Bear lake Whitefish

[MACMAN]

Darin at Pugstones has announced his whitefish derby. Looks like he has it running 9 days, including 2 weekends in the prime. This should allow time for fishing in great weather. The entry is $20 per person, 100% payback. There will also be a Cutthroat side pot for some great prizes. I’ll be there trying- but with one whitey to my name, my entry is pretty much a donation. I’ve attached his flier for info.
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[buckhunterhart]

Thanks for the reminder. I hope the weather is decent for at least one of those weekends. Whitefish are delicious, and the best cutt fishing I have had on the lake was during the whitefish run.
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[SkunkedAgain]

Sounds like a fun time. I'll have to read the rules and see if I can make it for at least one day during the block. Thanks J
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[gmwahl]

I won it last year and tied for second place cutthroat and got the third place cutthroat so I'm kinda stoked to try it again this year. I'll be stopping by tomorrow to pre-register! It was a great contest and I ended up with a decent cash prize, a new smoker, and a Cisco net that I told him to donate to someone who needed it (I already have a half dozen).

It's a fun contest for those who sign up.

Mike
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[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Mike how big was the winning fish last year? Do you remember? Seems like every once in awhile I even caught some nice ones so maybe even a beginner has a chance. Never know when that big one will find your line. Later J
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[gmwahl]

Hey Jeff,

If I recall my biggest whitefish for the contest was about 22".

Mike
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[SkunkedAgain]

Very cool, I've gotten 21"ers so maybe I have a chance. Thanks J
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[BearLakeFishGuy]

The state record "Catch and Keep" record for Bonneville whitefish is only 20 3/4", but it weighed 4lb 8oz. This was a very fat fish. The record is based on weight, not on length, but the length gives you an idea of where the record may be as far as length goes. One note of interest is that the UDWR caught and released what would have easily been a state record Bonneville whitefish this October. The fish measured 22 1/4" long and would have weighed in at easily 5lbs. So, it would not surprise me if the state record is broken this year. I know its swimming out there right now and people have likely caught and ate the record during the last several years without realizing it! The "Catch and Release" state record is currently 23 1/4" and I hold that record. That one might be a little tougher to top, since I have never seen a Bonneville whitefish that large since I caught and released it a few years ago now. I would estimate that fish at close to 6+ lbs. So, come on up and try your luck!
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[SkunkedAgain]

I've caught several fish over 20", I had no idea the record was that close to those fish... Better start to paying more attention to what we catch... One day on the rock pile I got 3 whitefish 19.75 to 21" range, just had to check out the pictures to make sure I wasn't telling too big of lie... Makes me think you are probably correct, we may see a new record this year... cause I'm not skilled at whitefish... In fact I think that day I caught those fish, you were right there to the north of me knocking the whitefish dead... Fun fish to catch, but the eating is even better, so I sure like this run... Thanks for the info and background... Later J
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[gmwahl]

Well, I made it out to try for the whitefish today and I caught.......drum roll please........nothing! One of my fishing partners did catch and release a native 24" cutthroat, but that was the only fish caught for us.

We are probably a week out still.

Mike
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[SkunkedAgain]

Oh man I was hoping you found them... Sorry it was a rough one... Nice weather though for Thanksgiving time of year...

I hit the pond this afternoon after I got off work and the crappie and sunfish were on fire for flies... Probably caught close to 60 fish in a couple hours, was really fun even though they were just the small ones.... The warm day really turned them on... In fact I got bit by a skeeter, don't think I've ever been bit so late in the year... Probably why those fish were feeding on the surface so much this afternoon... I really missed a ton of nibbles too, they kept taking it and spitting it out before I could hook them, but kept things really interesting... So I've been wondering if I could figure out how to catch the whitefish on a fly? I have the sinking line, but I've never fished a lake with it before, so I don't know if I could tell when I was in the zone, but if they would bite like the crappie were tonight it would sure be fun... Maybe bring it and try it then go back to what I know after I'm not catching anything...

Thanks so much for the update, it sure helps us out and it's appreciated very much... Later J
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