This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Scott Tolentino, Bear Lake Project Leader for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, sent in this report.
Thursday, November 13, 2014 Bear Lake Fishing Report: Bear Lake fishing is beginning to heat up as the cold weather has arrived. Water levels are very good and just about the same as last year at this time. All sizes of boats can be launched at the Utah State Park marina, and off the east side at the 1st Point and Rainbow Cove boat ramps. Courtesy docks are in the water at all locations. UDWR recently completed their fall gill-net sampling on the lake and found cutthroat and lake trout mainly 15-60' deep. Anglers fishing the last two weeks have reported catching mainly cutthroat trout with lake trout just beginning to bite after their spawning season. Best luck for both species has come from anglers who are trolling with downriggers and flatfish in the U-20 and T-4 sizes. Good areas at this time of year include the "rockpile" area off Ideal Beach Resort in 40-60' of water and along Cisco Beach northward to North Eden. Good speeds to begin with are about 1.4- 1.9 mph, but you can try faster or slower depending on what the fish want that day. Remember, in order to keep a cutthroat trout from Bear Lake it must have a healed fin clip (usually the adipose fin). Cutthroat trout with all fins intact have to be released, including fish that are tagged with all of their fins. Consider releasing large lake trout in order to maintain the fishery. Lake trout are very slow-growing and can easily live to over 35 years old in Bear Lake. For those angler anticipating the Bonneville whitefish run: The run should begin around the Thanksgiving weekend and continue for the first two weeks of December. Light action spinning rods with 4-6lb line and 1/16-1/8 ounce jigs tipped with a 1" piece of night crawler work great. Cast along rock shoreline along the east side and off the Utah State Park marina for best results. Garden City Community Fishery Pond Stocking is completed for the year. Improvements at the pond include a complete paved sidewalk, installation of a dock, and landscaping. Anglers have reported fair fishing for rainbow trout up to 12" using nymph flys, night crawlers under a bobber, or powerbait. Garden City Pond is a Utah Community Fishery and the daily limit is two fish total. Laketown Reservoir Pond level is full and anglers are reporting very good luck for rainbow trout and a few cutthroat trout with small (#1 size) spinner or worms and marshmallows under a bobber. The road is gravel and it is recommended that you have a higher clearance vehicle to access this water. Laketown Reservoir is not a community fishery, therefore, the daily limit is four trout.