07-01-2004, 06:03 PM
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"]For all of you who are considering Bear Lake for this coming 4th of July weekend:[/font][/size]
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[size 3][font "Times New Roman"]The surface water temperature is about 63 F. Fishing at Bear Lake has been fair for cutthroat trout and slow for lake trout. The cutthroat trout spawning run is just about over for the year and the large, adult cutthroat which haven't eaten for the last month during their spawning season, should begin to feed again. The fishermen who reported catching cutthroat trout last week were doing one of two things. They were: 1) trolling off the east side, canyon mouths (South Eden and North Eden) early in the morning using small spoons or rapalas. The best luck has been coming by trolling flat lines close to the surface. There is usually early morning canyon breezes that blow insects out onto the surface of the water in these locations and fish can become very active. 2.) Other fishermen are reporting slow, but consistent action for cutthroat trout using spoons and flatfish trolled very slowly behind down riggers. Most action has been in the 60‑70 foot depths near the bottom. Lake trout are occasionally being taken using this same method. In order to get some maximize your catch, try varying your trolling speeds. If you are trolling slow, then try increasing your trolling speed until you start catching fish. There is really no reason that you cannot catch fish using the same techniques right now that are typically used during the fall. Try vertical jigging for cutthroat trout and lake trout using tube jigs tipped with cisco meat. Use your sonar to find concentrations of fish then jig for them. Good spots to try are anywhere along the east shoreline: 1st Point, 2nd Point, Boy Scout Camp, South Eden, Cisco Beach, North Eden, and Idaho State Park. Other spots to try are off the mouth of Swan Creek and from the Bear Lake Stat Park marina south to the Azure Cove marina. Remember the area directly in front of Swan Creek is closed to fishing until 6:00am on July 10. Anglers launching at the Bear Lake State Park marina will find two new, additional launching lanes, a new visitor’s center, a fish cleaning station, additional bathrooms/showers, and a very good flow of traffic due to a new exit on the north end of the marina parking lot. The three-hour waits to launch and/or retrieve your boat during busy weekends are probably gone. Anglers can also launch small boats off the low‑water boat ramp at Cisco Beach and a dock is now provided at this site. This ramp is paved, but there is no protection from the wind and the concrete does not extend very far into the water so stick to launching smaller boats at that ramp. Have a good holiday weekend![/font][/size]
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[size 3][font "Times New Roman"]The surface water temperature is about 63 F. Fishing at Bear Lake has been fair for cutthroat trout and slow for lake trout. The cutthroat trout spawning run is just about over for the year and the large, adult cutthroat which haven't eaten for the last month during their spawning season, should begin to feed again. The fishermen who reported catching cutthroat trout last week were doing one of two things. They were: 1) trolling off the east side, canyon mouths (South Eden and North Eden) early in the morning using small spoons or rapalas. The best luck has been coming by trolling flat lines close to the surface. There is usually early morning canyon breezes that blow insects out onto the surface of the water in these locations and fish can become very active. 2.) Other fishermen are reporting slow, but consistent action for cutthroat trout using spoons and flatfish trolled very slowly behind down riggers. Most action has been in the 60‑70 foot depths near the bottom. Lake trout are occasionally being taken using this same method. In order to get some maximize your catch, try varying your trolling speeds. If you are trolling slow, then try increasing your trolling speed until you start catching fish. There is really no reason that you cannot catch fish using the same techniques right now that are typically used during the fall. Try vertical jigging for cutthroat trout and lake trout using tube jigs tipped with cisco meat. Use your sonar to find concentrations of fish then jig for them. Good spots to try are anywhere along the east shoreline: 1st Point, 2nd Point, Boy Scout Camp, South Eden, Cisco Beach, North Eden, and Idaho State Park. Other spots to try are off the mouth of Swan Creek and from the Bear Lake Stat Park marina south to the Azure Cove marina. Remember the area directly in front of Swan Creek is closed to fishing until 6:00am on July 10. Anglers launching at the Bear Lake State Park marina will find two new, additional launching lanes, a new visitor’s center, a fish cleaning station, additional bathrooms/showers, and a very good flow of traffic due to a new exit on the north end of the marina parking lot. The three-hour waits to launch and/or retrieve your boat during busy weekends are probably gone. Anglers can also launch small boats off the low‑water boat ramp at Cisco Beach and a dock is now provided at this site. This ramp is paved, but there is no protection from the wind and the concrete does not extend very far into the water so stick to launching smaller boats at that ramp. Have a good holiday weekend![/font][/size]
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