12-13-2004, 12:10 AM
[#ff4040]Every year I have a standing fishing trip the very first Sat. after the Thanksgiving Day weekend. I have always done extremely well that day. If you would like to join my die-hard friend who comes up from Farmington that day you are welcome. He usually brings good weather and this year was no exception. Calm and cold is easier to fish that windy and warm!! These whitefish are a "finesse fish" and I like the finesse game (although it is FAR from rocket science). I use 4-6 lb line and small jigs. Most people are using their Mac-rod to try to catch them. It will be a long day if you are doing that! I KNOW you have the equipment necessary, so lets do it. [/#ff4040]
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[#ff4040]Yesterday, some guys I knew that were from Randolph were camping and fishing from shore right in front of me. They were catching a bunch of fish too. They knew the spot and the technique. Other people did terrible and they were also fishing Cisco Beach. You've just got to be in the right place and the way you do that is to pay your dues. In fact Bear Lake is probably "thee most dues-payin' lake in Utah" before you can "collect" on it (by catching some fish). I spend a lot of time on the big pond. I fished it a lot, but I also spent a couple of days not fishing much but observing and carefully watching my sonar unit for subtle differences to locate potential hot spots. Perhaps the most I ever have. I learned (found) some new spots and this scouting paid off. The "rockpile" was slow this year and most people echo that statement. However, it was red hot over at Cisco Beach. The problem was the weather. From Oct. 15-Nov 15 (prime lake trout spawning/catching time) it was very W-I-N-D-Y almost ever day! I got blown off and it sucked. However, I caught more lake trout this fall along Cisco Beach than I have ever caught on the rockpile. It was just a matter of being willing to switch tactics/thinking. Just because the rockpile was good for the last 10 years does not mean it had to be good this year. This was the lowest the water has been since 1936. The top of the rockpile was in 29 feet of water. The lake was still thermally stratied in the middle of the mac run. The water was warmer on the rockpile and the fish just weren't there. Along Cisco Beach the water cooled off faster and the macs moved in big time. Anyway, that is one explanation of the fishing conditions this fall on Bear Lake.[/#ff4040]
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[#ff4040]One other thought, I never kept many fish before I got married, but my wife's family LOVES fish so I am happy to catch and keep a few for them. My absolute favorite fish to eat from Bear Lake are whitefish. They are so good, BUT you have to eat them fresh! Their meat does not freeze well (actually it freezes well) but once it is froze for 2 weeks or more it tastes like the fishiest (is that a word?) crap (can I say that) you can imagine! Lake trout do not recruit to any extent in Bear Lake so letting them go to "spawn" doesn't biologically help that much. Letting them go be be recaught is a good idea especially for all of the "mackologists" who like to fish Bear Lake. In fact, all of the lake trout stocked in the future will be sterilzied before they are stocked. The first week of November the DWR stocked about 37,000 sterile lakers this fall so they will be coming along in the years to come. Well I almost wrote as much as you this time![/#ff4040]
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[#ff4040]Yesterday, some guys I knew that were from Randolph were camping and fishing from shore right in front of me. They were catching a bunch of fish too. They knew the spot and the technique. Other people did terrible and they were also fishing Cisco Beach. You've just got to be in the right place and the way you do that is to pay your dues. In fact Bear Lake is probably "thee most dues-payin' lake in Utah" before you can "collect" on it (by catching some fish). I spend a lot of time on the big pond. I fished it a lot, but I also spent a couple of days not fishing much but observing and carefully watching my sonar unit for subtle differences to locate potential hot spots. Perhaps the most I ever have. I learned (found) some new spots and this scouting paid off. The "rockpile" was slow this year and most people echo that statement. However, it was red hot over at Cisco Beach. The problem was the weather. From Oct. 15-Nov 15 (prime lake trout spawning/catching time) it was very W-I-N-D-Y almost ever day! I got blown off and it sucked. However, I caught more lake trout this fall along Cisco Beach than I have ever caught on the rockpile. It was just a matter of being willing to switch tactics/thinking. Just because the rockpile was good for the last 10 years does not mean it had to be good this year. This was the lowest the water has been since 1936. The top of the rockpile was in 29 feet of water. The lake was still thermally stratied in the middle of the mac run. The water was warmer on the rockpile and the fish just weren't there. Along Cisco Beach the water cooled off faster and the macs moved in big time. Anyway, that is one explanation of the fishing conditions this fall on Bear Lake.[/#ff4040]
[#ff4040][/#ff4040]
[#ff4040]One other thought, I never kept many fish before I got married, but my wife's family LOVES fish so I am happy to catch and keep a few for them. My absolute favorite fish to eat from Bear Lake are whitefish. They are so good, BUT you have to eat them fresh! Their meat does not freeze well (actually it freezes well) but once it is froze for 2 weeks or more it tastes like the fishiest (is that a word?) crap (can I say that) you can imagine! Lake trout do not recruit to any extent in Bear Lake so letting them go to "spawn" doesn't biologically help that much. Letting them go be be recaught is a good idea especially for all of the "mackologists" who like to fish Bear Lake. In fact, all of the lake trout stocked in the future will be sterilzied before they are stocked. The first week of November the DWR stocked about 37,000 sterile lakers this fall so they will be coming along in the years to come. Well I almost wrote as much as you this time![/#ff4040]
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