Bear Lake Bear Lake surface water temperature is 54 degrees. All boat ramps are available for launching at this time. This includes the Bear Lake State Park marina, First Point, Cisco Beach and Rainbow Cove. You can also launch boats at the inlet structure in Idaho at the very north end of the lake. Anglers have been doing well for cutthroat trout and a few lake trout. Most anglers are trolling at this time. Hot lures have been a flasher/squid combo and jointed rapalas in bright colors. Trolling parallel to shore from Swan Creek north to Fish Haven Creek in anywhere from 20-65 feet has been working. Try starting shallow and keep moving deeper until you find some active fish. Pay attention to your sonar since there could be some suspended fish just about anywhere in the water column due to the cold water. You can also try trolling off Cisco Beach and off the Idaho State Park on the east side. We have not talked to any anglers this past week who were jigging so we dont have an accurate report, however, jigging can be effective at this time of year as the cutthroat trout spawn winds down and the fish return to Bear Lake to feed after spawning in the tributary streams. Try jigging in anywhere from 30-90 of water using tube jigs tipped with cisco. You can also try fishing swim baits in ½ to 1 ounce sizes. Fish them slow and close to the bottom. Tip them with a piece of cisco, sucker meat or Gulp minnow. Reliable colors are white, green and chartreuse. Some anglers have also been long lining off Cisco Beach and have been catching a few cutthroat trout and lake trout. They are using whole cisco and fishing right on the bottom. Remember the trout limit is two fish. 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, and while they are legal to keep, many anglers are encouraging other anglers to release them.
