General Info:
The lake has 2,971 surface acres and 22 miles of shoreline at capacity. It rests at an elevation of 6,743 feet. Big Bear lake is open year round, except when frozen-over during cold winters. There are many campsites and cabin rentals located near the lake. The South shoreline is mostly private. Public access is allowed on the North side. (909) 866-3218.
Other lakes and rivers in the area:
Green Valley Lake
Jenks Lake
Arrowbear Lake
Santa Ana River
Boating Info:
Launching is free at several ramps on the North shore. You must, however, purchase a boat permit available at most marinas and launch ramps. Some marinas also feature over-night slips. Boat rentals are available at Holloway's Marina and Pleasure Point Marina. Skiing and personal watercraft are allowed.
Fishing Info:
There are Trout, Bass, Catfish, Carp and Crappie in the lake. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout regularly by the DFG and County hatcheries. The Big Bear Fishing Assoc. also stocks Trophy Sized Trout for contests and special events. Fishing is generally best during the early mornings or late evenings or during the early spring and fall / winter months when the water is too cold for pleasure boaters and skiers. There is No ice fishing allowed on the lake. Be sure to visit the CDFW web site for complete regulations before heading out.
Lake Records:
Comments and Tips:
Big Bear Lake
Big Bear Lake is not a "pay-to-fish" lake, it's "FREE"! It's a huge lake,(six miles in length), in a beautiful mountain/forest
setting and it's sunny and mild every day. Serrano Camp Ground, (on the lake), has RV hookups and tent-camp sites with
firerings, flush-toilets and hot showers.
A word for those seeking trout; first, let me say, Big Bear Lake is a very heavily stocked trout-lake, with several thousand
rainbow trout added every week, for shore fishing along the Northshore, from Gray's Landing and west to the Dam are the
ideal spots. There is a lot of weed growth along the shoreline, but the weed cutters are working fulltime, so use a bigger
weight and put it out there. The prefered method would be to take out a boat and still-fish near the bouy-line at the Dam,
using a slip-bobber, or, drift fish or slow-troll deep water, no further east than the telescope. East of the Telescope is
considered shallow water, less than 35 feet deep and the trout want to be in or accessable to deep water.
For Bass fishing, most any weedy area anywhere along the northshore. Along the southshore; due to the fact that most of
the south shoreline is private property, (condos,luxury homes,etc.), you will need a boat to hit the coves and better bass
spots along most of the southshore, but try the Eagle Point area and Boulder Bay.
Big Channel Cats, (from 5 to 20+ pounds), exist, but are elusive. You're more likely to get bites from smaller Bullheads,
(yellow/gold or yellow/green in color), in the under five pound range.
Bluegill, Sunfish and Crappie are in the shallows. And, of course, there are tons of big carp everywhere.
Good Fishing!
If you know something about this area or have some photos that you'd like to share, please E-mail and I'll post it here!
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» Photos
FNN member "jpainter" and his son took advantage of some nice weather over the weekend and caught some quality rainbows from Big Bear Lake!>>>Report
FNN members "troutsniffer" and a friend fished Big Bear Lake and caught some nice bass. >>>Report
Jimmy De caught this trout off the bank on North Shore 9 June 2011. 26.5 inches long 9.8 pounds.
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