Bonneville whitefish and other Bear Lake fishing is hot!

[BearLakeFishGuy]

So yesterday I fished for a total of 2.5 hrs off the Utah State Park marina.  I anchored in 12' and casted towards the marina.  I ended the short day with 10 whitefish kept, 3 whitefish released, two cutthroat released and one 27" laker that I kept.  Fishing was good but you needed to pay attention since the 2' waves made it challenging to feel bites.  Even so, it was still good action.  Oh, I started at 11:00 am and fished until 1:30 and the bite was still hot when I quit.  I tried every color under the rainbow and caught fish on everything.  I mainly used 1/8 oz roadrunner jigs, 2" tube jigs on 1/8 oz heads and even a couple of 1/8 oz. maribou jigs.  Tipped the jigs with Gulp Earthworms.  The cutthroat and lake trout were fun on 4lb test leader material.  Like everything else this year the run is a bit later than usual but the fishing is really hot.  The guys jigging for trout in deeper water have been having 20 fish days!  This is the time to fish Bear Lake.  Nary one other boat or shore angler around yesterday.   Come and get 'em!  I spoke with some guys who fished today and they did really well too.  

[PAC12_AfterDark]

Thanks for the report! Not sure if I'm going to make the run this year

[BearLakeFishGuy]

This morning’s breakfast (a requisite if you catch Bonneville whitefish the day before). Two eggs over medium, homemade hash browns, whole wheat toast, and two fillets. Best breakfast ever!

[DRout]

So yesterday I fished for a total of 2.5 hrs off the Utah State Park marina.  I anchored in 12' and casted towards the marina.  I ended the short day with 10 whitefish kept, 3 whitefish released, two cutthroat released and one 27" laker that I kept.  Fishing was good but you needed to pay attention since the 2' waves made it challenging to feel bites.  Even so, it was still good action.  Oh, I started at 11:00 am and fished until 1:30 and the bite was still hot when I quit.  I tried every color under the rainbow and caught fish on everything.  I mainly used 1/8 oz roadrunner jigs, 2" tube jigs on 1/8 oz heads and even a couple of 1/8 oz. maribou jigs.  Tipped the jigs with Gulp Earthworms.  The cutthroat and lake trout were fun on 4lb test leader material.  Like everything else this year the run is a bit later than usual but the fishing is really hot.  The guys jigging for trout in deeper water have been having 20 fish days!  This is the time to fish Bear Lake.  Nary one other boat or shore angler around yesterday.   Come and get 'em!  I spoke with some guys who fished today and they did really well too.  

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I tried the east side at around 11am. I got blown off the lake in my pontoon, really didn't try too long, just to dangerous with the high winds and waves. Should have gone over the west side where one would have been protected more. Have been doing very well for whitefish though using a speckled gitzit with a meal worm.

[TubeDude]

Got an email from GSP on the board.  He also did well yesterday.  Started at 7:45...wading on the east side...and was limited in about an hour.  Best he has done for years.  Sounds like the fish are moving in.  Hope he will post a more detailed report for the masses.

[wiperhunter2]

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I tried the east side at around 11am.  I got blown off the lake in my pontoon, really didn't try too long, just to dangerous with the high winds and waves.  Should have gone over the west side where one would have been protected more.  Have been doing very well for whitefish though using a speckled gitzit with a meal worm.

Thanks for the report and welcome to the site.

[wiperhunter2]

So yesterday I fished for a total of 2.5 hrs off the Utah State Park marina.  I anchored in 12' and casted towards the marina.  I ended the short day with 10 whitefish kept, 3 whitefish released, two cutthroat released and one 27" laker that I kept.  Fishing was good but you needed to pay attention since the 2' waves made it challenging to feel bites.  Even so, it was still good action.  Oh, I started at 11:00 am and fished until 1:30 and the bite was still hot when I quit.  I tried every color under the rainbow and caught fish on everything.  I mainly used 1/8 oz roadrunner jigs, 2" tube jigs on 1/8 oz heads and even a couple of 1/8 oz. maribou jigs.  Tipped the jigs with Gulp Earthworms.  The cutthroat and lake trout were fun on 4lb test leader material.  Like everything else this year the run is a bit later than usual but the fishing is really hot.  The guys jigging for trout in deeper water have been having 20 fish days!  This is the time to fish Bear Lake.  Nary one other boat or shore angler around yesterday.   Come and get 'em!  I spoke with some guys who fished today and they did really well too.  

Thanks for the report Scott, do the whites always go for the Gulp earthworms?

[BearLakeFishGuy]

[quote pid="1126708" dateline="1639110188"]
[quote pid="1126643" dateline="1639016663"]
Thanks for the report Scott, do the whites always go for the Gulp earthworms?

I've found the Gulp worms typically outfish nightcrawlers and the stay on the hook better when the fish are short-hitting.  Been using the for about 10 years actually and I will never go back to regular crawlers.  Don't have to keep them insulated (too warm or too cold), your fingers aren't black, you don't spill bedding material all over the boat and they simply work.
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[wiperhunter2]

Makes sense, thanks for the info Scott.

[DRout]

[quote pid="1126708" dateline="1639110188"]
[quote pid="1126643" dateline="1639016663"]
Thanks for the report Scott, do the whites always go for the Gulp earthworms?

I've found the Gulp worms typically outfish nightcrawlers and the stay on the hook better when the fish are short-hitting.  Been using the for about 10 years actually and I will never go back to regular crawlers.  Don't have to keep them insulated (too warm or too cold), your fingers aren't black, you don't spill bedding material all over the boat and they simply work.

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That's why I like using meal worms for whitefish.  Not messy at all to deal with!  Do the Gulp minnows work well for cutthroat and Lake trout?

[BearLakeFishGuy]

Yes, the Gulp minnows work too, BUT, the real Bonneville cisco still work better for bait than the Gulp minnows for cutthroat and lake trout.  Sucker/Carp meat is second then the Gulp.  (in my humble opinion).

[DRout]

Yes, the Gulp minnows work too, BUT, the real Bonneville cisco still work better for bait than the Gulp minnows for cutthroat and lake trout.  Sucker/Carp meat is second then the Gulp.  (in my humble opinion).

Thanks for the info!

[Springbuck1]

Bear Lake whitefishare hot!

Yay! I'll drag the kayak out!

Two foot waves in 12 feet of water....

Never mind!

[Boundless Bryce]

I've been lurking on this website for years. I had such a great day at Bear lake, I thought I'd come out  of the shadows and start to contribute.

My dad and I went  up to Bear lake after I moved my stuff into a new house in Logan for my last semester of college. We each hooked into four or five beautiful cutthroats. I got a giant white fish and my dad got a teeny white fish. We probably had a bite every 5 minutes for two or three hours.

It was an incredible day and we had the entire marina dyke to ourselves. I saw schools of white fish in the shallows by the rocks, and tons of carp probably sucking the eggs from the rocks.

To all of you who post regularly, thank you. I've learned tons from this site and I'm excited to be a part of this community.

[dubob]

I've been lurking on this website for years. I had such a great day at Bear lake, I thought I'd come out  of the shadows and start to contribute.

My dad and I went  up to Bear lake after I moved my stuff into a new house in Logan for my last semester of college. We each hooked into four or five beautiful cutthroats. I got a giant white fish and my dad got a teeny white fish. We probably had a bite every 5 minutes for two or three hours.

It was an incredible day and we had the entire marina dyke to ourselves. I saw schools of white fish in the shallows by the rocks, and tons of carp probably sucking the eggs from the rocks.

To all of you who post regularly, thank you. I've learned tons from this site and I'm excited to be a part of this community.

Welcome aboard Bryce.  Looking forward to your adventures & reports.  

[wiperhunter2]

I've been lurking on this website for years. I had such a great day at Bear lake, I thought I'd come out  of the shadows and start to contribute.

My dad and I went  up to Bear lake after I moved my stuff into a new house in Logan for my last semester of college. We each hooked into four or five beautiful cutthroats. I got a giant white fish and my dad got a teeny white fish. We probably had a bite every 5 minutes for two or three hours.

It was an incredible day and we had the entire marina dyke to ourselves. I saw schools of white fish in the shallows by the rocks, and tons of carp probably sucking the eggs from the rocks.

To all of you who post regularly, thank you. I've learned tons from this site and I'm excited to be a part of this community.

Welcome to the site Bryce and thanks for the report, sounds like you and your Dad had a great trip to BL especilly for the Cutts. Did you get any pics?

[K18]

Welcome to the site Bryce and thanks for the report, sounds like you and your Dad had a great trip to BL especilly for the Cutts. Did you get any pics?

I'm not Bryce, but caught my first Bonneville whitefish last week and wanted to see if I could post a picture.  The big whitefish went 17.25" the little one was foul hooked near the rear fin and returned, caught a few carp as well.  

[wiperhunter2]

Welcome to the site Bryce and thanks for the report, sounds like you and your Dad had a great trip to BL especilly for the Cutts. Did you get any pics?

I'm not Bryce, but caught my first Bonneville whitefish last week and wanted to see if I could post a picture.  The big whitefish went 17.25" the little one was foul hooked near the rear fin and returned, caught a few carp as well.  

Congrats on your first BL whitefish, thanks for the report and pics. Were there a lot of other folks fishing near you?

[K18]

Congrats on your first BL whitefish, thanks for the report and pics. Were there a lot of other folks fishing near you?

Is the smaller fish a "bear lake' (BL) whitefish, as opposed to a bonneville?  From what I read they are pretty much indistingquishable when they are 10" or less.    

There was a gentleman from the Salt Lake area that helped get me started when I showed up, and even gave me his worms which was generous.  If he ever finds himself reading this, I would like to tell him thanks again.  He was on his way out when I arrived at about 11am.  There were a few boats making drift passes, and there was one other shore angler that was there for a just a bit, who said he had caught a cutthroat and hooked a whitefish but didn't land it.   But mostly I had the area to myself.  It was a little snowy and slick, I fell over once or twice on the rocks and slipped a foot into the water on accident while trying to land a fish as well.  

This all took place on Saturday, Dec 11th.   I'm surprised at how small their mouths are, even the 17" fish looked liked it could only take a hook/bait the diameter of a penny /dime or smaller.  

I would love to get back up there again this week, but not sure if it'll be all over before I have the chance or not, if anyone knows?

[Boundless Bryce]

I've been lurking on this website for years. I had such a great day at Bear lake, I thought I'd come out  of the shadows and start to contribute.

My dad and I went  up to Bear lake after I moved my stuff into a new house in Logan for my last semester of college. We each hooked into four or five beautiful cutthroats. I got a giant white fish and my dad got a teeny white fish. We probably had a bite every 5 minutes for two or three hours.

It was an incredible day and we had the entire marina dyke to ourselves. I saw schools of white fish in the shallows by the rocks, and tons of carp probably sucking the eggs from the rocks.

To all of you who post regularly, thank you. I've learned tons from this site and I'm excited to be a part of this community.

Welcome to the site Bryce and thanks for the report, sounds like you and your Dad had a great trip to BL especilly for the Cutts. Did you get any pics?

Yes, having a hard time trying to get them on the site. I think I figured it out...

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I've been lurking on this website for years. I had such a great day at Bear lake, I thought I'd come out  of the shadows and start to contribute.

My dad and I went  up to Bear lake after I moved my stuff into a new house in Logan for my last semester of college. We each hooked into four or five beautiful cutthroats. I got a giant white fish and my dad got a teeny white fish. We probably had a bite every 5 minutes for two or three hours.

It was an incredible day and we had the entire marina dyke to ourselves. I saw schools of white fish in the shallows by the rocks, and tons of carp probably sucking the eggs from the rocks.

To all of you who post regularly, thank you. I've learned tons from this site and I'm excited to be a part of this community.

Welcome to the site Bryce and thanks for the report, sounds like you and your Dad had a great trip to BL especilly for the Cutts. Did you get any pics?

The other pictures were way too big, let's try these...