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Bear Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Caribbean of the Rockies: turquoise two-state water hiding four endemic fish, giant cutthroat and January's cisco dip-net run.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
77 / 78 F
Wind
SW 19 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Bear Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 19 mph, rising pressure near 1005 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Lake troutFair

Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Yellow perchFair

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Similar at 79 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp77 F
High / Low78 / 53 F
WindSW 19-27 mph
Pressure1005.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:54 / 19:53
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 78/53 F, wind 20 mph, rain 0%

Fair or better. A 20 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Bear Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Best: ice-out and fall turnover

The char of the deep: 40-year-old predators patrolling the cold basins of glacial lakes, from the Finger Lakes to the Rockies. Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Bear Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Lake trout
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Bear Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 13 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 75 F, wind to 21 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 75 F, wind to 20 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Utah requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Utah or Idaho license (reciprocity on the water: check current). Cutthroat slot rules; cisco 30/day in season: check both states.

Access

Bear Lake SP marina (UT), Fish Haven and North Beach accesses (ID); east-shore cisco pullouts.

About this water

109,000 turquoise acres on the UT-ID line. The Rockies' endemic-species lake.

Fishing Bear Lake: the full guide

The turquoise anomaly

Bear Lake splits the Utah-Idaho line with 109,000 acres of improbable turquoise (suspended limestone paints it): a 250,000-year-old lake old enough to evolve four endemic species found nowhere else on earth. The fishery matches the pedigree: Bear Lake cutthroat to 15-plus pounds, lake trout, and the January cisco run that has no equal anywhere.

Cutthroat and lakers

The Bear Lake-strain cutthroat (the lake's own genetics: seeded across the West from here) troll the thermocline all summer (pop gear and minnow plugs at 30-60 ft) and cruise shallow at ice-out: while lake trout hold the deep structure (jigged over 60-100 ft, First Point to Gus Rich). The State Park marina fleets serve both: trophy odds run genuine.

The cisco spectacle

Mid-January brings the Bonneville cisco spawn: endemic silver fish swarming the rocky east shore in schools that anglers harvest with dip nets through holes in the ice (or waders in open years). It is among America's strangest fisheries: 30-fish limits scooped by hand at dawn: and the region's beloved midwinter festival.

Two-state practicalities

Utah and Idaho split the lake with reciprocal courtesy (either license on the water: verify current terms): marinas anchor Garden City (UT) and Fish Haven (ID): and the raspberry-shake economy peaks summer: fish dawn before the wake fleet. Winter access follows the cisco: the east-shore pullouts fill by 7 AM in the run.

Common questions

What is the cisco run at Bear Lake?

Mid-January's endemic spawn: Bonneville cisco swarm the east shore and anglers dip-net limits through the ice. Nowhere else on earth offers it: the lake's four endemics live only here.

How big do Bear Lake cutthroat get?

The lake strain reaches 15-plus pounds: trolled deep in summer, shallow at ice-out. These are the genetics that restocked the West: caught at the source.

Is fishing good at Bear Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Logan River24 miPineview Reservoir55 miWillard Bay57 miOgden River57 miWeber River65 miGreen River66 mi
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