We arrived at
Bear Lake on Wednesday evening by way of Evanston to meet up with extended family at the campground at Rendezvous Beach. As we descended into the valley, the deep blue water and the vast area of the lake was enough to fill us with excitement about the days to come as we embarked on our first trip to Bear Lake.
The next morning Kristian and I headed out to the boat ramp at First Point on the South East side of the lake. We trolled between 1st and 2nd point using rapalas and lucky craft lures. After several hours without a bite we started switching up our presentations. The bite picked up and I hooked into my first Bear Lake Blue Nose. I hooked him on a a red K9 Kwickfish just south of Second Point 45 feet down in 50 feet of water.
On the very same pass heading south, Kristian hooked into a fish within 200 yards of the boat ramp on bottom in 50 feet of water. I noticed that his line went slack and questioned weather he still had a fish on. He confirmed the reality of an opponent on the other end of the line though he was not sure that it was of any substantial size. Just then his rod bent over and the sound of drag suggested otherwise. He struggled for several minutes fighting a mysterious fish from straight beneath the boat. This thing did not want to come to the surface. Finally the mystery fish revealed itself as a 30 inch 10 lb
Lake Trout from the emerald blue depths.
At the end of our first day we had only landed two fish but we were not feeling disappointed at all. We had fully expected the fishing to be tough but rewarding and our expectations were fulfilled. As we loaded up the boat we found ourselves discussing our tactics for the next day in anticipation.
During the heat of the day we cooled ourselves on the beach and watched the varieties of migratory birds fly over head.
Everywhere we looked the life and beauty of the area made its presence known.
Sightseeing on day one took us to
Rick's Spring in Logan Canyon. This is a fresh water spring that has carved a cave in the mountainside where it emerges above the river.
In the evening we noticed the frequent splash of jumping fish in the inlet not far from our campsite. I know
carp are not consider a sport fish but they are darn fun to catch. Luckily we had some of the best carp bate known to man: White Bread. The rig was a mid sized treble hook behind a casting bubble with 2 feet of leader, and the results were funtastic.
On the morning of day 2 we made our way to Cisco Beach where we began trolling again. This time we started out at 45 feet with flatfish and large rapalas. Two hours went by and all we had to show for our labors were 3 or 4 hits. I tied on a large spoon that I had caught lakers on at Flaming Gorge hoping to duplicate the previous days success. In no time at all the line popped off the downrigger clip and I immediately found myself in a tug of war. I could't tell exactly how big it was but I had an idea by the sound of zipping drag that it was a good one. As I brought it in closer it made several lateral runs out away from the boat jumping and thrashing at the surface. It was a good fish but it did not act like a Mack. When I got it in close enough to net I yelled out, "It's a Mack." Kristain replied quickly, "No it's not!" I looked closer to identify the fish as a
Cutthroat. At 28 inches 10 lbs it was the largest Cutt I had ever caught.
We were running out of time so we attempted to duplicate our catch by dropping our lures to 25 feet once more and quickly had another fish on. This time Kristian fought the fish in. When he saw the fish he suggested that it was too small, only measuring 22 inches or so. Anywhere else and it would have been worth bragging about. I will admit, we were becoming a little spoiled. Once again we headed back to the ramp with credit for only 2 fish and yet again no disappointments.
Day 2 continued with a tour of
Minnetonka Caves. The caves are located above St Charles on the north side of Bear Lake. The tour itself lasts 1.5 hours and is a fantastic experience for the whole family. Dress warm because the average temperature inside the cave is a low 40 degrees.
The cave is full of rock formations of all shapes and sizes. The tour guide was informative and funny pointing out stalagtites, stalagmites, columns and ribbons throughout the cave.
The formation below is know as the three sisters.
And this one is called Kermit's castle. Other formations consisted of The Seven Dwarfs, the Soda Straws, the Grand Ball Room and the Wedding Room.
After the tour we journeyed further north to
Bloomington Lakes. The lakes are located 14 miles up a dirt road above the town of Bloomington just north of St Charles. The hike had very little elevation gain or loss and passed 2 small lakes before arriving at the top lake only a half mile from the trailhead.
Just out of the picture frame to the left was a rope swing. Those that were brave enough to try it explained that the water was colder than it looks.
It's hard to beat a leisurely hike in a high mountain lake setting with the kids.
On our third morning of fishing we decided to go back to First Point and try our luck again for a large Cutt or Lake Trout. After three hours of trying everything that had worked for us during the previous 2 days all we could come up with was a mid sized Cutthroat. It was a reminder that we had been very fortunate with a couple of prized fish.
We finished off our final day at Bear Lake with a short hike on the
Limber Pine Trail. The trailhead is located on the pass between the lake and Logan Canyon. The trail meandered through a high mountain pine forest and presented stunning views of Bear Lake valley below.
As we followed the trail below a series of granite rock outcroppings we noticed random glittery shimmers coming from the trail underfoot. Upon closer inspection we found extraordinary quartz crystals revealed by the eroded portions of the trail.
The final destination on our hike was a 2000 year old Limber Pine that seemed to put life in perspective. This is a living organism that has been on the earth for a long time. Like the Wise Old Owl I figured it had the answers to some of life's most elusive secrets. I found myself asking under my breath. What is the secret of life and how do I catch more fish out of the lake? I may have heard the number 42 carried on the wind, but I can't be sure.
This place served as the perfect reflection point of our trip. I sat reminiscing about the deep blue waters, the hefty specimens that inhabit it, and the beautiful setting in which it sits.
