First time @ BBL 4/25 caught a bass!

[tree]

The day started off with Sublime-Steve texting me seeing if I want to go to Big Bear Lake. Being from the Bay Area, I've never been there before.

We started out at Boulder Bay around 12 and the wind was BLOWING. Whitecaps on the main lake but the bay was a bit better. Fished for a couple hours, tried garlic and rainbow powerbait, kastmasters, and nightcrawlers for nothing.

Around 1:00 we switch over to the dam. Saw a nice school of ~7 trout, ranging from 1-4lbs. There was one REALLY beat up looking trout, Steve said he's seen him in that area before. Again, tried nightcrawlers under a bobber, powerbait, powermouse, and kastmasters. All for no fish.
Steve got a huge bite on garlic powerbait, but he had left to help a friend jump start their car and I grabbed his pole too late.
The trout were cruising reaaaaaally shallow along the shore, but werent interested in any of our baits.

Again, we moved back to Boulder Bay around 4:00 because the wind was blowing dirt and dust into our faces. It was still windy, and Steve decided to set up on the floating dock again. I decided to beat the shore for some BASS :D. As I'm working the shore Steve hooks up with a nice trout, about 1.5lbs.

As I got to the end of my shoreline, I get a nice 1 lb bass on a purple roboworm.
29997

Around 6:30 the combination of wind and cold got the best of us and we decided to head down the mountain.

[MexicanPistachio]

I was there also fishing the north shore area and the wind was brutal. Fished for 2 hours before the wind kicked me off. Good job on sticking it out and catching something.

[tree]

We saw some biiig carp swimming around. anyone know what it takes to legally bowfish them?

[scott e]

We saw some biiig carp swimming around. anyone know what it takes to legally bowfish them?

A fishing license and a bow and arrow.

[tree]

A fishing license and a bow and arrow.

I'm down. anyone know a decent bow for cheap? i guess i'll start lookin aroundddd

[Sublime-Steve]

cant shoot them from the dam :-( but im sure theres other places from shore u might be able to.. lemme know if u get 1.. lol

[seal]

Grout bay you can wade from shore in a couple areas and shoot them.

[Natural Lefty]

Tree and Sublime Steve, I am glad you posted this report, but I wish I had seen it before I went to Big Bear yesterday, encouraged by all the reports of wonderful trout fishing there, including here, Jim Mathews' report, and the one on the Big Bear Lake site itself. Your report was much closer to the truth from what I saw. Maybe I should have gone to the east end of the lake, but Boulder Bay should have been good too. I went to the pier at Boulder Bay too, then over by the inlet. I caught nothing, had one probable bite when my second pole (the one not in my hands) fell down from the railing on the pier which I thought was from the heavy cold wind, but my redworms were missing when I brought it in, and furthermore, didn't see a single fish that anyone had caught, or see anyone catch a fish, or even see a single fish, so I guess it was even worse than when you were there. There were about 10 other people I saw fishing there, by the way. Personally, I think the water is still a bit cold, and the fish probably haven't even started spawning yet. There is lots of water in the creek. I took a look at it, and flows look great, but couldn't see any fish. The lake looks great too, spilling over the spillway and lots of snow on the surrounding mountains. I just wish the fishing were better. By the way, the creeks that flow into Big Bear are closed to fishing until around Memorial Day in order to let the Trout spawn.

[Natural Lefty]

I am glad you guys at least caught something though.

I rarely decide where to go fishing based on reports, but yesterday was an exception that shows me why I don't. My wife kept bugging me to go there too. I think I should follow my own intuition.

[tree]

I am glad you guys at least caught something though.

I rarely decide where to go fishing based on reports, but yesterday was an exception that shows me why I don't. My wife kept bugging me to go there too. I think I should follow my own intuition.


Aww man, sorry to hear about the lack of fish. Our trip was very much the same, cold strong winds but at least it was sunny. We definitely had to work to get our fish. We pretty much tried everything at both spots, then went back to where we started, and tried it all over again. lol Steve was pretty determined and dedicated.

As far as going fishing based on people's reports, the only places/situations I find it works is #1 Saltwater, and there is a species that is spawning/running (salmon, striper in the delta, grunion, etc.) #2 When a body of water begins to have spawning bass (Pete Marino's post about Perris' bite turning on).

As far as people going to the vine or BBL and trolling their limit of trout, you never know where the trout will be tomorrow. Same thing goes for bass and striper at DVL and other lakes.

[Natural Lefty]

Same for me; it was sunny but cold and windy, and tough fishing.

I don't mean to imply that reports are useless. They are interesting to read and may impart useful information, but there are too many variables for fishing to match what another person describes. People use different techniques with different skills, the fish move or change their feeding patterns from one day to the next, and luck factors in.

I tend to suck at the type of fishing that most people do at Big Bear, you know, the power bait waiting game. But there was a guy next to me on the pier who does that. He lives in Running Springs and says he fishes Big Bear year around. He said he lost one fish a couple hours earlier and that was it for him. He claims he catches fish all winter there. I think he does catch trout in the winter sometimes, but probably goes fishless lots of times.

[tacklejunkie]

Big Bear can be really good from shore. Believe me, I've seen it.
Keep fine tuning your tricks and you'll learn the trade.
Not an easy lake to fish but once you get it you'll be on to something real good.
Some of the better real lake rainbow trout to catch in Cali.
I'd imagine some of the DVL holdovers would be nice to catch too.

[Natural Lefty]

Tackle Junkie, I know Big Bear can be really good for trout. I have caught them there before, but the whole power bait and wait thing doesn't work often work for me, and nothing was working on Thursday. I get the impression that fishing was better there last week for some reason. I still far prefer the Sierras, not beaten path roadside lakes but anywhere else, including creeks, speaking of real trout of many varieties. Oh yeah, it's opening day in the Eastern Sierras. I used to go there for opening day with my dad sometimes, but we never caught very much, usually just a few small trout. I am a better warmer weather catcher person.

Maybe if I spent enough time fine tuning my Big Bear type trout techniques I would get good at it, but I always start fiddling around with panfish and various artificials, which is why I am good at that type of fishing instead. Large trout lakes usually are difficult for me to fish, especially being shorebound. The last time I caught a fish on power bait was a few years ago at Big Bear, in December when there was unusually warm weather. I was at Juniper Point, and had power bait on one pole, a bobber and nightcrawler piece on the other. A trout jumped near my bobber, and sure enough, it was on my line. When I just about had it beached, my power bait pole started bending, and the man nearby with the thick eastern European accent shouted "next" and pointed to my pole. I landed that one too. I continued fishing the same way with both poles and caught one more on the bobber and worm, but nothing else on the power bait. It was really good fishing for a december day at Big Bear, though.

I have never caught a trout at DVL. A lot of them are large, but I get the impression that most of the ones caught from shore are large stockers. Also, the stripers in there have been affecting the trout fishery. I hope to catch some trout there though. By the way, the panfish there are extremely aggressive biters on artificials.

[tacklejunkie]

I know of folks who use 2lb on the bbl dam with powerbait to make things interesting, since the average holdover is 2.5lbs caught on such rigs. they catch twice as much on the 2lb line too.

Kastmasters do good there.
I personally lost a 4lb to a bad knot who swam away with my kasty in his lip. Orange and chrome. Another dude's wife reeled in a 8-9lb trout they weighed on my scale with a kastmaster right there on the dam.

Skyler and I did great on worms using a certain trick.

I agree on the sierras. When you can pull around the corner from K-mart and bag a limit of fish in five minutes from bishop creek you know you are in heaven.

My favorite is fly fishing the inlets to the hike/pack in lakes. Watching trouts rise on dead calm crystal clear water to eat your home tied fly is fun.

Ask "Uncle Bob" about the real DVL holdovers. Think you need a boat and trolling experience for that action but looks like it's well worth it.

[bowler]

Good job on the bass. I'm in bbl for the weekend. I also got my first small bass I post my report when I get down the hill.

[Racetog]

Thanks for all of the info guys! I rented a cabin walking distance from Boulder Bay and plan to fish a day from shore there. If the fishing is decent I'll stay on shore, if not, rent a boat. A few weeks and counting before I'm on the shore...

[Natural Lefty]

Tackle Junkie, I am the same way. The first thing I like to do in trout country is head straight for the lake inlets, usually lakes that require some hiking to get to. If not the inlets, I usually fish the outlets. I usually fish with a bobber and fly, sometimes a fly rod, sometimes lures or worms. By the way, virtually every state in the west, except for Hawaii, actually has vast areas which are cool enough and wet enough to be "trout country" with tons of trout fishing habitat. But we are in California.

I tried a Kastmaster last Thursday in Boulder Bay, but it didn't work. The places where I usually catch trout at Big Bear are by the dam and by the inlets later in the spring. That talk about the dam reminds me that once my wife hooked something really big by the dam, probably a trout weighing several pounds, but it came off. She catches her share of fish but her hooksetting technique could use some work.

Hello Bowler, sounds like the bass are already biting a bit there, surprising to me. The fishing should get better in the coming weeks, hopefully by the time that Racetog gets there.

[bowler]

Tackle Junkie, I am the same way. The first thing I like to do in trout country is head straight for the lake inlets, usually lakes that require some hiking to get to. If not the inlets, I usually fish the outlets. I usually fish with a bobber and fly, sometimes a fly rod, sometimes lures or worms. By the way, virtually every state in the west, except for Hawaii, actually has vast areas which are cool enough and wet enough to be "trout country" with tons of trout fishing habitat. But we are in California.

I tried a Kastmaster last Thursday in Boulder Bay, but it didn't work. The places where I usually catch trout at Big Bear are by the dam and by the inlets later in the spring. That talk about the dam reminds me that once my wife hooked something really big by the dam, probably a trout weighing several pounds, but it came off. She catches her share of fish but her hooksetting technique could use some work.

Hello Bowler, sounds like the bass are already biting a bit there, surprising to me. The fishing should get better in the coming weeks, hopefully by the time that Racetog gets there.

Yes they are starting to bite. I got 3 largemouth bass today and my wife got one and we each got one trout.

[tree]

Yes they are starting to bite. I got 3 largemouth bass today and my wife got one and we each got one trout.
gj dude! was the wind still crazy? or is it starting to calm down? It's windy as hell down here in Moreno Valley... been windy for the past 3 days!

[bowler]

gj dude! was the wind still crazy? or is it starting to calm down? It's windy as hell down here in Moreno Valley... been windy for the past 3 days!

yes it was blowing hard. And it was cold.

[Racetog]

Still watching... Hopefully, the wind and cold stop by the time I get up there. Taking notes on what and where to fish... Right now, it seems like a trout rig on one pole and a Bass rig on the other.