Bear Lake Fishing Guides and Conditions, Utah
The Caribbean of the Rockies on the Utah and Idaho line, a turquoise limestone lake holding four fish species found nowhere else, including the cisco anglers net through the ice.
Guides on the Bear Lake
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About the Bear Lake
Bear Lake straddles the Utah and Idaho border, a large natural lake sitting at over five thousand nine hundred feet in a high valley. Suspended limestone particles give it a striking turquoise colour that has earned it the nickname the Caribbean of the Rockies, and it looks nothing like any other water in the region.
The lake is biologically unusual. It was isolated long enough to develop several endemic fish found nowhere else on earth, the best known being the Bonneville cisco, a small silvery fish that spawns in enormous numbers along the rocky eastern shore in January. Anglers wade in with dip nets to take them during a short, tightly regulated season, and it is one of the strangest and most enjoyable fishing events in the West.
For rod and line anglers the main quarry is lake trout, which grow large here, and Bear Lake cutthroat trout, an adapted strain that feeds on the cisco. Both are fished by trolling and jigging, with the cold months the most productive.
The lake is shared between two states with separate regulations and a reciprocal arrangement in places, so it is worth confirming what applies where you intend to fish.
The cutthroat here deserve a note of their own. The Bear Lake strain evolved to hunt cisco in open water rather than to hold in a river, and they behave accordingly, cruising and chasing rather than sitting on structure. Anglers who fish them like stream trout tend to struggle.
The gauge below reports lake elevation. Bear Lake is used for irrigation storage as well as being a natural lake, and its level moves substantially between wet and dry cycles, which changes beach access and how far the marinas reach.
Pool right now
- 24 hours-0.05 ft → steady
- For the dateLow for the date
Reading taken 1h ago at USGS 10055000, BEAR LAKE AT STATE PARK MARINA NR GARDEN CITY, UT. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Bear Lake State Park Marina at Garden City: the main Utah access.
Rendezvous Beach on the south shore: camping and launching.
Cisco Beach on the east shore: the rocky shoreline and the January cisco run.
Idaho state park access at North Beach and East Beach.
Garden City and Laketown have services and rentals.
The lake is shared between two states with separate regulations.
Note: high elevation and open water. Weather changes quickly here.
Seasons
Winter: the cisco run in January and the best lake trout fishing of the year.
Spring: cutthroat and lake trout accessible as the water warms.
Summer: deep lake trout, warm weather and heavy recreational traffic.
Fall: cooling water, feeding trout and the lake quiet again.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Bear Lake?
Anglers target Bonneville Cisco, Bonneville Whitefish, Cutthroat Trout, Lake Trout on the Bear Lake in Utah.
Where can you access the Bear Lake?
Bear Lake State Park Marina at Garden City: the main Utah access. Rendezvous Beach on the south shore: camping and launching. Cisco Beach on the east shore: the rocky shoreline and the January cisco run. Idaho state park access at North Beach and East Beach. Garden City and Laketown have services and rentals. The lake is shared between two states with separate regulations. Note: high elevation and open water. Weather changes quickly here.
When is the best time to fish the Bear Lake?
Winter: the cisco run in January and the best lake trout fishing of the year. Spring: cutthroat and lake trout accessible as the water warms. Summer: deep lake trout, warm weather and heavy recreational traffic. Fall: cooling water, feeding trout and the lake quiet again.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Bear Lake?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Utah agency site: https://wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks.html