10-27-2003, 04:10 PM
BEAR LAKE FISHING REPORT 10/27/2003
Surface water temperature is 55 degrees. The mild weather the past week has slowed the lake trout action but the run is still on. The best success has been coming for anglers fishing from boats on the “rockpile” who are jigging tube jigs tipped with cisco meat in 30-35 feet fo water right on the bottom. During the past few days the fishing was the best in the early mornings from just before daybreak until about 9:00am. Once the sun comes up the fishing just slows down. Using multifilament line such as Spiderwire increases your ability to detect the light bites while jigging in the deeper water. The fishermen who have been trolling are reporting spotty catches along Cisco Beach, although some anglers have had great days. Try trolling right along the Beach where the water drops off from 20 feet to about 100 feet has been the best bet. It is risky running downriggers along this area since the cannonballs can easily snag in the rocks and you may want to consider using leadcore line or monofilament with a rubber core sinker about 5-6 feet in front of the lure instead of downriggers. Flatfish in the U-20 and larger sizes are working the best, but some fishermen are using deep diving crankbaits with rattles. The trick is to fish as close to the bottom without snagging since this is where the fish are. Trolling has been the best in the early mornings and lasts until about 10:00am. Due to the steep mountains along the east shore, the sun takes about 1 hour longer to reach the east side shoreline after it reaches the shoreline on the west side of the lake. Longline fishermen have also been picking up some nice lake trout and cutthroat trout off the Cisco Beach area. They are using whole cisco on a harnesses and dropping their bait in water 80-100 feet deep. Utah Power quit pumping on about October 10 and the lake level is approximately 5904.5’ about 4½ feet lower than the highest level for the year that was reached on May 28, 2003. All sizes of boats can be launched from the Utah State Park marina. Smaller boats may be launched off the shore at several points around the lake, however, a 4-wheeled drive vehicle is recommended and drivers should be aware of soft sand. A new “low water only” concrete launching ramp was poured along South Cisco Beach last week. The concrete only goes to the water’s edge right now, but it will make launching boats a lot easier on the east side of the lake during low water conditions since both the Rainbow Cove and First Point Ramps are currently dewatered. The weather is supposed to cool off significantly this week and this will lower the water temperatures, which should trigger another round of good lake trout fishing at least for another week. The lake trout run should last until about the 10th of November, after that the lake trout and cutthroat trout will begin to feed and the fishing should be pretty good. In addition the Bonneville whitefish should begin spawning during the last week of November and the fishing should be good until mid-December. This is an excellent opportunity to fish for a unique whitefish found only in Bear Lake. Pound for pound these whitefish fight better than trout and run anywhere from about 1-3 pounds. They are excellent eating and don’t have the heavily developed intermuscular bones that their cousins that live in the rivers (the mountain whitefish). They are easily caught by casting 1/16 to 1/8 ounce jigs along rocky shoreline areas. Also, the cutthroat trout and lakers move in with these whitefish to feed on them and their eggs, so you have a chance at catching a nice trout to go along with the whitefish.
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Surface water temperature is 55 degrees. The mild weather the past week has slowed the lake trout action but the run is still on. The best success has been coming for anglers fishing from boats on the “rockpile” who are jigging tube jigs tipped with cisco meat in 30-35 feet fo water right on the bottom. During the past few days the fishing was the best in the early mornings from just before daybreak until about 9:00am. Once the sun comes up the fishing just slows down. Using multifilament line such as Spiderwire increases your ability to detect the light bites while jigging in the deeper water. The fishermen who have been trolling are reporting spotty catches along Cisco Beach, although some anglers have had great days. Try trolling right along the Beach where the water drops off from 20 feet to about 100 feet has been the best bet. It is risky running downriggers along this area since the cannonballs can easily snag in the rocks and you may want to consider using leadcore line or monofilament with a rubber core sinker about 5-6 feet in front of the lure instead of downriggers. Flatfish in the U-20 and larger sizes are working the best, but some fishermen are using deep diving crankbaits with rattles. The trick is to fish as close to the bottom without snagging since this is where the fish are. Trolling has been the best in the early mornings and lasts until about 10:00am. Due to the steep mountains along the east shore, the sun takes about 1 hour longer to reach the east side shoreline after it reaches the shoreline on the west side of the lake. Longline fishermen have also been picking up some nice lake trout and cutthroat trout off the Cisco Beach area. They are using whole cisco on a harnesses and dropping their bait in water 80-100 feet deep. Utah Power quit pumping on about October 10 and the lake level is approximately 5904.5’ about 4½ feet lower than the highest level for the year that was reached on May 28, 2003. All sizes of boats can be launched from the Utah State Park marina. Smaller boats may be launched off the shore at several points around the lake, however, a 4-wheeled drive vehicle is recommended and drivers should be aware of soft sand. A new “low water only” concrete launching ramp was poured along South Cisco Beach last week. The concrete only goes to the water’s edge right now, but it will make launching boats a lot easier on the east side of the lake during low water conditions since both the Rainbow Cove and First Point Ramps are currently dewatered. The weather is supposed to cool off significantly this week and this will lower the water temperatures, which should trigger another round of good lake trout fishing at least for another week. The lake trout run should last until about the 10th of November, after that the lake trout and cutthroat trout will begin to feed and the fishing should be pretty good. In addition the Bonneville whitefish should begin spawning during the last week of November and the fishing should be good until mid-December. This is an excellent opportunity to fish for a unique whitefish found only in Bear Lake. Pound for pound these whitefish fight better than trout and run anywhere from about 1-3 pounds. They are excellent eating and don’t have the heavily developed intermuscular bones that their cousins that live in the rivers (the mountain whitefish). They are easily caught by casting 1/16 to 1/8 ounce jigs along rocky shoreline areas. Also, the cutthroat trout and lakers move in with these whitefish to feed on them and their eggs, so you have a chance at catching a nice trout to go along with the whitefish.
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