Primo sturgeon bait

[Kent]

Kory and I fished the Rockpile, at Bear Lake, today.  Not too surprisingly, with the weather in the valley, we had it all to ourselves.  It took 3 1/2 hours (typical drive is 2 1/2 hours) to get there.

We tried for macks or larger cutts for awhile, without success, so I headed into 37' of water to fish for whitefish.  Kory joined me for awhile and then tried for macks and cutts again (not sure for how long) without success.

Whitefish were thick on the bottom and by watching on my camera I learned why they are so difficult to hook.  First off, almost all of them were the smaller whitefish, which means they have tiny mouths.  Secondly, they would just pick at the bait (a small chunk of crawler, wax worm, or 1/2 of a mealworm) instead of grabbing the bait.  The camera helped me hook some, but the battery only lasted 3 to 3 1/2 hours (I wish I knew how to connect another battery, because they don't sell the batteries separately.).  I also learned that any jigging action spooked the whitefish and they would scatter.

I managed to catch plenty of primo sturgeon bait (aka whitefish), 3 cutthroat, including my largest to date of 31 inches.  Kory caught some whitefish, a cutthroat, and a Utah chub (I didn't know there were any in Bear Lake).




Primo sturgeon bait.




My 31 incher.




What I caught it on (1/16 ounce jig).






A couple of shots from my underwater camera.  Almost all the time I could see at least 5 or 6 whitefish.  I saw 3 or 4 cutthroat and I believe I saw a couple suckers (I was expecting to see several more suckers.).

[wiperhunter2]

Congrats on the PB cutty. Great shots on the underwater camera and nice haul on the whites. So what is up with the pink looking fish? Kent you and Kory are brave dudes, diving up there in that snowstorm yesterday but it looks like it paid off.

[Piscophilic]

I really enjoyed your post and the great pictures. I may never get to Bear Lake on the ice, but it is fun to hear about your success and what you learned. Glad it was a safe trip too!

[Kent]

Congrats on the PB cutty. Great shots on the underwater camera and nice haul on the whites. So what is up with the pink looking fish? Kent you and Kory are brave dudes, diving up there in that snowstorm yesterday but it looks like it paid off.

Just the way that a whitefish looks close to the camera I guess.

[Muskyon46]

Good stuff Kent, thx for sharing. Congrats on the PB cut. How was the ice and edges holding out?

[Kent]

Good stuff Kent, thx for sharing. Congrats on the PB cut. How was the ice and edges holding out?

Ice was no problem at all.  I would guestimate the ice was ~20" thick, zero slush and dragging a sled around was not too difficult.  No issues with the edges except for my feet sometimes going into a hole that was previous slush that had now frozen.

[BearLakeFishGuy]

Just make sure that whitefish are legal to use a bait up in Idaho.  Whitefish are NOT legal as bait in Utah since they are classified as a gamefish.  Over the years I've seen a couple of tickets issued for using whitefish as bait at Bear Lake.  Bonneville cisco are an exception to the rule in Utah, since they are also classified as a gamefish, yet can be used as bait..... but only at Bear Lake.

[Muskyon46]

Good stuff Kent, thx for sharing. Congrats on the PB cut. How was the ice and edges holding out?

Ice was no problem at all.  I would guestimate the ice was ~20" thick, zero slush and dragging a sled around was not too difficult.  No issues with the edges except for my feet sometimes going into a hole that was previous slush that had now frozen.

Thanks Kent.

[Kent]

Just make sure that whitefish are legal to use a bait up in Idaho.  Whitefish are NOT legal as bait in Utah since they are classified as a gamefish.  Over the years I've seen a couple of tickets issued for using whitefish as bait at Bear Lake.  Bonneville cisco are an exception to the rule in Utah, since they are also classified as a gamefish, yet can be used as bait..... but only at Bear Lake.

All dead gamefish are legal to use as bait, in Idaho, as long as the gamefish, one is using for bait, is legal to have in possession on that body of water, and also assuming bait is legal to use on that body of water.  For example, if it is only legal to have a 12" or larger bass in possession, on a body of water, one cannot legally use an 8" bass for bait.  I have also tried cisco, for sturgeon bait in Idaho, and I have had a little luck with it, but nothing special.  I wish Utah would allow all dead gamefish to be used as bait.  

I have also known of people erroneously thinking whitefish are legal to use as bait on Bear Lake.

[MrShane]

Just make sure that whitefish are legal to use a bait up in Idaho.  Whitefish are NOT legal as bait in Utah since they are classified as a gamefish.  Over the years I've seen a couple of tickets issued for using whitefish as bait at Bear Lake.  Bonneville cisco are an exception to the rule in Utah, since they are also classified as a gamefish, yet can be used as bait..... but only at Bear Lake.

All dead gamefish are legal to use as bait, in Idaho, as long as the gamefish, one is using for bait, is legal to have in possession on that body of water, and also assuming bait is legal to use on that body of water.  For example, if it is only legal to have a 12" or larger bass in possession, on a body of water, one cannot legally use an 8" bass for bait.  I have also tried cisco, for sturgeon bait in Idaho, and I have had a little luck with it, but nothing special.  I wish Utah would allow all dead gamefish to be used as bait.  

I have also known of people erroneously thinking whitefish are legal to use as bait on Bear Lake.

I wish Utah would allow live certified minnows as bait.

[Jager]

Just make sure that whitefish are legal to use a bait up in Idaho.  Whitefish are NOT legal as bait in Utah since they are classified as a gamefish.  Over the years I've seen a couple of tickets issued for using whitefish as bait at Bear Lake.  Bonneville cisco are an exception to the rule in Utah, since they are also classified as a gamefish, yet can be used as bait..... but only at Bear Lake.

All dead gamefish are legal to use as bait, in Idaho, as long as the gamefish, one is using for bait, is legal to have in possession on that body of water, and also assuming bait is legal to use on that body of water.  For example, if it is only legal to have a 12" or larger bass in possession, on a body of water, one cannot legally use an 8" bass for bait.  I have also tried cisco, for sturgeon bait in Idaho, and I have had a little luck with it, but nothing special.  I wish Utah would allow all dead gamefish to be used as bait.  

I have also known of people erroneously thinking whitefish are legal to use as bait on Bear Lake.

I wish Utah would allow live certified minnows as bait.

Just make all the minnows that are legal baby rainbow trout. 

That way you can stock more slime buckets in all the lakes on your own dime.