Big Bear Blog

It doesn’t get any better than it is right now. If you want to catch a trophy fish, get out on the lake as soon as you can. Big # 5 and # 7 Rapalas are the top choice for the big trout, that are eating all the small trout they can catch. Colors to try are Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, silver/ black, gold/black, and Baby Bass.

If you want to catch a lot of fish, and maybe a big one, try Needlefish in Kokanee, Red Dot Frog, Copper Bikini, Silver Bikini, and Gold Bikini.

Best areas to fish have been from Big Bear Marina towards the Observatory, Gillner Point, and Metcalf Bay towards Boulder Bay. Check your drags when you start fishing; not after you have broke off a big fish!

Big Catfish are also on the prowl, and now is the best time to catch a really big one! Heavy line and Night Crawlers, Mackerel, and Shrimp will all produce.

Curt

Fishbigbear.com

10-26-07

Our b.o.b. trailers were packed and I was ready to go on a nice three day adventure through the San Bernardino Mountains with Paulie, one of my “MountainDog” brothers. Most of the MountainDog club members have bike trailers and camping gear and we try to get out and explore Big Bear Lake and the surrounding mountains as much as responsibilities permit. Our plan was to head towards the Big Pine Flats area for our first nights camp but before we rolled out Paulie decided to log on and check the weather and it’s a good thing he did, the high fire danger and strong wind advisory put us in check. I was seriously disappointed and went to bed early thinking that we would wake up to a perfect Big Bear day, wow was I wrong.
As we sat sipping coffee we both were in shock as we watched one fire report after another flash onto the screen, it seemed as though after every commercial break there was a new location on fire. Then as the more detailed reports came in we realized that the Green Valley/Grass Valley fires were too close to where we would have been and would have likley been in harm’s way.
Who know what would have happene,d but I’m glad Paulie is an Internet junkie and checked things out before we headed out into the forest. Speaking of the Internet keep checking the blog for updates on the local forest conditions but for now grab your road bikes and come on up for some elevation training in preperation for a great ski season! see you soon.

spread the love, rev   

October 15, 2007

Long sleeves and full fingered gloves have been pulled out of the bottom drawer and my wool socks and ear muffs set close to the door. The change of season is upon us and the temps have been dropping at night making for chilly morning rides and sprints for the warmth of home in the afternoon. Riding in cooler weather and being comfortable really comes down to layering. Having the right base layer-jersey jacket combo is essential to regulating your core temperature. Dressing too warm just makes you sweat more while climbing and then the wetness makes you feel colder on the descents, dressing too lightly makes your body work too hard trying to keep warm. As all true cyclists know, when the seasons change the only thing that changes for us is our choice of clothes and what we eat.
Instead of a freshly baked bagel glazed with a cream cheese shmeer for your pre-ride carbo fest
you might opt for a steaming bowl of oatmeal with some raisens and a sprinkle of brown sugar.
After the ride choices changes as well.  Your post ride cruise to the pub for a beer becomes a mad dash to find a bar with a fire and a mug full of hot chocolate splashed with a shot of peppermint schnapps!.

Either way come on up I’ll get the fire going let’s ride!

Rev

October is one of my favorite months to fish Big Bear Lake. You not only can catch a lot of fish this month, it is also one of the best times to catch really big fish! The Big Bear Municipal Water District stocked thousands of pounds of big trout for the annual Troutfest Tournament, and not very many of those “trophy fish” were caught.
This is the time, if you want to catch a trophy fish, to troll Rapalas. While you might catch a big fish on just about any lure or bait, there is no question that Rapalas catch more big fish than any other lure. The secret to success is to try different sizes, and colors. Count down Rapalas size # 3, # 5, and # 7 produce the biggest fish. Silver/black, gold/black, Fire Tiger, Rainbow Trout, and Brook Trout are all colors you want to try! I also use 8 lb. test leaders and constantly check the drags on my reels to have the best chance to land a big fish.
If you want to catch a lot of fish,  #1 & #2 Needlefish are hard to beat! Best colors are Brass Bikini, Copper Bikini, Silver Bikini, Copper, Brass, and Red Dot Frog; all catch thousands of fish in this lake each season. And finally, a lure that produces a lot of fish for me all season is the Luhr Jensen Speed Trap. Speed Traps, like all other lures, don’t work every day, but when the trout are “Smacken’ the Traps” you want to be trolling them!
 
Good luck!

Curt
FishBigBear.com

What can I say? I went to the Aspen Grove a few days ago and the majority of the leaves have already turned brown. I found this quite unusual. I actually thought I was early considering I was there a week and a half ago when all the aspens were fluttering with nothing but green leaves.

It was like a quickie! This year you absolutely had to time it perfect. My understanding is there was not enough rainfall to submit enough chlorophyll to withhold the change of season.

There are some trees that showed magnificent yellow and gold, but it was not the entire group at once. In fact, there are still some trees that are showing green. You can still wonder out to the Aspen Grove this weekend and see a nice display, but you won’t see the grand spectrum like the previous couple of years.

On another note if you want to see a great display of black oaks head up Mill Creek Road in Big Bear Lake. Head for Cabin 89 Trail to see a solid display of fall foliage. There are many areas here that are astounding and well worth photographing.

Getting to Aspen Grove:
From Big Bear Lake take Big Bear Blvd. to Hwy 38 east. Drive about 17 – 19 miles to Heartbar Campground. Look for the 7000’ elevation sign as a marker. About 100 yards after the 7000’ elevation sign turn left at the entrance to Heartbar Campground Forest (Road 1N02). Follow 1N02 until it forks right to 1N05. Go right up 1N05 (this is a rough unmaintained road not intended for low-slung autos) to the signed Aspen Grove Trail parking (7,400′), 2.6 miles in from Highway 38. After crossing the creek, take the trail to the left. After 1.5 miles, the trail joins the Fish Creek Trail (8,180′). 
 
Fall Forward,

Daniel Pea

Right now is the time to get out and see the fall colors in and around Big Bear Lake. In just the last few days the oaks, cottonwoods and dogwoods have shifted from green to gold.

Get up to Big Bear within the next two weeks to admire the mountain vistas peppered with auburn, yellow and gold intertwined with a plethora of evergreens. Big Bear is one of only a few places in Southern California where you can truly see spectacular fall colors.

I plan to make my annual pilgrimage to Aspen Grove, my downright favorite spot for autumn hues in the Big Bear area. It is about 17 miles from Big Bear Lake just off Highway 38 at Heartbar Campground. The Aspen Grove is a must see. It is absolutely golden! Be sure to bring a camera.

I plan to get out there sometime this week. I’ll be sure to report on the percentage of yellow and give you my forecast on when I think the colors will peak. The way the weather is going it might peak tomorrow. What are you waiting for? Get your camera and start snapping. Once Mother Nature blows the leaves away, you’ll have to wait for next year.

Probst! To the autumn hues
Daniel Pea

P.S. Stay tuned for an Aspen Grove report coming soon! With new photos. In fact, if you have any photos you want to post to the site send it to blogs@bigbear.com.

I predict that this will be the best year ever for this tournament, because the fishing conditions are perfect. Last year, the water was a lot warmer, and there was a full moon; two things that make trout fishing tough! This year the water temperature will be cooler, between 57 & 59 degrees (perfect), and there will only be a quarter moon, which should make fishing fantastic. The only condition that’s impossible to predict is the wind. The wind by the way, has a much bigger effect on fishermen, than it does on the fish! I have fished over 100 days on the lake this year, and more than a few of those days, the wind blew 15 to 25 miles an hour, and I was always able to catch fish; and some of those days, fishing was very good. Don’t be discouraged if the wind decides to blow!
There are so many ways to win prizes in this years Troutfest, that it’s real tough to say what might be the best game plan. If you look at past tournament history on Big Bear Lake, Rapalas are hard to beat. Size # 3’s and # 5’s will catch the most fish, and gold/black, silver/black, Brook Trout, and Rainbow Trout are top colors. A new lure that has really caught on, an produced big fish is the Helgi! Best colors are white, gold, and silver/black.
For shear numbers of fish, you can’t beat Needlefish. Try several different colors until you find one that produces.
Where you fish during the tournament is up to you. The water temperature and oxygen are perfect from the dam to the Stanfield cut-off, so you can catch fish just about anywhere. Best depth for me lately has been from the surface down to about 2 1/2 colors.
Bait fishermen will also weigh in their share of fish during the tournament. Troutzilla, Nitro Bait, and Power Bait all work well. Try different colors until you find the hot one, and using a slip bobber rig is hard to beat.
 
FishBigBear.com

Bike Blog 9-30-07

Last week the boy’s from “Bike” magazine came up to gather info and take photos for a story on Big Bear Lake’s mountain biking scene. I was lucky enough to be the chosen host. I gathered up a few of the local core riders and we set out to show them a good time.

We started the first session down at the newly opened “Exploration” trail and Dave the photographer kept us busy acting like super models because of all the “Kodak” moments. It was another spectacular Big Bear day and a fine day to be in the mountains riding our bikes. Like a pack of wild Labrador puppies we hammered down the manicured singletrack flailing and railing laughing at every close call and laughing even harder at every dusty crash. At the bottom it was agreed that the new trail was a big hit, no pun intended.

After a healthy carb’ filled lunch in the village we headed back up into the forest in search of more wicked singletrack fun. We decided on a trip out to “Gunsight” on the Siberia creek trail for some more epic scenery and another round of mountain bike super models styling and profiling for the photographer. It’s never a disappointment riding out there in the afternoon to watch the sun setting over the city. There are so many options it was hard to decide where to take them, but we finally chose to link up at the always challenging “Larry’s” trail with the always fun “Cabin 89″ trail for the last run. 

Pro downhiller Eric Carter joined us the following day and we did some runs around the Snow Summit resort. It was amazing just how much faster the pros go than everyone else. Even Eric said that in the end; as long as you’re riding, challenging yourself and having fun, then that’s all that really matters.

In the end, everyone agreed Big Bear has something for every level of rider and I’m very anxious to read the story when it’s done. Keep an eye out for the anniverary issue of bike and read all about what we already know, mountain biking is alive and well in the Big Bear!
 
spread the love, rev