed by a 2-second pause. These are practice settings, not a proven Strawberry catch formula. During the pause, maintain contact without feeding a loose pile of line toward the fly.

Compare a 5-second countdown with 10 seconds, using similar casts and the same retrieve. Countdowns measure time, not feet. A fly's path also depends on its weight, leader, line, wind and retrieve. Watch it in visible water first; three inches of line pulled does not guarantee three inches of fly travel.

A follow without a take gives you a more specific experiment: shorten the strip, lengthen the pause or try the smaller Pine Squirrel Leech. Change one variable. The smaller fly replaces the bugger; it is not tied behind it. If a fish takes while you have direct contact, draw the line firmly to come tight, then use the rod to fight it rather than making repeated sharp strikes.

Suspend one leech at a checked level

Suspending gives a fly longer in a chosen layer. It does not make the fly motionless: wind, waves, line movement and a drifting boat can all move it. Rowley describes indicator fishing as a way to control the level and reduce forward movement. He also favors level leader material below an indicator; a conventional taper can sink in an arc. Fish Untamed's interview with Phil Rowley.

For the simple, shallower-water example here, loop a 9-foot tapered 3X leader to the floating line. Add 12 finished inches of 4X fluorocarbon with a double surgeon's knot. Attach Balanced Leech, Red #10, with a ¼-inch non-slip mono loop included in that extension measurement. Total nominal leader length is 10 feet. Use one fly and no added shot.

In an example with 6 feet of water and a clear bottom, put the adjustable indicator 5 feet above the fly eye, measured along the leader. The intended starting position is about a foot above bottom. Five feet of leader below an indicator does not guarantee five feet of vertical depth: line bow, taper and movement matter.

Find depth at the intended presentation with an appropriate depth locator or sounder used from a safe position. A measurement at your feet does not establish the depth of a distant cast. Remove any temporary locator weight before fishing, and account for weed tops as well as bottom.

Check the wet leech's hanging angle beside you; its name alone does not prove it hangs level. Use the smallest readable indicator that actually supports it. If the taper prevents the intended presentation, change to a suitable level or specialist leader system rather than assuming fixed leader distances have solved depth.

Let gentle surface movement work the fly, keeping excess slack from masking a take. Lift smoothly when the indicator dips, stops unexpectedly or travels against its previous movement. A weed or wave can give a false signal; repeated fouling calls for a depth adjustment.

To try a smaller profile, replace the leech with Ice Cream Cone Chironomid #16, tied with a five-turn improved clinch. Recheck support and fishing depth. This remains a single-fly rig; #16 is an available option, not a claim about every Strawberry chironomid.

When a method stops working, change things in order

1. Check the fly and connection. Remove weeds and inspect the hook, knot and tippet. A fouled fly cannot give you a fair color comparison.
2. Recheck the layer. Compare countdowns on the retrieve. With the indicator, test a 6–12-inch change and check clearance again. A drifting boat can cross a contour without any change in indicator spacing.
3. Change motion. Compare smaller strips or longer pauses. On the suspended rig, test one small movement and then let the fly settle instead of continually towing it.
4. Change profile. Try the Pine Squirrel Leech instead of a bugger, or the chironomid instead of a balanced leech. Keep the other variables as similar as practical.
5. Switch method or location. Retrieve to search another path; suspend when you have a reason to hold a particular layer. If neither produces evidence, choose another accessible feature instead of cycling endlessly through colors.

Record what actually changed: fly, count, motion, location and response. “Olive worked” is less useful than knowing where it traveled and how you presented it.

Know when a subsurface selection is the wrong tool

Repeated nose breaks, visible adults disappearing or fish repeatedly tracking insects near the surface justify a closer look. A rise shape suggests where to investigate; it does not reliably identify a species or life stage by itself.

If fish are consistently taking surface adults, use an appropriate dry after identifying the food. This selection has no dry flies, and an Ice Cream Cone Chironomid pupa is not an adult dry. Local autumn surface reports are a reason to observe, not a reason to promise that a subsurface recipe handles everything.

Choose the flies for the method

Use the exact flies in the table above to build a focused subsurface comparison for the two methods in this guide. You can also compare the existing 54-Pack Stillwater Assortment if you want a broader assortment. Choose by the actual recipe and presentation you need, then check the product page for current contents and availability.

Frequently asked questions

Can I fly fish Strawberry from shore in the fall?

Yes. Dated local club reports document fall bank fishing, including opportunities with rising fish. Success depends on reachable feeding water, conditions and access; it is not guaranteed at every shoreline. Check current regulations, weather and seasonal facilities before your trip.

Can I use a floating line for these two methods?

Yes, for accessible shallower water. The retrieved rig uses a nominal 9-foot leader and one bugger; the suspended rig uses a nominal 10-foot leader and one fly. Neither setup reaches every depth in Strawberry. Change the line system or location when necessary.

Does a ten-second countdown mean my fly is ten feet deep?

No. It is a repeatable settling time, not a depth measurement. Fly weight, leader, line, wind and retrieve affect the actual path. Compare counts with the same setup and verify the layer rather than converting seconds directly into feet.

Do the subsurface examples in this guide include dry flies?

No. The subsurface examples are buggers, Pine Squirrel Leeches, Balanced Leeches, chironomids and scuds. If fish are selectively taking surface adults, identify that food and choose an appropriate dry outside this subsurface selection.

Keep learning

• Which Woolly Bugger Color and Size Should I Use?
• Three Woolly Bugger Retrieves
• How to Fish a Balanced Leech

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