11-10-2017, 03:03 PM
[#0000ff]Every year seems to be a bit different for the Bonneville whitefish run on Bear Lake. The fish always show up...somewhere...and can be caught if you can brave the weather, find the fish and use the right lures and techniques.
Had an email conversation this past week with BFTer BearLakeFishGuy...who happens to be a DWR guy on Bear Lake. If anyone qualifies as an authority on those everlovin' whities it is BLFG. His opening remarks were that Bear Lake is at a higher water level right now than he has ever seen at this time of year.
How will that affect fishing for the whities? First of all, they will be spawning in areas that may have been high and dry last year...and completely absent from spots that were gangbusters in other years with lower water. We are going to have to use the "biblical system"...seek and ye shall find...maybe. See the two attached pics of Second Point...2014 vs 2017...to see how this year's high water has brought the lake level much closer to the road and flooding some shoreline brush from last year.
Another observation from BLFG is that conditions have been cooler this year. That resulted in the mack spawn starting about a week earlier. That could mean that the whities may come in sooner.
I will be joining BLFG (in his boat) right after Turkey Day to begin some R & D on this year's whitefish run...where they show up, etc. I also plan to make at least a couple of attacks in my float tube this year. Mama Nature didn't play nice last year.
I am attaching a copy of the writeup I put together a couple of years ago...with maps, tackle suggestions, techniques, etc. Hope to be able to add a few new things this year...like how to catch them with fligs.
[/#0000ff]
[signature]
Had an email conversation this past week with BFTer BearLakeFishGuy...who happens to be a DWR guy on Bear Lake. If anyone qualifies as an authority on those everlovin' whities it is BLFG. His opening remarks were that Bear Lake is at a higher water level right now than he has ever seen at this time of year.
How will that affect fishing for the whities? First of all, they will be spawning in areas that may have been high and dry last year...and completely absent from spots that were gangbusters in other years with lower water. We are going to have to use the "biblical system"...seek and ye shall find...maybe. See the two attached pics of Second Point...2014 vs 2017...to see how this year's high water has brought the lake level much closer to the road and flooding some shoreline brush from last year.
Another observation from BLFG is that conditions have been cooler this year. That resulted in the mack spawn starting about a week earlier. That could mean that the whities may come in sooner.
I will be joining BLFG (in his boat) right after Turkey Day to begin some R & D on this year's whitefish run...where they show up, etc. I also plan to make at least a couple of attacks in my float tube this year. Mama Nature didn't play nice last year.
I am attaching a copy of the writeup I put together a couple of years ago...with maps, tackle suggestions, techniques, etc. Hope to be able to add a few new things this year...like how to catch them with fligs.
[/#0000ff]
[signature]