Bear Lake - small/large fish

[Kent]

If one is catching smaller mackinaws, vertical jigging at Bear Lake should one keep fishing that same area, or try a different location? I ask this because I assume that mackinaws are similar to many other fish species, in that schools of fish generally group by size of fish. Are mackinaws considered a schooling fish, and if so do they follow the general pattern of schooling by size? Or perhaps it doesn't matter that much because regularly one school of fish will move out and another school will move in?
[signature]

[RipNLips]

Lake Trout tend to be solitary animals coming together only at spawning time. Although there's always a chance of catching a cruising Lake Trout about anywhere in Bear Lake, it seems to me that if you're fishing in an area that's holding some of their prey fish (e.g. Cisco, Sculpin, White Fish), you've got a better chance.

As far as size? I know that White Fish become a significantly larger part of a Bear Lake Lake Trout's diet the larger the Lake Trout gets and Cisco and Sculpin become a smaller part of it's diet. Perhaps the odds of catching a larger Lake Trout are increased if fishing in an area holding White Fish.

Bottom line... If you consistently catch larger Lake Trout in a particular spot at Bear Lake, remember that spot and return to it regularly. There's probably something special about that spot even if you can't tell what's so special about it. You find the "special " spots at Bear Lake by putting lots of time in fishing it.
[signature]

[Kent]

[size 1]"Although there's always a chance of catching a cruising Lake Trout about anywhere in Bear Lake, it seems to me that if you're fishing in an area that's holding some of their prey fish (e.g. Cisco, Sculpin, White Fish), you've got a better chance." I assume that the prey fish are not typically traveling in dense schools except for certain times of year, so how is the best way to determine if one is fishing in an area that is holding some of the prey fish noted above? As a side note, last Saturday I caught a 21" cutthroat that had a white fish sticking out of it's mouth that was at least 8" long. At least 1/2 of it was still sticking outside of the cutthroats mouth, and it was still interested in taking my jig. In releasing the cutthroat, I easily removed the white fish, and a seagull gladly retrieved it from the surface of the water. [/size]
[signature]

[southernman]

do trout have a strike reflex like lm bass? a lm bass can have a full stomach, but a plug dancing in front of her nose can bring out a reflex strike even though she's not really hungry . . people have taken big bass and cut em open, and they are just full, but they still hit a plug/worm/whatever !

just wondering if trout are like that too?

sm
[signature]

[muskyhunter]

Kent,I have cought a cutt.during the skulpin spawn that had 7 skulpin in its mouth!! I cant beleive it actually had room for my flat fish,I know it could'nt have been hungry it must of just been"pissed off"??I would say if your catching fish in a certain area, stay there that HOG will swim by sooner or later"BIG FISH RULE"M.H.
[signature]

[RipNLips]

I've seen schools on my fish finder at about any time of the year, although Whitefish and Cisco do form much larger schools during their respective spawning seasons. I personally can't tell for sure whether they are Cisco or Whitefish without catching one. Perhaps a person with a good fish finder and a familiarity with it could tell based on the size of the separate echoes or something, but I can't. I usually figure that if a decent sized tube jig tipped with some Cisco meat isn't getting nibbles when it's in the middle of a school, it's probably a school of Cisco, otherwise, it's probably a school of Whitefish.

Sculpin are bottom dwellers and do not school. The only time you can find good concentrations of them is when they come up into the rocky shallows to spawn.

Sounds like that Cutt was being a pig. The Bear Lake Whitefish spawn from February to May. I imagine the Mack's and Cutt's will gorge on them just as long as they are plentiful and concentrated.
[signature]

[Xman]

without scientific studies to back me i can say from personal experience that trout have a reactionary strike. this is mainly how i fish for trout. and the good days are when they are feeding. otherwise i fish for trout under the idea that they will strike from reaction because they just cant help themselves. when this is the case presentation is everything but yes i believe they do.
[signature]

[southernman]

thanks, that was basically my assumption too . .

sm
[signature]

[Curtisfish]

Just from my own experience.

On Fish Lake, we got out on the ice about 5:30 in the morning. We were catching a mix of Rainbows, Splake, and a few small Lakers. About 8:30 the fishing died completely. We decided to stick it out for a while. After 45min. without a single bite, I lifted my jig about 2' and it fell only 1' when the line went limp. I reeled up the slack, felt one tiny, tiny tap, and set the hook into a fish that about 20 minutes later (8lb. line) proved to be a 17 3/4lb. 34" Mack. I got the impression that the large fish scared off all of the smaller fish as it cruised through.

On Flaming Gorge, we were jigging Linwood bay with a group of anglers. All of the boats were having moderate success with 2-5lb. Macks. Suddenly, I look at the boat next to me, (about 20') and he is holding a 14lb fish. This was in October.
[signature]

[plecopterahopper]

[font "Technical"][#0000a0][size 3]That is a good question Kent, from my experience at the gorge, I think that the fish do group by size. I don't think that they really school by size, but I know that if I was in a spot of known structure where I was catching 2-5 pounders that is what I would catch all day. I have been on different spots further south on the lake where the fishing was much slower, but the smallest fish throught the ice from our group was 10 lbs. So my take on it is that the small fish will hold in tighter groups while the larger fish will group somewhat but more spread out. I have seen many exceptions to this rule so it is hard to say for sure. [/size][/#0000a0][/font]
[signature]