Ice on bear lake is 36 thick at this time and there is no open. Bonneville cisco enthusiasts travel to the banks of the lake to find the fish in the middle of their spawning run, said scott tolentino, a fisheries biologist for the utah division of wildlife. We should proably make mention of the endemic species of bear lake, the bonneville whitefish, bear lake whitefish, bear lake cutthroat trout, the bear lake sculpin, and the bonneville cisco. Marina rentals bear lake fun is located within the bear lake state park marina. They offer boat, sea doo, and nonmotorized watercraft rentals along with boating and fishing supplies and accessories, onthewater fuel, and a small fast food grill.
Bear lake straddles the utah and idaho boundary and is 20 miles long and 8 miles wide. Bring your biggest little cisco fish to the utah state park marina. Run bear lake waters edge resort bear lake marathon. Utah field house of natural history discover the prehistoric world, dig for fossils, and explore the dinosaur garden. Bear lake calendar of events in garden city, utah and montpelier idaho. Bear lake is one of the fifty oldest lakes in the world, and as a result has four endemic species of fish. Find available dates and book online with reserveamerica. The stunning aquablue waters of bear lake are the main feature of bear lake state park. Bear lake is nestled high in the rocky mountains on the utah idaho border. At an elevation of 5,990 feet, bear lake freezes irregularly providing ice fishing opportunists on average of half the winter seasons. There are in fact, more endemic fish in bear lake than in any other northamerican lake. Bear lake fishing report cisco run should peak this week. Bear lake state park is located on the south shore near laketown on state route 30. These deep water salmoniform fish also inhabited pleistocene lake bonneville, the great freshwater sea that covered vast portions of utah and surrounding states.
Lake trout, cutthroats, bonneville whitefish, cisco, and even some of the smaller bear lake whitefish. The cisco bear lake is one of the fifty oldest lakes in the world, and as a result has four endemic species of fish. Best depths are between 1525 for the cisco, whitefish and a stray trout here and there. Most of the trout caught are so full on cisco that they still have them sticking out from there mouths with another 510 already digesting inside. Cisco enthusiast ready for best opportunity to catch fish. The cisco disco, cisco tournament, outdoor expo, chilli cook off and monster plunge. Campground details bear lake state park, ut reserveamerica. The lake has been called the caribbean of the rockies for its unique turquoiseblue color, which is due to the. The direct and official information for cisco beach bear lake state park in garden city, utah. The annual cisco run at bear lake usually gets going in midjanuary, according to dwr bear lake biologist bryce nielson. Cisco fishing bear lake utah on the rock pile youtube. Utah lake utah s largest freshwater lake provides fishing access for channel catfish, walleye, white bass, black bass, and several. One of three different whitefish species endemic to bear lake, the bonneville cisco is no doubt the most recognized. So ive been a student here in logan for the last few years and managed to miss the cisco run one way or another through all that time, but i really want to catch it this year.
Bear lake is a natural freshwater lake on the idaho utah border in the western united states. Bonneville cisco are a popular sport fish only during their spawning period, when they are captured in great numbers through the use of dip nets. When it comes to winter exploration at bear lake state park, the sky is the limit, and bear lake is the only dip net fishery for sport fish in the state. The januaryfebruary spawning run of the bonneville cisco draws fishing enthusiast who dip nets to capture the small swift fish. Since the lake will be open water, plan to bring waders to keep you dry. Bear lake is famous for its annual january cisco run. Water temperature and other factors trigger the unique little fish to spawn along the lake s shores.
The pioneer yurt honors the early lds pioneers of the bear lake valley. They can be purchased at the shell in garden city, or online here. The cisco run will peak this week but they should be around through the coming weekend. This address can also be written as 1697 north cisco loop, garden city, utah 84028. Yesterday there was anywhere from 24 of ice, but wind and warm weather yesterday were able to melt all of the ice along cisco beach and it was totally open water this morning tuesday. By completing three races in three states in three days all with minimal travel between races.
Averaging 84 feet deep bear lake is the second largest natural freshwater lake in utah. There were a few anglers dip netting cisco off the cisco beach at first light but the fish schools were small. A complete kitchen, full bathroom with 2 separate private toilets, full sized washer and dryer, kids play loft, 55inch hd tv, fireplace, two large private bedrooms, livingdining room and wifi internet. At that time people can dipnet the fish from shore or from boats. At an elevation of 5,923 feet, bear lake is 20 miles long and eight miles wide, 208 feet deep, and covers 112 square miles. Enjoy a variety of activities in their seasonswaterskiing, sailing, swimming, scuba diving in summer. In the winter snowmobilers and ice anglers are drawn to the area.
Come along with us as we fish the rock pile for cisco. Waterskiing, swimming, scuba diving and sailing are favorite activities. January 2526, 2019 will be filled with with exciting winter fun. Yearround fishing for cutthroat, mackinaw, cisco, and whitefish. Join the fun of ice fishing in january during the annual cisco run. Bear lake beach home family vacation and reunion rental. The bear lake monster winterfest is bear lake s biggest annual winter event. In fact, bear lake is the only place in the world where you can find bonneville cisco. The udwr will update the bear lake office answering machine with lake conditions, status of the cisco run, and other fishing opportunities every other day until the end of the cisco run, but please call after 5pm in order to keep the line open during. The lake was known to numerous native american groups who came into the bear lake valley during the summers, and from them it received its name. About 109 square miles 280 km 2 in size, it is split about equally between the two states. I think the page should be moved to bear lake idaho utah, as a slash signifies an eitheror situation. The 4 endemics species are bonneville cisco, bonneville whitefish, bear lake whitefish, and bear lake sculpin.
Cisco finally running in good numbers off cisco beach. The cisco winter phenomenon at bear lake state park. Originally bear lake was called black bear lake by donald mackenzie, explorer for the north west fur company who discovered it in 1819 while scouting for furbearing animals. Bear lake state park eastside is open may 1 oct 31. Five of the remaining 9 fish species are native to the region, and 4 are exotic introductions. The meat is typically very high in fat content to the point that you can almost. Averaging six inches there are an estimated nine million of these little guys in the lake. The cisco are running fair off the utah state park marina, but the numbers have tapered off at the marina. The bonneville cisco are especially important to this lake s fishery.
Cisco are a popular utah fish, caught only at bear lake for a short period of time. This makes for a fun time of year though because you can catch a lot of differnt species of fish. There were also a few cisco dip netted off the utah state park marina, but they were more sparse than at cisco beach. Just got to be in the right place at the right time for that big bear lake record. Anglers throughout the west gather each january and it has turned into quite the event. These sardine size fish found only in bear lake haunt anglers with a curse of their own. The bonneville cisco is a whitefish endemic to bear lake that moves to shallow water during its january spawning period. The utah division of wildlife resources utah fishing planner is an interactive map designed to help hunters research fishing areas.
Bear lake state park utah bear river heritage area. Bear lake is very well known for its annual cisco run every january. The bonneville cisco is a long, slender, pearlysilver fish that rarely grows beyond seven inches. Dip net for cisco fish on the east side of bear lake at dawn with your valid utah or idaho fishing license.
Bear lake state park keeps it exciting and right now, the run for cisco is onits a natural phenomenon. Dip net for cisco fish on the east side of bear lake at dawn. Raspberry days, bike races, running races, swimming races, concerts and fun. Last saturday at the annual cisco disco event, anglers saw very few of the silver fish at cisco beach, but now the run appears to be on. Although these fish are not known for having a lot of meat, they are fun to cook and easy to eat. State park entrance fee applies but is well worth it. By completing three races in three states in three days all with minimal travel between races runners can check off three states at once.
There are numerous campgrounds with flush toilets, showers and hookups for those who enjoy sleeping under the stars. Bonneville cisco prosopium gemmife utah fish species. About bear lake located on the utah idaho border, bear lake is 20 miles long, between 5 and 8 miles wide and covers approximately 70,000 surface acres. The cisco run is officially on at bear lake, but the changing conditions are making dipping fish challenging.
1400 1100 990 734 959 25 699 270 615 566 245 1161 1408 813 470 1458 714 675 1460 1369 489 1126 71 1444 1336 336 231 527 696 544 1450 1198