Fishing Bear Lake

Attractions:

• Trophy lake trout and cutthroats
• Beautiful scenery
• Clear, turquoise water

Where To Fish

• East side (First Point, Second Point, Cisco Beach, North Eden).
• Rock Pile (Off Ideal Beach on SW side. The rock pile is about a square block in size and ranges in depth from about 40-60 feet. Locate it by looking for the cluster of boats which is almost always in the area. Fish over the pile, along the edges and out in the lake south of the pile.)

When To Fish
     Mornings are definitely best. Action begins at dawn and builds until about 10 a.m., then starts to slow. Fish can be caught through the afternoon and evening, but these times are not particularly productive at Bear Lake.
     Fish the cycles. Fish behavior in Bear Lake is very cyclic. Action is generally good through the summer and early fall, then becomes very good in the late fall and winter. Fish of any species can be caught at any time of year but in general success will be better if you target certain species at particular times:
     Whitefish spawn from late November into mid December. At this time they come in close to shore and are fairly easy to find and catch. They stay in rocky areas near the bottom. They are aggressive fish with some growing as big as 15 inches. They make excellent table fare.
     Cutthroat become more active in mid December and fishing improves dramatically until ice-up, usually in mid January. Ice fishing is usually good through February. There are trophy cutts in Bear Lake.
     Cisco spawn in mid January. They come into shallow water along Cisco Beach and can be netted or caught jigging. They also spawn in other areas around the lake but these spots are not as well known or accessible.
     Lake trout can be caught sporadically through the year. In late October and early November the lake trout spawn and become more accessible.

How To Fish
     Troll for cutthroat and lake trout. Use large Rapalas or Flatfish in black, silver, pearl or chartreuse. Use a fish finder to determine the depth to fish. In general active fish will be 40 feet or deeper in the summer, 30-40 feet in the fall and winter, and will range through the entire water column during the spring. During the spring fish can be taken trolling monofilament, with no other gear needed.
     Jig. Use a gitzit or single tailed grub, Mack Attack or jigging lure. Tip the jig with a cisco tail or with sucker meat. Jigging is very productive through the ice; it is also an effective way to fish from a boat or float tube before the lake freezes.
     Mooch. Drift while dragging a cisco tail over the rocks along the bottom. This is a particularly good technique when fish are in relatively shallow water during spawning periods.
     Dip net for the cisco during the spawn, in mid January. If the lake is frozen cut a large hole in the ice over water deep enough that you can just reach bottom with your long-handled net. Lower the net to the bottom and then wait until fish move over it. Dance a shinny jig or lure over the net to attract fish to the area. First light is the best time to net cisco.