Anyone been to Bear Lake?

[martymcfly]

I'm going to Bear Lake on Saturday and I still haven't decided whether or not to fish. All I have is a pontoon and I'm not sure about fishing. Is there anywhere close to North Beach that the fishing might be decent. Any suggestions would be helpful.



Thanks
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[tightline]

I haven't been there in a bit but I mostly fish it from my pontoon. It works great so long as the wind is mild. The east shore is where I do well. It should be even better this summer because no one has been able to launch there for some time. Plan on going deep the fish are not exactly shallow this time of year. It is productive but very dificult with out some type of sonar.
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]The north end of Bear Lake doesn't have much to offer. The bottom is basically void of structure with sand bottoms. If you want to fish you'll need to go south. The easiest access for boat challenged folks is Cisco Beach. You can gain major depth for the littlest amount of effort and the best chance at fish.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]You can jig from your pontoon. You can bait fish from shore using your pontoon to carry your line out and drop it in deep water. If you don't have cisco for bait, sucker is a good substitute. Sucker meat can be bought at Smith & Edwards or Sportsman's Warehouse.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]See the Bear Lake Archive Area for a lot of great info and techniques. Here's the link:[/size][/font] [center][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?forum=85;"][size 4]Bear Lake Fish Report Archives[/size][/url][/center]
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[cableguy]

I just got back from Bear Lake. It will be my last attempt at fishing there. This was the third time in a row I have come up with nothing. I was there for a week but after 1 day of jigging and trolling without so much as a nibble I quit. I only even saw marks on my sonar a few times on the east side. I just can't figure that place out. The only thing I can ever catch up there are carp and cisco (with a net). If you aren't with someone who knows how to fish the Bear you will need a lot of luck. I decided to just enjoy the scenery and the cool water. Thanks BLM fot the tips anyway. I guess I just need more than hot tips to find fish at the Bear.

Cableguy
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[martymcfly]

I think that with all the enthusiasm for Bear Lake I'm going to forgo the pontoon and fish the Logan on the way back home. Thanks for the info though guys. I haven't done well at Bear Lake in almost 20 years. I still remember fishing at Swan Creek right after it reopened and catching quite a few fish still in shallow water. But I guess them days are over.
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I hate to see you guys give up on the Bear! There are two ways to learn a body of water. One, is to fish your guts out and figure it out, which can take more than a leisure trip or two. Two, is to go with a professional, who in this case is Jim Stone of Bear River Outfitters. [/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Longlining during the summer month can be very productive. I have camped on Cisco Beach and used the boat to carry our lines out to 60-110 ft of water and caught several fish. You, unfortunately, also get several snags.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]RipNLips likes to go right off the state marina and cast Jake's from the rocks and usually picks up a fish or two in a few hours casting.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I going to tell you guys, I've spent countless hours up there and been skunked too. I've been to willard lots of times and been skunked. Heck, I've been skunk everywhere! That doesn't mean you should give it up. I'd rather fish Bear Lake with the chance at bigger fish and get skunked than catch 50 plus fish on the Logan. I guess you just have to pick what suits you and what your goals are. JMNSHO...[/size][/font]
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[Kent]

To quote BLM, "You've got to have big fish mentality". I have been skunked several times at Bear Lake and I keep going back. Getting three fish over six pounds in one day, and losing a fourth at the boat keeps me excited enough to keep going back, even after getting skunked a few times. Seeing BLM reel in many fish over nine pounds, and two over 10 pounds, also gives me incentive to keep going back. I still need to work on the "big fish mentality" more though, because I also get excited about catching quantity of fish on other bodies of water. One thing that I try to do is match my gear to the fish. If I am likely to catch fish under five pounds, I like to break out the ultalight fishing tackle. Reeling in that 25" cutthroat at Strawberry, on my ultralight, was as fun as reeling in a larger fish on heavier gear.
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[martymcfly]

Don't get me wrong. I like Bear Lake, and if I owned my own boat I'd probabably fish it. But I'm going for a reunion and I don't really have time to fish for more than maybe a couple of hours. I like both big and small fish...just depends on the tackle. If I fish the logan it will be for the cuts on Hoppers with a 2 or 3 weight fly rod. That makes it a lot of fun. But I spent a month getting my first Tiger so I'm also patient about the big boys. Just depends on how much time I have. My buddy with the boat wants to go after macks at the gorge so I'll probably head down there in the next week.
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Sounds like you'll have a fun day with family and a little fishing. Good Luck![/size][/font]
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[Kent]

Hey BLM,

When you longline, by having a boat take your line out and drop it off, what bait are you using on your lines?
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Cisco. You can fish it whole with the smaller ones by running a worm threader from the mouth to the rear vent and hooking a treble or chunk it using the larger ones and use some magic string to "lash" it to the hook. We also use the sonar to look for stack ups but I really think that that's just wishful thinking.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I've always thought if you could float the bait just above the rocky bottom you could save on snags and increase your odds with passing fish. Just a thought... Long lining is great for hanging out on the beach and taking it easy but if I'm feeling more motivated I'd rather jig.[/size][/font]
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