Whitefish from shore

[CVfisher]

My son and I are considering going over to Bear lake and try for some whitefish on Saturday. We are boatless therefore we will be fishing from shore. Do you need a boat to have decent success? Any tips to get us started on the right track are appreciated.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000ff]Good fishing for whitefish while shore casting or wading is limited. Whitefish show up around rocky bottoms suitable for spawning...in water from 6 to 12 feet deep...with 7-9' having been the most productive this year. The problem is that a lot of Bear Lake shoreline either does not have rocky rubble, has a gradual slope out into deeper water or the bottom drops off too quickly from the shore...such as at Cisco Beach.

Those limited to shore casting can sometimes do well fishing off the outside of the rocks to the south of the marina entrance at the State Park. Fan cast until you find how far from the rocks the fish are cruising and then fish parallel to the rocks to keep your lures in the "zone" while retrieving. Just be careful if the rocks have a coating of ice or snow.

The entire east shoreline is a series of rocky beaches. The whitefish move up and down that shoreline...schooling up in spots that have the right depth and the right bottom rocky conditions. You can reach the fish without getting in the water at many spots. But having a good pair of insulated waders will allow you to cover more water and to reach fish that might be just beyond your best cast from dry land.

The downside of casting out from shore is that you will likely lose a lot of jigs. Those cobble rocks have lots of holes and gaps that gulp in your jigs. Unless you can maneuver straight above them, to wiggle them free, you will be forced to break off and retie. But if you are not getting snagged occasionally you are probably not fishing the right area...the right way.

The whole shoreline north and south of the launch ramp at Cisco Beach can be successfully fished from shore. Since the bottom slopes downward quickly, a long cast will put your lures in water too deep for whitefish...but may get you a nice cutt or even an occasional mack. To limit your efforts to whitefish you will have to figure out the best zone for each spot you stop to fish. Sometimes you can find whitefish surprisingly close to shore. Just keep moving and casting until you find fish.

Check the recent posts from GSP on this board. He has been staying at his cabin at Bear Lake for the past week...fishing by wading every day. And he has caught from 10 to 20 whitefish just about every day...fishing only a few hours in the morning. He has also scored a few nice cutts and a couple of macks...all fishing near shore. You might want to PM him to see if he will provide more specific info.

Good luck.
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[Kent]

[quote TubeDude][#0000ff]

The whole shoreline north and south of the launch ramp at Lincoln Beach can be successfully fished from shore.

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True, but will he catch any whitefish?[]
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[CVfisher]

Thanks TubeDude! Actually, I think we are more interested in catching Cutts and Macs than whitefish. With that said, would throwing spoons and crank baits from shore be productive in your opinion? Maybe even soaking a chunk of cisco? Thanks again for your guidance on this.
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[MSM1970]

Can tell what's on his mind and where he want to be[]
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[GSP]

CV fisher: I think it's certainly possible to catch cutts or macs from shore doing the things you have described. Keep in mind, you will probably lose hardware and sometimes a lot depending on where you're shore fishing (Cisco beach is always a hardware eater for me from shore). Right now I think you would catch a lot more whitefish (numbers wise) from shore. For me, I go after whitefish and the cutts and macs are a bonus. This is one of the times of year that cutts and macs are somewhat available to the shore angler. Maybe Scott Tolentino (BL Fish guy) will chime in.

GSP
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Yes. Throwing lures and soaking baits oriented towards the trout side of the species list would likely get you some results. GSP caught two nice cutts on cisco meat cast out from shore one day last week.

There have been quite a few cutts and macks caught so far this year in the same general areas of the whitefish. A couple of the macks I am aware of came from water less than 10 feet deep. The water temp last Saturday was only a whisker above 40 degrees so cold-loving trout will come in to forage on the smaller fish that are dining on whitefish spawn.

You might try slinging a 3" white tube...with either crawler or cisco...for both macks and cutts. They will also hit a variety of sinking cranks, spoons and other lures. But, as evidenced by all the decent sized macks that have been caught by whitefish chasers the past couple of weeks you don't always need larger lures to get bit.

The shoreline north of Cisco Beach ramp might be a good place to work for the troutskis. Quite a few of those caught last week came from that area. I was in a tube with sonar and watched the bottom drop quickly from 6-9 feet inshore to over 30 feet less than a mediocre cast from shore. I hooked my 30 inch mack on the bottom in 26 feet, but several other macks were caught nearer the surface and in much shallower water.

If you have some cisco meat, I might suggest rigging with a water filled bubble and about 2-3 feet of leader. Chuck it out, let it sink and then slowly drag it either over the bottom or somewhere up in the water column. The bubble will be a lot less prone to snag than a sinker and will give your bait a nice slow sink. Be prepared for a "pop on the drop" at almost any depth. The trout seem to be active and aggressive and will move a ways to hit lures or take baits...especially in that clear water.
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[GSP]

If you are more interested in trout species, I would go to Cisco as Tube Dude mentions. Deeper water casting from shore and more likely to have a chance at those species. Pretty sure Pat meant "Cisco beach launch ramp" in his first post on this thread. [laugh]
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF][#FF0000]"True, but will he catch any whitefish?"[]
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Only with a very long cast.

Utah has too many beaches...for a landlocked state.
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[TubeDude]

[quote GSP]If you are more interested in trout species, I would go to Cisco as Tube Dude mentions. Deeper water casting from shore and more likely to have a chance at those species.[#FF0000] Pretty sure Pat meant "Cisco beach launch ramp" in his first post on this thread. [/#FF0000] [laugh][/quote]

[#0000FF]Right ye be, lad. No defense except my typin' fingers overran my brain. Not difficult these days. Glad somebody reads my stuff enough to help me embarrass myself.[/#0000FF]
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[MSM1970]

I was thinking if was from cat fishing with drawls[]
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[TubeDude]

[quote MSM1970]I was thinking if was from cat fishing with drawls[][/quote]

[#0000FF]More likely because of overexposure to catfish...or ODing on Smelly Jelly.[/#0000FF]
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