Fishing Forum

[font "System"][red]I know the title says Sat., but first I will start off with a pic from this past Monday. My wife and I fished for exactly 20 minutes before we got blown off by the wind. We caught 6 nice whitefish in that short time. This pic is from the top of the launch ramp at Cisco Beach. Only women would make fish "pose" like this for a picture![/red][/font]
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[font "System"][red]Now for yesterday's (Sat.) report. First off, as others had already mentioned in other posts (kentofnsl, and baitcaster) it was very foggy. GPS saves the day again! [#a040ff]I launched at Cisco Beach about 8:15am. Well the fishing was so good for whitefish and cutthroat, that I had my boat on the trailer and was headed back home by 10:00am with a limit of whites and one cutthroat [/#a040ff]that I kept for dinner (plus I released 2 other whitefish and one really nice cutthroat 23"). I started off with a Swedish pimple tipped with a green booger. That combo proved to be slow, so I switched to a 1/8oz. black jig head tipped with a 1" green twister tailed jig. That was the ticket. I was anchored in 8-14 feet. (I will not tell you where along Cisco Beach, but not every spot is NOT good. I talked to one guy who had been out before I got there and he was still fishing when I left and he had 3 whitefish total). You need to keep moving until you find a productive spot!. Anyway, here a a few pics once I got home.[/red][/font]
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[font "System"][#ff0000]This cutthroat was the smaller of two and I kept him for dinner![/#ff0000][/font]
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[font "System"][#ff0000]These are three whitefish that were about typical size. Last week the average size was about 2" longer and several of the fish I caught yesterday were spawned out indicating that the peak of the run has been reached and the fishing for these spawning fish will begin to slow down in the next week.[/#ff0000][/font]
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[font "System"][#ff0000]Here is the cooler with the limit of fish. We smoke and eat them about as quick as I can get them processed. My kids aren't huge fish fans but they LOVE smoked whitefish. (Almost looks like I'm missing a front tooth in this pic! Ha. Something happened to the pic while resizing)[/#ff0000][/font]
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[font "System"][#ff0000]I would imagine we got one more week of good fishing before it slows down until after the cisco run.[/#ff0000][/font]
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Thanks for the report. I've often wondered why there aren't more fish in eating the eggs of the spawning whites. Is it because the big cutts and lakers are pretty much meat eaters?
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[size 2][font "Comic Sans MS"][black]Nice report there BLFG. Your pics are worth a thousand kisses ... a ... I mean words.[/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black]I must say, you are the most white gettin' fisher man I know. [/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black]Again, nice report and pics.[/black][/font][/size]
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Just because you got skunked with BLM, no need to give up on the macks at Bear Lake! Although I will have to agree with you whitefish don't just need to be the fish that one targets to avoid a skunk trip. Had a time day last year targetting them just as the cisco run was winding down.
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[#ff4040]Every year I have a standing fishing trip the very first Sat. after the Thanksgiving Day weekend. I have always done extremely well that day. If you would like to join my die-hard friend who comes up from Farmington that day you are welcome. He usually brings good weather and this year was no exception. Calm and cold is easier to fish that windy and warm!! These whitefish are a "finesse fish" and I like the finesse game (although it is FAR from rocket science). I use 4-6 lb line and small jigs. Most people are using their Mac-rod to try to catch them. It will be a long day if you are doing that! I KNOW you have the equipment necessary, so lets do it. [/#ff4040]
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[#ff4040]Yesterday, some guys I knew that were from Randolph were camping and fishing from shore right in front of me. They were catching a bunch of fish too. They knew the spot and the technique. Other people did terrible and they were also fishing Cisco Beach. You've just got to be in the right place and the way you do that is to pay your dues. In fact Bear Lake is probably "thee most dues-payin' lake in Utah" before you can "collect" on it (by catching some fish). I spend a lot of time on the big pond. I fished it a lot, but I also spent a couple of days not fishing much but observing and carefully watching my sonar unit for subtle differences to locate potential hot spots. Perhaps the most I ever have. I learned (found) some new spots and this scouting paid off. The "rockpile" was slow this year and most people echo that statement. However, it was red hot over at Cisco Beach. The problem was the weather. From Oct. 15-Nov 15 (prime lake trout spawning/catching time) it was very W-I-N-D-Y almost ever day! I got blown off and it sucked. However, I caught more lake trout this fall along Cisco Beach than I have ever caught on the rockpile. It was just a matter of being willing to switch tactics/thinking. Just because the rockpile was good for the last 10 years does not mean it had to be good this year. This was the lowest the water has been since 1936. The top of the rockpile was in 29 feet of water. The lake was still thermally stratied in the middle of the mac run. The water was warmer on the rockpile and the fish just weren't there. Along Cisco Beach the water cooled off faster and the macs moved in big time. Anyway, that is one explanation of the fishing conditions this fall on Bear Lake.[/#ff4040]
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[#ff4040]One other thought, I never kept many fish before I got married, but my wife's family LOVES fish so I am happy to catch and keep a few for them. My absolute favorite fish to eat from Bear Lake are whitefish. They are so good, BUT you have to eat them fresh! Their meat does not freeze well (actually it freezes well) but once it is froze for 2 weeks or more it tastes like the fishiest (is that a word?) crap (can I say that) you can imagine! Lake trout do not recruit to any extent in Bear Lake so letting them go to "spawn" doesn't biologically help that much. Letting them go be be recaught is a good idea especially for all of the "mackologists" who like to fish Bear Lake. In fact, all of the lake trout stocked in the future will be sterilzied before they are stocked. The first week of November the DWR stocked about 37,000 sterile lakers this fall so they will be coming along in the years to come. Well I almost wrote as much as you this time![/#ff4040]
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Nice report Scott,

I too am a White fish favor. I usually keep a couple to eat for breakfast.

The State Park Marina has always been productive for me and this year has proven true once again.
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[size 1][#0000ff]"I just do not share the passion some folks seem to have for them that makes other species sub-desirable."[/#0000ff][/size]
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[#0000ff][size 1]Now you know how I feel about some bass fisherman and walleye fisherman. Sometimes you would think that there are only bass and walleye in this state to be caught! I enjoy catching all of the many game fish that we have. Like yourself, I have learned to downsize my tackle, and the pleasure of catching the smaller species goes up accordingly. Friday, my latest (I now own three of them) ultralight spinning reel arrived from eBay, and I can't wait to reel in some whitefish, trout (through the ice at Strawberry and elsewhere), and maybe some perchies on it.[/size][/#0000ff]
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if yoru up for a river trip ill do a whitefish wing ding with ya tubedude.
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well my old friend the W river is not much of a friend anymore. mostly from overcrowding. i just dont like riverfishing with alot of competition going on. as for the whitefish season, which is now, its probably better than ever. i have noticed a steady increase in whitefish populations for the last five years or so. though i dont know the scientific numbers the visual indications show they are doing great. so its a safe a viable place to go for whities. the spring fling im more than excited for, cant wait. probably be up there for 2 months solid im guessing. and no i just dont do the hard water thing. haha
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