Fishing in Big Bear

Anglers have the opportunity to catch a tagged trout worth $50,000 at Big Bear Lake’s Fishin’ for $50K Trout
Derby in June.     Fishin’ for $50K Trout Derby will be held Saturday, June 11 and Sunday, June 12 from 6 a.m. to
2 p.m. each day. Entry is $40 for adults and $25 for participants under age 16. Entries are limited to the first
750 registered anglers. Each contestant receives a free jar of Berkley PowerBait and a wristband that provides discounts at participating Big Bear restaurants, shops and specialty services.

Big Bear Lake offers one of the top rated fishing locations in all of Southern California.  all current reports indicate that for yet another season, freshwater anglers of all types will enjoy the quality trout and bass found in the local waters at Big Bear Lake.

  Hard to believe it has been in the low 70′s this weekend in Big Bear. A week ago we had a foot of snow on the ground, now it’s shorts and T-shirt time. But wait…what is in the forecast for Thursday? That nasty four letter word SNOW! Oh well, it is sprinter time in Big Bear (the season when Mother Nature can’t make her mind if it is spring or winter).
When the weather is good the trout fishing has been great! Plump holdovers in the pound and a half range are filling stringers for trollers and bait anglers alike, with a few fish coming in at two to three pounds. Bait anglers fishing PowerBait and/or nightcrawlers off the bottom with a leader length of 1 to 3 feet are doing well all along the North Shore from Stanfield Cutoff to Windy Pt. The west end of the lake is also producing trout, but the trout are more plentiful in the east due to tributary flow, shallower and warmer water. Don’t get too close to the streams though, DFG regulations prohibit fishing in the streams or the waters that outflow from them when the moving water is visible from Mrach 1st until May 25th.
Trollers working 3 to 4 colors of lead core with just about any color of Needlefish or Thomas Buoyants are getting the same results. Once again the east is best for the higher fish counts than the west. No real surface action yet, but look for that to change once the weather stabilizes and the insects begin to hatch. Water temperatures are uniform east to west and top to bottom at 47 degrees with plenty of oxygen throughout the water column.
Surprisingly a few avid bass anglers have found some bucket mouths along docks and rocks in the east end. No action for any other species at this time. Keep on eye on the weather and enjoy the fishing when you can.