Bear Lake Bear Lake received lots of snow last week, but boat ramps have been plowed and sanded and are in good shape. On Jan. 21, large sheets of ice were floating on the north, west and south ends of the lake, making it difficult to fish from a boat. Wind can cause floating ice to disappear in a matter of hours, though. Boat can be launched at the Utah State Park Marina and Rainbow Cove ramps. (A dock is not available at Rainbow Cove.) On Jan. 21, the First Point ramp was not accessible, due to ice on the lake. Please note: there is NO ice for ice fishing right now! Anglers fishing from boats are catching Bonneville cisco off the rockpile area and also off the area just outside the Utah State Park Marina. You should also be able to jig cisco off the weed beds south of Gus Rich Point as well as the Pump House area (if ice doesnt prevent access). No cisco were seen at Cisco Beach on the morning of Jan. 21, but a few anglers were starting to dip net some cisco off the Utah State Park Marina. Cisco should show up along Cisco Beach any day. Catching them with a dip net will depend on the weather. If its calm, anglers should do well. If its windy, it will be difficult to dip net any fish. Fishing for cutthroat trout and lake trout has been good. Jigging has been working well. If youre jigging, use tube jigs or swim baits in ½- to 1-ounce sizes and 3 to 6 inches long. Tip them with a piece of cisco, sucker meat or Gulp minnows, and fish the jigs right on the bottom. White, green and chartreuse are reliable colors. Areas on the rockpile, in 45 to 65 feet of water, have been a hotspot. Move around until you find active fish. Due to floating ice sheets, the east side, along Cisco Beach, has been the only area open to trolling. Troll with Rapalas in F9 - F13 sizes and Dodgers with a squid or whole cisco. Start out at 45 65 feet, and run your lures just off the bottom. Cutthroat and lake trout can also be found suspended this time of year, so pay attention to your sonar, and try to target suspended fish as well as those along the bottom. Some anglers casting from shore off Cisco Beach have caught cutthroat trout. Fishing should remain good in these locations for the remainder of the winter. Cast large spoons or #5 - #6 spinners (such as a Mepps or Blue Fox), and let the lure sink. Then, try to retrieve it so its running close to the bottom. Large, articulated fliesin white rabbit fur or a sculpin patternwill also work for fly anglers. Remember the trout limit is 2 fish, the cisco limit is 30, and the whitefish limit is 10. Cutthroat trout with a healed fin clip may be kept; cutthroat trout with all fins intact must be immediately released. Large lake trout take a long time to reach large sizes. While theyre legal to keep, many anglers are encouraging other anglers to release them.
