12-05-2009, 04:18 AM
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3][#002850]Mission accomplished … two limits of Bear Lake white fish for the smokers.
Wildcat94 took me up on my offer to try to catch some whitefish at Bear Lake today. We left early this morning but since this was the first time we had ever met, we got talking to much and wasnt paying attention to the road. I missed an exit putting us 45 minutes behind schedule.[/#002850][/size][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3][#002850]It was a minus – 7 degrees going through Logan canyon and + 6 degrees when we got to Garden City. We arrived at the 1st point launch ramp on the east side of Bear Lake only to find that my boat motor linkage was frozen in forward so the motor wouldn’t start. After a while of soaking it in the warm lake water, it thawed enough to shift into neutral allowing me to start the motor. (Note to myself … always leave gear shift in neutral.)
After getting the motor started and the boat launched, we headed to a location that BearLakeFishGuy had suggested. Not knowing which lures would be best or just what technique to use, it took us a while to figure things out. By about 9:30, we only had six whites in the bucket. I was hoping to be limited out by then and out fishing for macks. But of course, we had a lot to learn. And it wasn’t till 2:00 PM, and after a lot of perseverance, did we each have our 10 fish each limit.
[inline Brice-Blody-444.gif]
[inline Brice-white-in-net-444.gif]
[inline Coots-nice-white-444.gif]
Once we had limited out, we decided to do a hi-5 and reward ourselves with some mack/cut fishing. Long story short … no macks … no cuts … not even a bite. But now that I have a much better idea of how to fish for Bear Lake whitefish, I think I could actually limit out by 10:00 AM and spend the rest of the day fishing for the big boys. Maybe next year.
Here are some of the things Wildcat94 and I learned today about catching those BL whitefish:
>> Location, location, location … the rocky shore line between First Point and Second Point. See the attached map of Bear Lake. Or buddy up with BLFG and have him point you in the right direction.
>> Anchor up in 7-8 feet of water.
>> S L O W retrieves … about 4-5 seconds per reel revolution.
>> Let your lures gently bounce along the rocks. Yup … lots of snags … plan on it. If you are getting snags, you are in the zone.
>> The whitefish hit your lures “on the drop”. So, as you are slowly retrieving your lure, drop your rod tip often.
>> Tip your lures with a small 1/2 to 3/4 inch piece of worm. We found that a worm any longer than 3/4 inch would cause lots of short strike misses. Once we shortened up our worm, we got better hook sets.
>> Here are the lures that worked best for us today. The little tube with the red speckle was the best. The lead head is 1/16 oz. and it casted quite nicely all day even in the extreme cold air.
[inline Lures-for-White-Fish-444.gif]
Speaking of cold air, we were quite surprised how comfortable we were all day in such cold temperatures. We were well prepared for the cold and it paid off.
The water temps varied from 39 on the east side to 42 out over the rock pile.
Thanks to BLFG for his good tips and pointers.
[inline BLFG-and-friend-444.gif]
Well, I will be busy filleting fish tomorrow, brining them tomorrow night, smoking them in my smoker Sunday, and snacking on them til they are gone.
[inline Nice-stringer-444.gif]
The weather, the fishing, and the company were all great today. I would love to do it again and add some cuts and lakers to the catch next time.
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[signature]
Wildcat94 took me up on my offer to try to catch some whitefish at Bear Lake today. We left early this morning but since this was the first time we had ever met, we got talking to much and wasnt paying attention to the road. I missed an exit putting us 45 minutes behind schedule.[/#002850][/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3][#002850][/#002850][/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3][#002850]It was a minus – 7 degrees going through Logan canyon and + 6 degrees when we got to Garden City. We arrived at the 1st point launch ramp on the east side of Bear Lake only to find that my boat motor linkage was frozen in forward so the motor wouldn’t start. After a while of soaking it in the warm lake water, it thawed enough to shift into neutral allowing me to start the motor. (Note to myself … always leave gear shift in neutral.)
After getting the motor started and the boat launched, we headed to a location that BearLakeFishGuy had suggested. Not knowing which lures would be best or just what technique to use, it took us a while to figure things out. By about 9:30, we only had six whites in the bucket. I was hoping to be limited out by then and out fishing for macks. But of course, we had a lot to learn. And it wasn’t till 2:00 PM, and after a lot of perseverance, did we each have our 10 fish each limit.
[inline Brice-Blody-444.gif]
[inline Brice-white-in-net-444.gif]
[inline Coots-nice-white-444.gif]
Once we had limited out, we decided to do a hi-5 and reward ourselves with some mack/cut fishing. Long story short … no macks … no cuts … not even a bite. But now that I have a much better idea of how to fish for Bear Lake whitefish, I think I could actually limit out by 10:00 AM and spend the rest of the day fishing for the big boys. Maybe next year.
Here are some of the things Wildcat94 and I learned today about catching those BL whitefish:
>> Location, location, location … the rocky shore line between First Point and Second Point. See the attached map of Bear Lake. Or buddy up with BLFG and have him point you in the right direction.
>> Anchor up in 7-8 feet of water.
>> S L O W retrieves … about 4-5 seconds per reel revolution.
>> Let your lures gently bounce along the rocks. Yup … lots of snags … plan on it. If you are getting snags, you are in the zone.
>> The whitefish hit your lures “on the drop”. So, as you are slowly retrieving your lure, drop your rod tip often.
>> Tip your lures with a small 1/2 to 3/4 inch piece of worm. We found that a worm any longer than 3/4 inch would cause lots of short strike misses. Once we shortened up our worm, we got better hook sets.
>> Here are the lures that worked best for us today. The little tube with the red speckle was the best. The lead head is 1/16 oz. and it casted quite nicely all day even in the extreme cold air.
[inline Lures-for-White-Fish-444.gif]
Speaking of cold air, we were quite surprised how comfortable we were all day in such cold temperatures. We were well prepared for the cold and it paid off.
The water temps varied from 39 on the east side to 42 out over the rock pile.
Thanks to BLFG for his good tips and pointers.
[inline BLFG-and-friend-444.gif]
Well, I will be busy filleting fish tomorrow, brining them tomorrow night, smoking them in my smoker Sunday, and snacking on them til they are gone.
[inline Nice-stringer-444.gif]
The weather, the fishing, and the company were all great today. I would love to do it again and add some cuts and lakers to the catch next time.
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[signature]
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