Bear Lake Fishing Forecast

Bear Lake (Blue Ribbon):
Fishing forecast (July-August):

On June 26, the surface water temperature was about 65 degrees, and cutthroat and lake trout were
heading deep. Recent reports indicate anglers who are using downriggers are catching fish by
trolling with jointed minnow lures in bright colors (oranges/reds) or Rapalas in water 60 to 90 feet
deep. Try to keep your lure close to the bottom. In some cases, letting your lure dig into the bottom
of the lake is a good idea. A good spot to troll is from Swan Creek north to Fish Haven Creek. On the
eastern side of the lake, just off Cisco Beach, Rainbow Cove and the Idaho State Park are good
places to try. Lots of recreational boat traffic is underway by late morning, so fish from sunrise until
about 11 a.m.

If you prefer to jig, try off the outside edges of the “rockpile” east of the Ideal Beach resort in the
early morning hours. Once again, target fish in about 80 feet of water this time of year. Use a 1/2- to
1-ounce jig with a 4- to 6-inch tube, twister tail or swim bait tipped with a piece of cisco or other fish
meat. Let the jig bounce right on the bottom, lifting it up about 12 to 18 inches and then dropping it
back. Many of the strikes happen when the lure is falling back to the bottom, so pay attention to your
line. If you notice the lure/line stops sinking, set the hook and hold on!

Boat launching is available at the Utah State Park Marina, Rainbow Cove and the First Point ramp.
The Cisco Beach ramp is open, but four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended to launch there.
Construction has started on the Utah State Park Marina Expansion Project. State park personnel are
working closely with the contractor to minimize any impacts to the operations of the existing marina.

Reminder: The trout limit is two fish. There is no longer a fin clip regulation for cutthroat trout, so you
can keep any cutthroat trout up to your two fish limit. Lake trout take a long time to reach a large
size. While large lake trout are legal to keep, many anglers encourage other anglers to release them.
If you plan on releasing fish, try to land the fish quickly and then get it back into the water without
any delays. The warm surface water temperature is hard on fish in the summer. You may want to
consider using a ‘descending device’ that allows you to release fish into deeper, cooler water.