Big Bear Blog

The easy, “limit style” fishing of Spring is over, but fishing in the Summer can also be very good! You just have to change your tactics a little. The first thing you should do before you leave the house is to log onto Big Bear Municipal Water District’s website www.bbmwd.com, and click on current lake conditions. Then click on the Limnological Report.

The Limnological Report will show you the lake conditions from 5 different monitoring buoys placed down the middle of Big Bear Lake. The buoys are located at the boom line at the dam, in front of Papoose Bay, by the West Launch Ramp, in front of the Observatory; and near Juniper Point.

The three main things that you want to check out in the report that will help you catch more fish this Summer are the Secci reading which shows light penetration, water temperature, and D.O. (dissolved oxygen). If the Secci Reading is reads 10, then that means that sun light penetration is ten feet, and at mid-day, you will probably catch most or all of your fish “below” that depth. Trout being a cold water fish will seek out water temperatures between 58 & 66 degrees if it is available and food is present. The third, and really important thing to look at is the D.O. reading at different depths. Trout need at least 5 parts per million of dissolved oxygen to breath, so fishing below that depth is a waste of time!

So now let’s put all this information together. We are fishing near the West Ramp. Look at the report and it shows the Secci reading is 9. Now you know you want to fish at least ten feet deep. Next check the temperature. That shows the water is between 60 and 57 degrees from 9.84 feet to 22.96 feet deep which is perfect. Now check out the D.O. Reading which shows D.O. at 9.84 ft. of 6.6 and D.O. at 4.5 at 26.24 feet. The D.O. reading at 26.24 feet is not enough for trout to survive so with this information I know I want to troll my lures between 10 and 20 feet to have the best chance at catching fish!

The lures I’m having the best success with right now are Rapala’s in
F-3’s, CD -3’s, and Husky Jerks. Size #1 Needlefish, in Copper Chicken Wing, Pear Bikini, Brass Bikini, Fire Tiger, and Hot Banana. And Thomas Buoyant’s, in Copper, Gold, and Rainbow. Shore fisherman can also be successful if they fish early and late in the day, or even at night. Go to one of the marinas or sporting good stores and show you how to rig a slip bobber. Slip bobber allow you to fish from the surface the surface down which is exactly what you want to do. It will probably be best to set the slip bobbers to fish your bait from 8 to 15 feet down from the surface.

Best baits to fish on a slip bobber rig are Pautzke’s Fire Bait, Power Bait & Gulp, Night Crawlers, and Pautzke’s Salmon Egg’s.
Try these tips and I guarantee you will catch a lot more fish this summer!

www.FishBigBear.net

There isn’t almost anything in fishing that leaves a longer lasting memory than catching your first fish! For me, I was staying with my grandparents during Easter Vacation. My grandfather came into the house and told me to follow him, that he had a surprise for me in the garage.

When we got out to the garage, my grandfather gave me a rod, reel, and a small tackle box, and asked if I would like to go fishing in the morning? Yes was all there was to say, and I gave my grandfather a big hug!

Even though I was only about 5 years old, I can remember just about every detail of that trip. First my grandpa said we would have to dig up worms in the back yard for bait; even that part was a lot of fun. The next morning we got up early and headed for a small lake in San Fernando Valley. When we got to the lake, grandpa tied a hook on my line, pinched on a small split shot, and attached a small red and white bobber to the line. Then he put one of the worms we dug the day before on the hook, and cast it out in the lake. He told me to watch that bobber, and when it goes under water, pull back and set the hook because there was a fish on there.

I have learned a lot about worm fishing since that day. Every fish that swims in Big Bear Lake will take a worm including the Trophy Rainbow Trout and catfish. Last year in May, Erin Dominguez broke the lake record for trout landing a massive 18.69-pound Rainbow on a night crawler.

The following is a way to rig your line that at times can be deadly for fishing night crawlers, or a combination of a mini marshmallow and a night crawler. This works best if the line from your reel is either 2 lb. or 4 lb. test so that you can get a good distance on your cast. On the end of your line tie a #6 hook for large worms, or #8 bait holder hook for smaller worms. About 12 to 15 inches above the hook pinch on a # 3 to # 5 split shot. When you cast this rig out, let it sink to the bottom, and then s-l-o-w-l-y work it in, stopping occasionally. If you feel a bite, wait a couple of seconds to make sure the fish has it, and then set the hook.

If there is a problem with moss from the bottom covering your bait, you can inflate the crawler with a worm blower, or put on a mini marshmallow above the eye of the hook then add the night crawler which will help keep it off the bottom.

You can also fish a night crawler on a slip bobber rig, which works very well once the water in the lake warms in summer and the fish are no longer on the bottom. If you are targeting trout, the medium size night crawlers work best. If your after catfish, try the large crawlers.

www.FishBigBear.com
Fish Big Bear Charter Service

For many years, Big Bear Lake was one of the top bass fishing lakes in Southern California. Then after several years of low water conditions, and poor to non-existent spawns, the bass population seriously declined. The good news however, bass fishing in Big Bear Lake is making a major comeback, and here’s why. For the last several years, Mike Stephenson, Lake Manager for the Big Bear Municipal Water District, has worked his butt off to turn the trend around, and improve the bass population in the lake.

Bass habitat structures have been placed in many locations throughout the lake. On several occasions large mouth bass were stocked, and in the summer of 2007 small mouth bass were also added. All this effort has paid off, and bass fishing in Big Bear Lake is showing signs of a real come-back.

The large mouth bass planted in Big Bear Lake are of the northern species, due mostly because of our high mountain elevation. These fish do not grow as large as their Florida cousins, but put up one hell of a fight! If you catch a large mouth bass over 5 pounds (the lake record is 5.9 pounds), you have a real trophy. The good news about Northern Strain Large Mouth is they tend to be more aggressive, and little easier to catch than other strains of bass!

For me, the most exciting bass to catch in Big Bear Lake is the Small Mouth Bass. These fish might not get quite as big as large mouth, but they more than make up for size with their hard fighting ability when they are hooked. The current lake record for small mouth is 2.35 pounds, but I am sure there are larger fish in the lake. Small mouth’s favorite forage is crawfish, and Big Bear Lake is full of them. I would not be surprised to see a 4 pound plus small mouth weighed in the near future.

In the early spring if you are targeting large mouth, jigs, plastic worms, and grubs all work well. Most of the large mouths will be caught on points, around the marina’s and boat docks. Once the water in the lake approaches sixty degrees, these fish become more active and you can catch them on crank baits, spinner baits, and even surface lures and buzz baits.

Small mouth bass are more likely to be caught on gravely, or rocky shore lines and points. When fishing for small mouth bass smaller versions of the same lures you would use for large mouth bass work great, and I also have had much better success using lighter monofilament, like 6 and 8 pound test. Because of their love for crawfish small jigs, grubs, and crawfish colored crank baits are tough to beat.

One key factor about the bass fishery in Big Bear Lake is it is just starting to get back to what it once was, so it is crucial all angler’s practice “catch and release” so that we can all enjoy catching these exciting fish well into the future!

Curt Dills,
http://www.fishbigbear.com/

Early season fishing can be fantastic “if” you’re in the right area, and at the right depth. Right now we are catching most of the fish in very small areas where the bugs are hatching from the bottom of the lake.

If you are bait fishing, Pautzke’s Salmon Eggs and Fire Bait are working great right now. I saw a couple of nice limits of trout caught from Juniper Point last week. The fishermen were using just a single Pautzke’s Salmon Egg on their hook. Pautzke’s Fire Bait in Chartreuse and Pink has also produced several limits at Stanfield, Juniper, and the dam.

The fish are shallow early in the day, so don’t cast your bait very far off shore until about 7:30 or 8:00 am. Then after the sun is high in the sky, the fish start heading for deeper water; as deep as 22 feet during the middle of the day. Don’t spend more than an hour at any one spot if you’re not catching fish, because the next place you try might mean a lot of action! You have to fish 2 to 4 pound test line because the water is very clear right now!

Trolling is absolutely fantastic! Again, early in the day, the fish are shallow, and you can catch them at 1 1/2 to 2 colors of lead-core fishing line. During the middle of the day, I’m hooking fish as deep as 4 1/2 colors (22 to 23 feet).

In the last couple of weeks the best colors of Luhr Jensen Needlefish have been Red Dot Frog, Fire/Pearl, Pearl bikini, and Brass Bikini. Thomas Buoyant’s top colors have been Hot Pink, Gold, and Gold/Red trolled as slow as you can go! Thomas Cyclone Spoons in the same colors plus Watermelon have also worked well. If you just want to target the big “holdover” fish, tie on CD-5, F-5, and Husky Jerk Rapala’s and Thomas Buoyant’s. Fish the Buoyant colors mentioned above and Rapala’s in Gold/Black, Brook Trout, Purpledescent, and Hot Steel.

Start off shallow at 1 1/2 to 2 colors early. Then as the sun moves higher in the sky, keep fishing your lures deeper, some days having to go 4 1/2 colors to get a bite.

Just like shore fishing, I’m catching trout all over the lake right now, but in small area’s of the lake. Troll different places in the lake until you start catching fish, then really work that area hard!

Curt Dills
FishBigBear.com

After months of above average snow fall, Big Bear Lake is almost “full”, spring has arrived, and it’s time to go fishing. By far the most popular method of fishing for the hard fighting, rainbow trout is bait fishing. Early in the season, a sliding sinker bait rig is the most popular.

The rig consists of a 1/8 to 1/4 ounce egg sinker threaded onto your main line with a small swivel tied to the end. I attach a pre-tied, two hook bait rig to the swivel in either #2 lb. or #4 lb. test. When I take the rig out of the package, I always cut off and shorten the leader where it attaches to the swivel, so that the first hook is about 6” from the swivel. That way when you are fishing, the first hook is about six inches off the bottom with the second hook above that. The length of leader above the bottom can be very important!

Another very effective rig that is more effective as the water warms is the slip bobber rig. With a slip bobber rig, where you place the bobber stop determines how deep your bait will be below the bobber. Start by attaching the bobber stop to your main line, then thread on the slip bobber with a 1/8 oz. egg sinker below that, and then tie on a swivel. To the swivel I tie a two hook, pre-rigged 2 lb. or 4 lb. test leader, with size #14 or #16 hooks. In the spring when the fish are feeding closer to the surface, many times fishing shallow is much more productive than fishing on the bottom. If you are going to use floating baits with this rig, there is and easy little trick to stop the bait from floating up and tangling with the main leader. Buy a small spool of fly tier’s lead thread, and make a few wraps of the lead around the shank of the hooks. This will keep the hooks with floating baits hanging straight down.

By far the king of all “floating type” baits is Berkley’s PowerBait and Gulp! Top colors for Big Bear Lake are Chartreuse, chartreuse/orange, pink, and orange.  Many anglers also spray scents like Gulp! Garlic on the bait, to make sure they eliminate all human odors.

The most popular way to put the bait on the treble hook has always been to mold a bait ball just large enough to cover the treble hook. However, two new methods have been introduced that have become very popular and productive. The first is called the “Power Larva.” Using a little more bait than usual, the bait is shaped like a caterpillar larva, giving the bait a live bait look. The second method is called the “Power Mouse”. To rig a power mouse, mold Berkley Gulp! into a ball just covering all but one of the treble hooks. On the exposed treble hook, add a Berkley Power Trout Worm. The Power Mouse can be fished on a standard sliding sinker rig, or as bait that you slowly work in with a split shot that can also be deadly.

To rig the Power Mouse as moving bait, it is best that your main line is either #2 lb. or #4 lb. test line. Tie a #16 treble hook to the end of your line, and install a #3 or #5 split shot rigged about 12 to 15 inches above the hook. Cast the Power Mouse out and let in sink to the bottom. Once on the bottom s-l-o-w-l-y reel the bait in, pausing every few feet.
A shoreline bait fishing tip: In the spring the fish might be a lot closer to shore than you think both early and late in the day! Many times fishermen rig up their rods, and then cast as far out in the lake as they can, when quite often the majority of the fish are only maybe 30 to 40 feet from the shoreline.

Curt Dills
Fish Big Bear Charter Service
www.fishbigbear.com
 

While Big Bear Lake is known as a first class Trout Fishery, one of the lakes best kept secrets is the outstanding fishing for Catfish! Without question, your best chance to catch a fish from 5 to over 20 lbs. is to fish for Catfish. The lake has three different species of Catfish: Blue, Channel, and Bullhead. Every year, fish over 20 lbs. are pulled from Big Bear Lakes cool waters, and this year was no exception. On May 25 th, Kevin Bremer pulled in a 27.82 lb. Whisker Fish near Gilner Point, using a Hot Dog for bait.

Because even a 5 lb. Catfish will really “pull yer string” as they say, you will have a much better chance of landing a big fish if you use a medium, to heavy fishing rod, and at least 10 lb. line, and many Cat Fishermen prefer to use 15 to 20 lb. test monofilament.

The best time to fish for Catfish is usually from Sun Up until about 10 am in the morning. Then again from about 4 PM until the next morning. Early and late in the day, and all night, the fish will normally be in waters from 5 to 12 feet deep. During the middle of the day, you might catch them as deep as 30 feet.

Lots of quality Catfish are caught from shore every season, however, I prefer to fish from a boat, because a boat makes it so easy to change your fishing location. Catfish are very aggressive feeders, so if there are any fish in the area you have chosen to fish, you should start getting bites right away. I will only spend about a half hour fishing a spot, and if I haven’t had any luck, I will move to a new location.

There are lots of different rigs you can use to catch these fish, but a real good rig is to use a sliding sinker rig, like you would use for Trout, except with heavier line, and a hook big enough for the bait you decide to use.

One of the toughest decisions you have to make when you are going after Catfish is-What bait to use? Catfish are not usually picky eaters, and the list of baits that will work is almost endless. Here is a list of some of the most popular: Night Crawlers, Mackerel, Hot Dogs, Crawfish, Sardines, cheese, prepared & stink baits, shrimp, Meal Worms, marsh mellows, and chicken livers.
You might catch a catfish just about any where on Big Bear Lake. Best places to try are points, flats near drop offs, and in the bays.

Popular Cat fishing spots are Standfield Cutoff, Juniper Point, Eagle Point, Grout Bay, Gilner Point, Metcalf and Boulder Bays.
Catfish are also great to eat. The best eating size is fish from about 2 lbs. to 6 lbs. The big ones are not very good to eat, so you might consider letting them go to fight another day!

FishBigBear.com

There’s no question it’s Memorial Day Weekend in Big Bear. The town is buzzing with outdoor enthusiasts, boutique shop browsers, water sports junkies, trout anglers, classic car aficionados and people watchers. This time I fall in the category of people watching.

I am amazed at the amount of activity that is happening here in Big Bear this weekend. It’s great to see vehicles passing through town with mountain bikes or kayaks atop of the roofs. The lake is loaded with just about every watercraft imaginable. I even saw a couple peddling together on a homemade contraption that looked like it was part bike and part balloon. It was very interesting looking, but the main thing is they were afloat and full of laughs as they somehow got the gizmo in to move from point A to point B.

I drove past a classic auto show today, and I must admit there were quite a few beauties on display. I checked out a restaurant that’s right on the beach and was amazed to see all the different activities going on from beach volleyball to fetch with a golden retriever and black lab.

I’ve seen people riding into town on mountain bikes and others in backpacks after a full day of hiking. There are people at sports shops checking out the rental equipment such as canoes, kayaks, inner tubes and of course mountain bikes.

The entire shoreline on the north shore is lined up with anglers. In fact I asked one guy how he did today, and he said he caught his limit in less than two hours. Wow! There is some great fishing action right now on the lake. In fact, I heard rumor that a lake record was broken this weekend.

It’s all about the weather in Big Bear. The sun is shining and mountain breeze is cool. I’m going to kick my summer off with a hike up to Castle Rock or Champion Lodgepole Pine trail.

Blessed are those who enjoy summer,

Daniel Pea   

For over 60 years, Thomas Lures have been catching fish all over the world. A young man named Richard Shubert, who was trained as a tool and die maker in Austria, came to the America in the early 1940’s and began selling lures that were both his own and European-based designs. The streams and lakes of Montana and the Rocky Mountains provided the perfect setting to test his prototypes and market the lures that he created that were effective.

Thomas Lures are a “must have” in your tackle box. I have fished Thomas lures for over twenty years and have had great success not only catching a lot of fish, but also quite a few big fish.

The most popular lure from the company on Big Bear Lake is the Thomas Buoyant. Because the light penetration and water clarity varies so much on the lake, it is a good idea to have several different colors of Buoyants to try during the day until you find the one that starts catching fish.

My favorite colors are: Copper, Chartreuse, Fire Tiger, Gold, Silver Plate, Nickel, Gold Red, Silver Blue, and Watermelon.
Last week on Big Bear trolling with Gold, Gold/Red, and Watermelon at three colors of Lead-Core produced several quality Rainbows including a beautiful 4.35 lb. Rainbow for one of my client’s.

The secret to casting or trolling Thomas Buoyant’s is to fish them very slow. You want the lure to roll side to side, and not spin for best results. It’s easy to find the right trolling speed by holding the lure in the water right next to boat while it’s moving, and change your speed until you get just the right action.

Another Thomas Lure that I have had great success with the last couple of years is the 1/6 oz. Cyclone Spoon. In fact, the Cyclone Spoon has out preformed all other lures several times this season.

My favorite Cyclone Spoon colors are Gold, Perch, Gold/Red, Watermelon, and Rainbow.
I fish Buoyants and Cyclone Spoons every day I fish the lake. So give the lures a try and I’m sure before long they’ll become your top favorites too!

Curt Dills, Fish Big Bear Charter Service
FishBigBear.com

I’ve heard people bragging about how they can go surfing in the morning and skiing in the afternoon, or vice versa.  Well I must say I’ve never tried to surf, but I do know how to rent a boat and play on the lake. Big Bear Marina is open for the season, and other marinas will soon follow suit. If you own a boat then you’ll be glad to know the public boat launch ramps open to the public Wednesday, April 1.

Take a cruise on the lake or go fishing in the morning and take a few runs on the slopes in the afternoon. That way you can say you’ve conquered the spring conditions in Big Bear. The best part is the lake and slopes, which are the key components to a spring fling are just a hop, skip and jump away from each other.

Lake ‘n’ Slopes,

Daniel Pea

Summer can be the toughest time to fish Big Bear Lake. That is if you don’t make a few adjustments to your fishing techniques!

The first thing you need to do is fish early and late; during the middle of the day, the best thing to do is something to pass the time like golfing or horseback riding. Fish from sun up in the morning until about 9:30 am. Then in the afternoon, fishing is best from about 4:00 PM until dark. Note: when it’s cloudy and overcast, fishing can be good all day, and if it should happen to rain a little, fishing can be exellent any time!

If your going to be trolling, troll very slow, and the average depth you should fish will probably be from 2 1/2 to 4 colors. For the last two weeks, 2 1/2 & 3 colors have been the best for me.

It’s also a good time to fish smaller lures like #1 Needlefish and the #0 & #1 Dick Nite Spoons. Best colors have been Nickel, Brass, and Copper Bikini, Red Dot Frog and Lady Bug Needlefish. Best Dick Nite Spoons have Been Purple, Pearl, and Copper Hot Heads.

If your bait fishing, go to one of the marinas or sporting goods stores and ask them to show you how to rig a slip bobber. A slip bobber baited with either a night crawler or floating baits like Eagle Claw Nitro or Berkley Power Bait & Gulp can be very effective.

Drift fishing down the South or North Shore lines from the dam down to Metcalf Bay, with a slip bobber rig can get you a limit of tasty rainbow trout.

Good luck!
FishBigBear.com