Bear Lake

Location: 40 miles northeast of Logan, Utah Highway 89

Game Fish Species: Bear Lake cutthroat, Lake trout, Bonneville Whitefish, Bear Lake Whitefish, and Bonneville Cisco

Bear Lake

Size: 69,760 surface acres at full pool; approximately half in Utah and half in Idaho.

Elevation: 5,923 feet

Conservation Pool: None owned by Utah. Idaho has a conservation pool on all water below 5902 feet.

Maximum water temperature: 72° F

Productivity: Low productivity. Stocked annually with 275,000 Bear Lake cutthroat trout. Stocked tri-enially with 50,000 lake trout.

Type of fishing available: Trolling, fly, bait casting, jigging (boat, kick-boat, float tube, shore, ice), longlining, and shore. All cutthroat trout without a fin clip(s) must be immediately released.

Angler pressure: 66,664 angler hours in 2002.

Accommodations: Motels in Garden City, State Park and private campgrounds around lake.

Food: Garden City

Boat ramps: Utah – Utah State Park Marina (state), Gus Rich Point (private but open to the public), First Point (state), Rainbow Cove (state). Idaho – East side State Park (state), Beach Jetty (state).

Boat rentals: Cisco's Landing (435) 946-2717; Bear Lake Sails, Garden City (435) 946-2900; Blue Water Beach Boat Rental, Garden City 435-946-8611.

Fish food: Terrestrial Insects (spring, summer and fall), zooplankton, Bonneville cisco, whitefish and sculpin (year-round).

Land ownership: Lakeside acreage is approximately 65 percent private and 35 percent public on the Utah half of the lake.

Access: Excellent. An asphalt road is found around the entire perimeter of the lake. Utah and Idaho State Parks charge a daily user fee or sell annual permits.

Unique attraction: Large size, unique torquoise-blue, clear water, trophy cutthroat trout and lake trout. Unique cisco fishery.