5 days Vacation with tough fishing at Big Bear Lake...):}+{:(...
9/29, I had 5 days of vacation time to spend at Big Bear Lake alone. My husband made arrangements for the kid's school schedules, so that I could get away without any worries. My family is very supportive and they even went out shopping and packed a big cooler with groceries and snacks ...... I arrived at Big Bear Lake around 3pm and checked in at the resort. Nice condo unit with a great 180 degree view of the lake.
9/30, I woke up with a bad headache. Had a cup of coffee and rested in bed after taking some headache meds. I finally stated to feel better around 3:30pm. Got up, and got out at 4:20 and fished on the dock till 6:00. I fished with a Tenkara rod (with a fly) and a spinning rod with power bait. No bites, no fish and no luck! I talked to an older man who had been fishing there all afternoon, he said that he hadn't caught anything for 3 days.
10/1, Shopped at Big Bear Lake Sporting Goods, Steve ( a staff member) told me that some people had caught a few trout at the Dam. After I left the store, I drove to Boulder Bay, took my Tenkara rod and fished on the dock for 45 mins, I didn't see any bluegills or crappies, only a few juvenile bass that swam near the fishing dock. I talked to a few people and they didn't have any luck with trout either.
I decided to stop at Big Bear Village to have a lunch, the Himalayan Restaurant is my favorite place in town. I ordered lamb saag. I love exotic food, and oh yes, extra spicy please! Yummy, yummy!
I drove to the Bear Valley Dam after my delicious lunch. There were a lot of weeds near the shore so I took two spinning rods. I fished there for an hour and half. Again, no catch! I tried power bait and power worms, but nothing was working for trout that day. Well, as some of you know, I am the fishing queen and I always catch fish on my trips. But this time, I had the biggest 'skunk' ever. Not even a single bite! I'm not going to complain too much about fishing, I have to say that I had a wonderful day even though I didn't catch anything. Big Bear Lake is beautiful - with fresh air and nice scenery. It was a pleasure to go out, fun to talk to other fishermen, listen to their stories, and share some relaxing times with them at the shore. What else can I say? It's good to spend time by the lake.
Took some pretty pictures to share with you all, wish you were here, even on this tough fishing day!
10/2, I enjoyed a relaxing day - did some shopping at Big Bear village, stopped at Starbucks to have a Green Tea Frappuccino. My poor feet got some good rest.
After a nice rest, I drove around the lake and checked out a few fishing areas. First stop was Stanfield Cut-off, the wind was very strong on the side of lake where I was. I only saw one brave soul fishing there. I asked if he had caught any fish. He said: "No". So I jumped back in my car and continued driving to the next stop.
I stopped at the Carol Morrison Boat Launch. The I went to the fishing dock and asked a few people who were fishing there if they had any luck fishing. One guy caught 2 bullhead catfish and another lady had a trout. The other two had none.....
I took some photos, went back on the road and drove to Juniper Point. There was a sign hanging on the gate.... It was closed. Next, Meadows Edge - closed. Then, Dana Point Park - closed. Windy Point - closed..... I finally arrived at the Duane Boyer Boat Launch. I couldn't believe how bad the weed situation was - the weeds were 30-40 feet from the shore and nobody was fishing there....
I continued my drive to the North Shore, parked my car at the side of the road and went down the trail to see if anyone was there. The shore line was empty and the wind was harsh in this area....so I drove to the Bear Valley Dam, got out and talked to 4-5 fishermen. Two guys caught 2 bullhead catfish and 1 baby bass with worms....
My last stop was Boulder Bay. There have to have some fish there, I thought. I put on my fishing hat and polarized sunglasses, took my Tenkara fly rod and my little straw bag and I was ready to go. There was a couple fishing on the dock. I didn't ever bother to ask as I spotted their empty fishing basket laying on the ground. I fished for 40 mins and I only had 3 bites and hooked 2 small bass. That was it for today. Finally, I broke the "skunk spell" and came back to the resort with blisters on my feet due to the high heels that I was wearing.... As I drove I thought to myself: "A nice bubble bath and a tasty seafood dinner will help to ease all of these pains...."
10/3, Mike and his wife Maria came to visit me at the resort. We had a great day. I took them to Big Bear Village and we had fun browsing through the stores. Then we stopped in a restaurant to having dinner. The two brave souls wanted to try the Himalayan restaurant so they ordered some shrimp dishes, and they enjoyed their dinner. The restaurant owner was very kind and gave me 10% off as a gift to an appreciated customer. That was a nice surprise! It was fun to have friends here visiting, I enjoyed their company and we had a wonderful time together.
10/4, Checked out of the resort and drove down with harsh winds. I finally made it home to a warm reception from my family. A vacation is nice every once in a while but it's good to be back home with my family and pets....let's hope for better fishing next time!
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Originally Posted by shift21
I'm very lucky and I am proud of my great family. They've been very supportive of me with everything I do - from art, music, fishing, and writing..... I was aware of the weeds, that's why I also brought my spinning rods with me on this trip. A couple people I talked to said they were catching two weeks ago, but they got skunked this time as well. I just hope that the fishing will be better during the winter and next spring. I also met a regular, his name is Rudy, he told that that fishing hasn't been that good this year compared to the last few years. Did you notice the difference?
We just have to blame it on the lake and the fish, ha,ha.... As for fishing in high heels, I've done that a lot, I normally dress like a classy lady and wear high heels all the time. Sometime I get the urge to fish so I just stop at the lake, pull out my Tenkara and have a short fishing session. My friends used to tease me about that. Addiction is a dangerous for us fishermen and fisherwomen. Lol....
