Bear Lake
Bear Lake is a natural lake formed 28 thousand years ago by earthquake
activity. The lake is 20 miles long and 8 miles wide. Some points are
208 feet deep. The lake has 112 square miles of total water surface.
The water is an aqua blue color due to calcium carbonate in the water.
Bear Lake can be reached from Montpelier Idaho and Logan Utah.
Fishing is open year round on this lake with shores in Idaho and Utah.
The Fish
| Bear Lake Whitefish |
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Bear Lake Whitefish - a strain of whitefish specific to Bear Lake
confined to about 60 ft. depth and greater. These fish are relatively
unharvested and are small.
Bonneville Whitefish - another strain of whitefish. These are best taken
from Feb. thru ice out. Best place is the South shore with bait, lures, and
jigs. There is a 20 fish limit.
| Bonneville Whitefish |
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Mackinaw Trout - During ice out and in November they can be found
in 10 to 40 feet of water near the shore, feeding heavily. In the summer
they will be deep, near the bottom, and a lot of fishermen use vertical jigs.
Trolling near the bottom may be good as well. Macks 6 to 12 pounds are common!
Cutthroat Trout - The most popular fish in Bear Lake. The Idaho record cut
was caught here in 1970 at 18 lbs. 15 oz!
Ice fishing for cutthroat is good. Use Jigs and Swedish Pimples.
In the summer trolling with Rapalas and Flatfish about 70 feet down.
Perch are found in Bear Lake.
| "Bonneville Cisco" |
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Bonneville Cisco - These are small fish similar to smelt. They are caught
on the beach in mid-winter with dip nets. Season is Jan 1 to Feb 15. Limit 30
fish.
Fishing Reports for Bear Lake
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2/25/05
The Cisco run was good this year! Fishing is good for cutthroat
and whitefish off the rockpile.
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4/25/05
The ice is out at Bear Lake. Fishing for lake trout and cutthroats is slow.
Folks trolling shallow are doing the best. Use spoons, rapalas, and tube jigs
tipped with Cisco.
Fishguy
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5/20/05
130,000 cutthroat fingerlings have just been planted in Bear Lake.
Fishing for cutts up to 30 inches should be as good as it will get.
Use lures that look like a little Cisco, or tip your jigging lure
with a little Cisco meat.
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July 14, 2005
Fishing on the lake this past week was spotty. This does not necessarily mean
this fishing is poor, rather that some anglers are doing very well and others
are just not catching a lot of fish. What was working well this past week for
cutthroat trout is trolling fast on the surface with small spoons or small,
shallow diving minnow-type lures. The cutthroat have been feeding on the surface,
eating mainly terrestrial insects that are concentrated in flotsam lines. A flotsam
line is any type of debris that concentrates in actual lines right on the surface
that typically run parallel to shore. Wind, waves and currents seem to be the cause
of these lines forming on the surface. With the lake level up nearly seven vertical
feet from where it was last fall the water has inundated a lot of vegetation along
the shoreline areas that have been high and dry the last several years. This vegetation
is a haven for insects, which end up flying out over the lake and then having to land
on the surface of the lake to rest. Some of these insects drown and some of their bodies
float on the surface and become concentrated, along with other debris, in the flotsam
lines. The cutthroat are then targeting these areas for food and trolling at or near
the surface was productive.
Many anglers assume that the best fishing at Bear Lake during this time of year
is in deep areas of the lake where the water is cooler. Some anglers are catching
fish (cutthroat trout and lake trout) by trolling lures off of downriggers in some
of these areas and by jigging with cisco-baited tubes right on the bottom, but the
action was slower than for those anglers fishing on the surface. The flotsam lines
are not related to water depth, so you can still be fishing right on the surface in
water that may be 100 feet or deeper. It pays to experiment with different techniques,
depths, and lures, especially on Bear Lake, until you find a combination that works
the best for you. Surface water temperature is 64 degrees.
Fishing report compliments of the fine folks at
www.utahfishfinder.com
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November 28, 2005
The Bonneville whitefish are beginning their spawning run on Bear Lake and
the fishing for cutthroat trout and lake trout has been good. The Bonneville
whitefish are just staging for spawning and the fishing is fair-good right now
over rocky shoreline areas. Fishermen should use small spoons, 1/8-oz. or smaller
jigs, or spinners in the 0–1 size. You can catch whitefish either from a boat or
shore. It is best to wear either hip boots or chest waders if fishing from shore
to keep dry from waves along the shoreline. Cast out and try to let you lure come
as close to bottom as you can without snagging. Whitefish are aggressive at this
time of year and will hit your lure hard. Pound for pound they fight as good or
better than the trout. They also make excellent table fare and are much better
tasting than their cousins, the mountain whitefish, that are typically found
in streams and some reservoirs in the state. Since the Bonneville whitefish
spend their entire life in the lake, they do not develop the strong
intra-muscular (Y-bones) that the mountain whitefish do. The Bonneville
whitefish can be filleted and then either deep fried, baked, or smoked
(leave the skin on for smoking). Good spots to try for whitefish are off
of Cisco Beach, 2nd Point, the Utah State Park Marina, or the rockpiles
just north of the marina. The whitefish fishing should stay good until
just before Christmas. The limit on whitefish is 10 fish, so please only
take what you will eat fresh since whitefish flesh does not freeze well.
Fishing for both cutthroat and lake trout has also been good. Anglers along
the east side of the lake are doing better trolling and the anglers fishing
the west side of the lake are doing better jigging. However, you may want to
try both methods on any given day and sometimes one will work much better
than the other. Try using rapalas, flatfish, and small spoons while trolling.
Tube jigs tipped with cisco are the best bet for jigging in to oz. sizes.
Try different colors until you find one that works the best. White and
green are popular colors to start with. Also, using "superlines" such
as Spiderwire and Fireline when jigging will allow you to feel soft bites
a lot easier in deeper water. Most fish are still coming out of deeper water
(50 to 80 feet) but as the water temperatures continue to cool off, the fish
will move in shallower and could be in as little as 10 feet of water.
The DWR has completed a project of placing four piles of rock into the lake to
improve fish habitat. These piles are located approximately 200 yards apart starting
just north of the Utah State Park Marina. The rock was placed at approximately
30 feet in depth (the same depth as the top of the existing "rockpile" off of
Gus Rick Point). You may notice several buoys on the new rockpiles off the
marina as well as rockpile area north of Gus Rich Point and along Cisco Beach.
These buoys are connected to egg sampling traps and habitat productivity devices.
Please try to avoid fishing immediately around these sampling areas so that you
avoid snagging the buoy lines.
The Cisco Beach boat ramp is available for launching all sizes of boats, but you
need to make sure you keep an eye on the weather since there is no protection from
the wind if you choose to launch at Cisco Beach. The State Park marina has plenty
of depth and is open to launching all sizes of boats. Beach launching smaller boats
is going to be difficult this year due to the increased water levels. The water has
inundated the shallow shelf along the western Bear Lake shoreline and it is difficult
to beach-launch boats this year.
(Nov 2) Shad M. of Montpelier, ID, fished the east shore with a partner and caught 6
lake trout and 1 rainbow using a Presidential Special in 35-40 ft. of water. "Never
much luck on the lake but today with my Grandpa's special, we knocked 'em dead."
This Bear Lake fishing report compliments of the fine folks at
www.utahfishfinder.com
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February 17
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2006 |
Bear Lake Fishing Report
Bear Lake is frozen over with the exception of the area from South Eden,
Cisco Beach and North Eden which are all open water. Ice anglers are reporting
ice thickness on the west side of the lake from one to four inches thick. Ice
conditions are definitely thicker on the west side of the lake. The areas off
1st and 2nd points has only been frozen for about 24 hours. Anglers are catching
whitefish, cutthroat trout and the occasional lake trout along the weed beds
south of Gus Rich Point to the Highway 30 rest area just north of Rendezvous
Beach. If the cold, calm weather remains, the ice should continue to improve
but you should always use extreme caution due to the large number of springs
and methane gas vents in the bottom of the lake, especially if no other anglers
have been on the ice in a particular area.
Anglers who have been fishing are using small jigs or vertical jigging spoons
for whitefish and tube jigs tipped with cisco for the trout. Good lures to try
Swedish pimples, castmasters, and crippled herring with a eight- to 12-inch
dropper down to an ice fly tipped with a salmon egg or waxworm. Weed beds are
found parallel to shore in depths of 14 to 25 feet around the perimeter of the lake.
No one has yet to fish the new rockpiles just north of the marina but this area
should be very promising for ice fishing. On the east side you can find weed
beds off of Val's Pump north to 1st Point and then in between 1st and 2nd
Points. Small lures and light line (even spring bobber indicators) can be
the difference between detecting light whitefish bites and not even knowing
the fish are there.
Come prepared for bitter cold and winter conditions at Bear Lake. Bring a
rope to throw to someone in case they fall through and wear a life jacket
when venturing onto areas without other anglers around. Also wear a pair
of ice picks around your neck, on the outside of your clothing to help
pull yourself out if you happen to fall through the ice. Make sure to check
your proclamation for all the current rules and regulations. The daily and
possession limit for whitefish it is 10 fish and for cutthroat and lake trout
it is two fish, either singly or in aggregate. Remember to immediately release
cutthroat trout that are not fin clipped.
This Bear Lake fishing report compliments of the fine folks at
www.utahfishfinder.com
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April 21
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2006 |
Fishing cutthroat trout has been good the past two weeks. The best
luck is coming by trolling small kokanee-type spoons and rapalas off of
downriggers in 65 to 75 feet of water close to the bottom. Good spots to
try are along the east side off the scout camp northward to South Eden
and also along Cisco Beach/Rainbow Cove area. Another good spot to try is
off the west side of the lake between Swan Creek and Fish Haven Creek. Both
tributaries should host spawning runs of fish within the next couple of weeks.
Try fishing with flat lines in 20 feet depths even shallower. Use either deep
diving crankbaits or rapalas depending on the depths. If fishing shallower
than 10 feet, use a rapala, if fishing deeper than 10 feet use a deep diver.
Rattles in the bait seem to produce better action) Troll the lure a long way
125 feet or more behind the boat. You should also consider using side planers
in this shallower area. They help to get the lure away from the boat in the
shallow water and they do not spook the fish as much.
Boats can be launched
at the Utah State Park Marina, First Point Ramp, or Cisco Beach Ramp. As
the water continues to rise the Rainbow Cove ramp should also have enough
depth in order to launch boats. Finally, shore fishing should be picking
up off the Second Point and Cisco Beach areas and off the dikes at the
Utah State Park marina. Try early mornings or evenings and cast spoons
or deep diving crankbaits to deep water and retrieve them so the lure
is close to, or bumping the bottom.
This Bear Lake fishing report compliments of the fine folks at
www.utahfishfinder.com
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July 6
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2006 |
The fishing on Bear Lake is holding up well despite the warm weather and recreation
pressure on the weekends. The best luck was for cutthroat trout. Trolling along the
east side from the scout camp to South Eden was producing some nice fish and good
numbers. Troll with downriggers at depths of 35 to 60 feet down with smaller spoons
such as needle fish or rapala-type lures. Yellow and/or green have the most popular
colors. Also, jigging along Cisco Beach in about 60 feet of water right on the bottom
was producing both cutthroat and lake trout. Longlining in this area with dead cisco
has also been producing some steady action.
With warming temperatures one of the
tricks to try on Bear Lake is trolling with flat lines near the surface off of
North and South Eden canyons in the early morning while the canyon breezes are
blowing. The breeze blows hoppers and other insects out onto the water surface
and fish key-in on these areas for feeding. Shallow running rapalas or other
small crank baits seem to do well. Also, don't overlook using planer boards on
calm water days to get your lure out and away from your boat. The clear water
of Bear Lake allows fish to see the boat and become spooked. With your line
running off the side you stand a better chance of hooking some nice fish.
One other hint may be to speed up while trolling. With the warmer water
fish become more active and aggressive and sometime speeds up to 3.5 mph
will produce action while the typical trolling speed of 1 or 2 mph will
not.
Swan Creek opens to catch and release fishing on Saturday, July 8.
Remember this is an artificial flys and lures only stream. Respect
private property and fish only in areas open to the public. The surface
water temperature is currently 66 degrees. With the higher water more
ramps are available for launching and even during the busy weekends
there is either none or very little wait to launch boats. Boats can
be launched at the Utah State Park Marina, First Point Ramp, Rainbow
Cove or Cisco Beach Ramps. The water has reached the maximum height for the year and is currently at 5911.89 feet.
This Bear Lake fishing report compliments of the fine folks at
www.utahfishfinder.com
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August 24
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2006 |
Fisheries biologist Scott Tollentino reports that fishing conditions
are challenging at the lake right now. He says that the fish are in 85 feet of water.
He suggests jigging off the bottom with cisco of trolling with down riggers.
This Bear Lake fishing report compliments of the fine folks at
www.utahfishfinder.com
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Nov 15
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2006 |
The lake trout run is winding down on Bear Lake but there are still a lot of
fish in the shallow waters along Cisco Beach, North and South Edens, and off
the Utah State Park Marina. Fishing is good if you fish early and fish shallow!
Most anglers continue to fish too deep and they are simply not catching a lot
of fish. If you target the shallow water (10 feet and less in some areas) and
troll with the lure at least 100 feet behind the boat on flat lines you can
still catch some nice fish. Use flatfish or minnow type lures with rattles.
Good choices include flatfish in U-20, M-4 and T-2 sizes in chrome and white
as well as silver and blue minnow-type lures. The jigging is only fair and
should improve as the spawn ends.
Cutthroat trout fishing has also been fair
to good depending on the day and most fish are coming in about 60-70 feet of
water by either jigging with tube jigs tipped with cisco or trolling with
downriggers using the same lures as described above for lake trout. The
number of anglers fishing from shore has been minimal. However, if you are
willing to brave the cold temperatures fish can be caught by casting off the
Utah State Park marina and off 1st and 2nd Points as well as Cisco Beach. Try
casting spoons and spinners from shore in the early mornings and late evenings.
The lake level is at 5910.03' and is beginning to rise slowly. Boats can be
launched at the Utah State Park Marina, First Point, Cisco Beach, and Rainbow
Cove ramps.
This Bear Lake fishing report compliments of the fine folks at
www.utahfishfinder.com
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2007 |
Pugstones Ripples & Waves Sporting in Garden City: Bear Lake
has finally heated up and the Cutthroat fishing has been spectacular.
Look for fish to be in shallow water not only getting ready to spawn but
feeding on the 160,000 little Cutts that the DWR put in the lake about a
week ago. Fishing conditions should be good for at least another month or
so till it slows down for the rest of the summer. Best locations would be
on the east side off of 1st and 2nd points and South Eden and North Eden
as well as Rainbow Cove and Cisco Beach. The Marina and north to Swan Creek
is also very good. Make sure to stay outside of the bouys that are in front
of Swan Creek as fishing is closed inside of them.
My shop is now officially open stop by for all your fishing tackle needs.
This Bear Lake fishing report compliments of the fine folks at
www.utahfishfinder.com
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