I've been getting pics and intel from a couple of other BFTers who were staying up at Bear Lake for a few days this past week. And yesterday (Wednesday) I climbed into the boat with BearLakeFishGuy to mount a whitie search.
Reports beginning about November 29 showed there were a few fish coming in at some of the traditional spots. But only a few sporadic catches of whitefish. Probably about as many cutthroats as whities. And on Tuesday the 1st of December the windy conditions kept most off the lake...and those who fished didn't do much.
The weather forecast for Wednesday was cold but sunny...with light breezes. And that is the way it started out. The lake was glass when I drove down at daybreak to check it out...like glass. But as Scott and I moved out of the marina (water temp 42 degrees) there was already a breeze from the east...and a little bit of chop. No problem.
Our game plan was to hit Gus Rich Point early and then run across the lake to 2nd Point. Anchored up off GR and Scott had the first whitefish hookup before I made my first cast. And then a second. I was a little slower getting started and missed a couple...and lost a couple...before bringing my first whitefish to the net. Hey, it's been a couple of years since I last got to play with those notorious light biters and bait stealers.
Over the next couple of hours we took turns on the whitefish. Not fast but often enough to keep us awake. And Scott got one hyperactive cuttie. During that time the breeze from the east got more intense...putting a bow in the lines and making it more difficult to fish with finesse...or to feel a light bite. It also started bouncing the boat around a bit and made standing or walking a bit problematic for this old guy.
After one set of "combers" came through, we noticed the anchor had slipped and we were drifting toward the rocks. Crank up the big motor, pull in the anchor, move and reset. A couple more fish and then a repeat of the anchor slipping. We mutually agreed on a couple of things. One, we were glad we had not tried to run across the lake. Two, that we should probably get back to the marina before it became any worse. The ride back was bumpy. My full bladder didn't enjoy it at all.
Once we had the boat trailered and were ready to depart hence, we did some recapping. Scott has been on the lake for quite a few years and has a lot of history with whitefish under different conditions. November 29 this year was the earliest he has ever caught whitefish. He theorizes that a long warm fall might have something to do with an early run...not sure whether it will be a longer prolonged spawn...or whether it might already be going on. We both agreed that it is still early and that there is better action to come.
Water levels are down a bit from last year, but still higher than some of the previous low water years. So most shore fishing locations should fish well once the fish move in and get busy.
We tried quite a few lures, colors and presentations yesterday...as usual. Strangely, some of the "tried and true" stuff that has been "money" in previous years went unmolested for several minutes of intense fishing. It's good that I know a guy who makes lures in a wide variety of colors. During the week several colors emerged as current favorites. They include hot orange, chartreuse, "green poison", "diablo rojo" (red devil...black with red glitter), black neon (black with chartreuse glitter) and basic white...with or without a red eye.
As always, the main obstacle is finding fish...and the depth they are cruising. Make fan casts and try different retrieves until you get action. Then cast, rinse and repeat. Keep changing up lures and presentations until you are reasonably sure there are no fish to be molested. Then move. But don't move to find fish if you are catching fish. If you have caught fish in an area and it goes temporarily quiet, it may be because one school moved out...and you need to wait for another to move in. Tough call sometimes.
I didn't take a lot of pictures yesterday. Tough enough to focus on fishing in the bumpy water and with the wind blowing lines. Didn't want to waste time with photography. But here are a couple of shots you might like.
![[Image: CUTT.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/PFSjttX/CUTT.jpg)
![[Image: BLACK-NEON.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/P6M4phz/BLACK-NEON.jpg)
![[Image: TBR.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/WD5spvY/TBR.jpg)
![[Image: PERCH-PLASTIC.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/xh4xQy7/PERCH-PLASTIC.jpg)
Reports beginning about November 29 showed there were a few fish coming in at some of the traditional spots. But only a few sporadic catches of whitefish. Probably about as many cutthroats as whities. And on Tuesday the 1st of December the windy conditions kept most off the lake...and those who fished didn't do much.
The weather forecast for Wednesday was cold but sunny...with light breezes. And that is the way it started out. The lake was glass when I drove down at daybreak to check it out...like glass. But as Scott and I moved out of the marina (water temp 42 degrees) there was already a breeze from the east...and a little bit of chop. No problem.
Our game plan was to hit Gus Rich Point early and then run across the lake to 2nd Point. Anchored up off GR and Scott had the first whitefish hookup before I made my first cast. And then a second. I was a little slower getting started and missed a couple...and lost a couple...before bringing my first whitefish to the net. Hey, it's been a couple of years since I last got to play with those notorious light biters and bait stealers.
Over the next couple of hours we took turns on the whitefish. Not fast but often enough to keep us awake. And Scott got one hyperactive cuttie. During that time the breeze from the east got more intense...putting a bow in the lines and making it more difficult to fish with finesse...or to feel a light bite. It also started bouncing the boat around a bit and made standing or walking a bit problematic for this old guy.
After one set of "combers" came through, we noticed the anchor had slipped and we were drifting toward the rocks. Crank up the big motor, pull in the anchor, move and reset. A couple more fish and then a repeat of the anchor slipping. We mutually agreed on a couple of things. One, we were glad we had not tried to run across the lake. Two, that we should probably get back to the marina before it became any worse. The ride back was bumpy. My full bladder didn't enjoy it at all.
Once we had the boat trailered and were ready to depart hence, we did some recapping. Scott has been on the lake for quite a few years and has a lot of history with whitefish under different conditions. November 29 this year was the earliest he has ever caught whitefish. He theorizes that a long warm fall might have something to do with an early run...not sure whether it will be a longer prolonged spawn...or whether it might already be going on. We both agreed that it is still early and that there is better action to come.
Water levels are down a bit from last year, but still higher than some of the previous low water years. So most shore fishing locations should fish well once the fish move in and get busy.
We tried quite a few lures, colors and presentations yesterday...as usual. Strangely, some of the "tried and true" stuff that has been "money" in previous years went unmolested for several minutes of intense fishing. It's good that I know a guy who makes lures in a wide variety of colors. During the week several colors emerged as current favorites. They include hot orange, chartreuse, "green poison", "diablo rojo" (red devil...black with red glitter), black neon (black with chartreuse glitter) and basic white...with or without a red eye.
As always, the main obstacle is finding fish...and the depth they are cruising. Make fan casts and try different retrieves until you get action. Then cast, rinse and repeat. Keep changing up lures and presentations until you are reasonably sure there are no fish to be molested. Then move. But don't move to find fish if you are catching fish. If you have caught fish in an area and it goes temporarily quiet, it may be because one school moved out...and you need to wait for another to move in. Tough call sometimes.
I didn't take a lot of pictures yesterday. Tough enough to focus on fishing in the bumpy water and with the wind blowing lines. Didn't want to waste time with photography. But here are a couple of shots you might like.
