BEAR LAKE REPORT

[TubeDude]

I just emailed Darin at Pugstones at Bear Lake, regarding the maximum size for Bear Lake macks. He returned the following report, which I will post in it's entirety. It includes some welcome news on the whitefish. [font "Arial"][size 2]I am not sure exactly what the record is for Bear Lake. I do know that the Utah Bear Lake Mackinaw record is around 29.8lbs. The Idaho Bear Lake Mackinaw record is around 31.4lbs. We take maybe one 20+ pounder a year. We fish the lake about 150 days a year. We do not target these fish either except for during the run.[/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]The last big fish we have seen out of the lake was last year around the first of August a gentlemen that fishes this lake a ton as well. He was using either a jig tipped with Cisco or a full Cisco on the bottom. It was a 26+lb laker.[/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Most of the lakers average around 4lbs. and 22". It is not uncommon to catch mack over the 34" category but anything that is 38" and over is a true record here. The lakers were first planted back in 1929. They are sterile and do not reproduce. However, we are starting to see some lakers now that are not fin clipped so we are pretty sure that they have evolved to spawn naturally and reproduce. The last time the Macks were planted was a couple of years ago. This year there will be the total of 180-200 fish released into Bear Lake. These are a Triplod Laker, that is they have ZERO reproductive organs. I have seen some of these triplods with rainbow as the specimen and I was really pleased with the fast growth that we got out of them. [/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Most of the lakers that people are catching that are truely 30+ inch fish are at least 28-50 year old fish. The biggest laker that I have seen from the lake was a gill net study where they landed to 30+ pound lakers. Both were caught and released unharmed.[/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Thanks for sending the guys our way. We appreciate any help we can get. Thanks for checking in and please let us know if we can ever help out in any other way.[/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]P.S. The whitefish are in "THICK". The cutts will be a few more weeks but blow out action for Whities![/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Take care.[/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Darin Pugmire [/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Pugstone's Ripples & Waves Sporting
-Home of Bear River Basin Outfitters-
20 North Bear Lake Blvd.
P.O. Box 179
Garden City, UT 84028
[url "http://www.fishingbearlake.com"][#0000ff]www.fishingbearlake.com[/#0000ff][/url]
Tele: (435) 946-2855
Mobile: (435) 757-9430
Email: [url "mailto:pugstone@dcdi.net"][#0000ff]pugstone@dcdi.net[/#0000ff][/url][/size][/font]
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Nice report. I have caught macks over 20 pounds. Heck, my 11 yr old nice caught a 19 pounder last July during our family vacation and I know guys who have caught fish over 25 lbs. Mike Muir, my neighbor, has a couple 20+ pounders out of Bear Lake mounted on his wall. Mike also had a whooper up to the boat last fall but failed to get it in the boat. This guy knows what big fish look like and he guess it weight at close to 30#. He was by himself and couldn't get it in his net. You can disbelieve this guy but I have no reason to; he's a pretty straight arrow guy. There are some nice fish in there for sure! Enough to keep me going back every weekend and most of my days off! The only thing that comes close to the adrenaline rush of big trout are wipers! BIG FISH RULE![/size][/font]
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[fishboy2]

hey,]

bear lake is a pretty big lake and im sure people catch bigger than twenty all the time just dont say anything about it. I belive you that your friend had a 30+ pounder by the boat, we all know how it happens to lose a fish on the side of a boat when we are alone and it takes two hands to hold the rod.







stealn' yer knowledge,

FB2
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