Cisco Spawn at Frozen Bear Lake

The info below is from the DWR’s fishing hotspots report. The info is good. I’m posting it here because it will soon disappear from the DWR report, and I think it has lasting value. The hotspots report is a good idea, but I think the page is difficult to use.

Bear Lake – Hot!

The cisco spawning run is now underway and the lake is frozen! As of Friday, January 19, 2007 limits of cisco were being dipnetted off of Cisco Beach and Utah State Park marina. The ice off the Bear Lake State Park is approximately 5-6” thick and ice anglers are reporting catching some nice cutthroat trout and a few whitefish directly in front of the marina and off the new rockpiles just north of the marina in about 35 feet of water using jigs and spoons tipped with cisco or wax worms. The ice along Cisco Beach is now about 3” thick and anglers are dipping fish while standing on the ice. Closer to shore is better for dipping cisco. There have been a couple of 4 wheelers and a few ice anglers off the Ideal Beach rockpile. Cisco can be jigged (snagged) off the rockpiles by using lures such as castmasters and spoons.

Remember a person may not possess a multipoint hook with a weight permanently or rigidly attached directly to the shank or a weight suspended below any hook unless the hook is on an unweighted dropper line that is at least three inches long. This is to prevent other fish, such a whitefish and cutthroat trout from being inadvertently snagged. Any fish that is foul hooked other than a cisco must be immediately released. A few ice anglers have been fishing off the east side from the pump house north towards Second Point and the ice in this area is about 3-4” thick.

Remember to watch out for springs and or methane vents which make or weak ice in some area and keep some areas wide open. Play it safe and wear a set of ice picks around your neck on the outside of your clothing. The picks will help you to pull yourself out of the water if you should fall through. It is also a good idea to keep a length of rope with your ice fishing equipment as an additional safety measure. The lake level is at 5910.56 feet. The lake has risen approximately seven inches since October and continues to rise. The deicers in the marina have been turned off for the year and it is now frozen. There is approximately 6” of snow on the ground at this time and night time temperatures have been well below zero with day time highs of about 15 degrees.

Details
· Location: Northern Utah
· Directions: Take Hwy 89 east from Logan, UT 38 miles
· Type: Blue Ribbon
· Size: 70,000 acres
· Elevation: 5924
· Hours: No restrictions
· Likely catch: Cutthroat Trout, Lake Trout
· Possible catch: Bonneville Cisco
· Regulations: 2 trout. Cutthroat trout must be fin clipped (adipose) in order to be kept. See proclamation for other species.
· Site amenities: Open to fishing for all ages
· Handicap access: This lake has handicap access in certain areas.
· Site description: Bear Lake provides a cold water sport fishery mainly for cutthroat and lake lake trout. A fishing license from either Utah or Idaho is valid on the entire lake. Bear Lake is located in a beautiful mountain setting and the blue color is produced by suspended carbonates in the water that reflect blue light.