This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated.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 on January 17, 2013 Bear Lake Fishing Report: As of this morning you cannot launch a boat on Bear Lake. Ice has formed around the entire edge of the lake however, there is still some open water off of North and South Eden Canyons and also off shore along Cisco Beach. There is no safe ice for ice fishing at this time, but if the weather stays calm and cold that could change within a few days. Conversely, if the valley becomes windy it could take the ice off the lake in a matter of hours. We have not seen any cisco spawning along the shoreline, but with the ice cover we expect the spawning run to begin possibly by this weekend, but more likely the middle of next week and the weekend of January 26-27. The run will last about 7-10 days once it starts and we will be updating the answering machine hotline at the Bear Lake office on an every-other-day basis If you call, PLEASE CALL AFTER 5pm FOR THE UPDATES. 435-946-8501. Garden City Community Fishery PondFrozen and ice thickness can vary due to aerators in the pond. Be extremely careful. Water levels are low, but fish can be caught using small ice jigs tipped with worm or wax worms. Laketown ReservoirFrozen and about 6" thick. Be careful around the inlet, but the rest of the pond should be fairly solid. Jigging with typical ice lures and bait have been working well.