I might need a new guide for Mac’s. Blm took this picture. I saw MGB, AF Dan, Lil Trout, fish1on, and few others today. Water temp was a high of 46 degrees. Not a cloud in the sky and little or no w…
I have some pictures of MGB that I’ll post a little later. I caught the only Mac(BLM will have to post that pic) and MGB got the only cuttthroat.
Good times just really slow… Oh ya i think i might of pissed off dans boat. Hope it gets over it. lol
It was a sloooow day at the bear. I never did see anyone catch any fish besides Tomegun and myself. We stayed untill 5:30,when the sun went over the mountains me and my nephew hooked up with a mac but we never did boat them. The DWR had the most action for the day they checked just about every boat at the rock pile. They checked for boat registration,fishing license,life jackets, bilge pumps,horns,fire extinguishers,oars,floating devises it was a very thorough inspection. There where alot of tickets issued. I got a warning ticket for not having my regestration in my boat and my nephew forgot his fishing license so they issued him a ticket also. Hopefully the fishing will pick up for the salsa party.
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I fished the Bear yesterday with my neighbor and his boy. We fished along the Cisco Beach/South Eden area. It was indeed a slow day, but his boy did manage to catch one fish. Actually my fishing partners were real rookies and they lost several other fish after brief fights so we should of had about 5 total fish. The lake trout are definitely post-spawn so I’m hoping they will start feeding now and the jigging will pick up. The fish we caught was a spawned out female and it was 5.5 lbs and 26 inches long. (Skinny). There were several boats along Cisco Beach and when we were coming in another friend of mine hooked up with about a 9 pounder. Too slow to call it good “catchin” but the weather was unreal…Sunny, calm, and not a breeze to speak of! The last month and a half of Saturdays have been in absolutely crappy weather and I’m speaking from experience since I’ve fished every Sat. for the last 6 weeks minus one since the weather that day was just too bad to fish in! Oh, well it was sure nice to be out on the pond in Nov. without a jacket!
I have to agree with everyone, about the weather being absolutely beautiful. I was out on BearLake with Lil Trout yesterday and except for not catching fish, we had a good time anyway.
AFDan52
** I intentionally skipped talking about the fish cops. Hoping that someone else that wasn’t pissed off would start the discussion.**
** Four Rangers pulled up on the Rockpile with their Boston Whaler about 11am. At the time , there was about a dozen boats soaking lead. They went from boat to boat doing a saftey inspection(it looked like they were training some new fry). First, they hit all the little aluminum boats. Then, they hit all the “older” fiberglass and bigger aluminum boats(Rich and I weren’t checked, yet), and they eventually took off east. But, the damage was done. MGB got yelled at, his nephew was ticketed. They tried to ticket these guys in a little Lund for no extinguisher, but the boat didn’t qualify to have one. They hollered at AF Dan for leaving his wet throwable in his garage, but they gave him a whislte. And, Rich and I just watched all this happen.**
** About an hour later, they came back. Our friendly Rangers made a beeline straight for my boat. As the came up to us I said “don’t even think about scratching my boat”,lol. Mr Ranger sir, threw out question after question at us and I had every damn piece of equipment plus more on his little check list. Rich was harrassed for smoking dog turds. He came back and said “I’m being harrassed by a state offical”. The Ranger’s only gripe was my throwable wasn’t on the deck(he put this on his offical inspection form). After he was done, the Ranger asked if he had any questions for him. I said “since you saw ours show me yours” so I climb in and inspected his boat( I kid you not ask BLM) LMAO! **
I think the fish cops were the highlight of the day. I’ll have to talk Dan into going back out soon so we can get into some bigger fish than the lil trout i keep catching
Actually, the Rangers were very courteous to us. Our “courtesy” inspection (like you could refuse a “courtesy” inspection) was done promptly. The rangers could of wrote a ton of tickets but they issued warnings instead. Also I’ve seen them issue warnings for forgetting to put up your state park pass or “forgetting” to pay giving you a second chance to pay or writing in your pass number . That could be a ticket too.
It’s not a great event to get checked but what the heck, You can bet the rangers will be a happy sight if you really do need them and they show up to save the day because they will put their lives on the line for us.
I wasn’t worried though. I knew they’d give us a break once I through out Tolentino’s name. I saw their knees tremble when Scott’s name was thrown out! HA! And yes, Tomegun climbed aboard and “inspected” their boat. Crazy Tomegun…
The Rangers have to write tickets, they’ re still paying on their boat (ha ha). THE UNSINKABLE LEGEND…
Great reports and Pictures. Thanks.. Check out this site on the life saving boats…
http://www.brunswickcgboats.com/…ult.asp?content=home
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I just got back an hour ago!! Very slow fishing but the weather was great. I moved around all over the pile area from 15’ to 80’. The fish are moving around like crazy but still hanging in the 35-40 foot range.
It was nice to see all you BFT folks out there. Sorry I did not introduce myself to ya tomgun, but you looked like you were on a serious mission. Dan, MGB, lil trout, blm great to see ya again.
I had to leave before the fish cops got to my boat. Wife called and said there was an emergency at the cabin, the whole park was without water!!! I pulled out in a hurry just to find that there was a main (6") water line break and I spent the rest of the day digging dirt (8’ deep) to get it fixed.
I went back out Sunday morning and much more of the same type of fishing. Marked fish, but no takers. I wish I went over to the East shore and tried there cause the pile was slow.
BLM… That LUND was out there again and they were slaying them as usual!!! Them boy’s know what they are doing. I tried to see what they were dunking in the water to get so many hits on but I could not make out what they were using. Looked like a 4" split tail white grub without any bait???
The rangers asked me today if anyone was whining about the impromtu boat inspections on Sat. They actually complimented everyone out on the rockpile for being pretty plesant. Heck they don’t tremble at the sound of my name it has too many syllables to pronounce for most Parkees! **(Ha!) **They would just as soon write me a ticket than you guys! I’d be their “trophy buck” if they caught me! I’m too heavy to mount so they’d have to just settle for a ticket! Actually Rich is right. The Parkees are there to help out with stranded boaters and at this time of the year its nice to know they are a quick call away! I can’t say enough good things about the new State Park superintendent. He has been great to work with these last two years. He even asked me the BFT site address so he can post something here that lists what is required on the boats so no one gets in trouble in the future! Look for it this week!!
As far as “checking” goes…The UDWR will begin a 12 month creel survey check on Bear Lake in January. I or someone that works for me will be out checking people in boats or on the ice come the first of the year. We will be surveying anglers creel approximately 9 days of each month (including four weekend days and 5 weekdays per month). See you out on the pond this winter!
That Lund was out Friday and they didn’t catch anymore fish than Fishcrazy and I. The hot stick was on a Smokercraft Fazer. That boy caught 6-7 fish while the rest of us scratched out a few. With the spawn falling off it’s only a matter of time before the post spawn feed bag is put on.
Why were they harassing BLM for smoking cigars??? I didnt know that was a big deal. You know tomegun, i would have checked their boat too!!! Fair is Fair!!!
As Tolentino (with all 4 syllables) has said I must commend everyone fishing at Bear Lake on the 6th for their courtesy and for the fact that most were in compliance. BLM, the next time I see you I will try to have a box of cigars ready for you. What brand?
Please remember that the main reason we are here is very simple; because YOU are here. We appreciate hosting you and we enjoy what we do. I have never had anyone express concern about our presence when the waves are 3-6 feet and the “Unsinkable Legend”, as **fishonlynch ** put it, arrives with a ladder for a couple soaking fishermen to climb up to safety. I know most appreciate the safety inspections and if you think about it, it is a very simple 10 minute process that can save your life. The last thing we want to do is repeat February 2003! The phone call to the spouse that we have located an empty fishing boat and we can’t find a husband or a father is the most excruciating thing one can ever do, much less the sub-zero searches.
We appreciate you being here and we just want to ensure everyone is safe.
With that said, here is a list of registration information and equipment required on all boats on Utah waters. This is not only state law but federal law so the requirements will echo in Idaho:
Registration Information:
Current year registration card/certificate
Current year registration sticker
Month of expiration Decal
Permanently Affixed Bow/Assigned Number (UT #### AA)
Equipment:
Coast Guard Approved and serviced(full) Fire Extinguisher (Note: Open-construction, outboard motorboats less than 26 feet in length, without permanently installed fuel tanks, are NOT required to carry a fire extinguisher.)
Paddle or Oar
Bail Bucket or Bilge Pump
Sound producing device (Horn, whistle) (Note: Boats from 16 feet to less than 40 feet long must have a whistle of horn capable of producing a 4-6 second blast of sound)
Type IV Throwable PFD (Personal Floatation Device): (Note: This is designed to be thrown to a person n the water, grasped and held by the user until rescued. It is only required to be carried on boats 16 feet or more in length but certainly suggested for all boats. It must also be Immediately Accessible and within easy reach. What that means is it can’t be stored in a compartment when the boat is on the water.)
Life jacket (PFD) for each person on board (Note: These must be in serviceable condition and worn on children 12 years of age or younger.)
Navigation Lights (Note: All boats must display navigation lights while operating on Utah waters between sunset and sunrise.)
This is just a quick list of the common things required on Utah boats. Please do not hesitate to contact myself or one of the other rangers at Bear Lake State Park for more information or questions.
Feel free to give us a call. Let us know how you like the lake, how you like or dislike the re-designed marina, what can we change? How is the launch ramp at Cisco Beach? Etc, etc. We are here for you.
Oh, and anytime anyone wants the **tomegun ** tour of the “Unsinkable Legend”, let me know and I would be glad to arrange it.
Remember, Boat Smart from the Start!
Larry Gray, Park Manager
Bear Lake State Park
PO Box 184
Garden City, UT 84028
435-946-3343
larrygray@utah.gov
www.stateparks.utah.gov
Larry, welcome to BFT. We appreciate you taking the time to make a post explaining your purpose in performing inspections. Look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Larry,
I have only two comments to your post.
I would rather have to be inspected and advised on any discrepencies than have to have you call my family in the event of a tragedy. Life is too important.
Can I use the “unsinkable Legend” next weekend???
Hi Larry and Welcome to the forum! Thanks for the informative post about boat requirements and safety. We all need to pay better attention to what’s on our boats and how it’s set up. No worries on the cigars! I wasn’t offended in anyway. Heck after being harassed by Tomegun all morning, you guys were a welcome relief! HA!
One question. What air waves on Bear Lake are monitored? VHF, FMS, GRMS? Others? Just wondering. I know a lot of guys have the FMS/GRMS radios and some, like myself, have VHF. What is the best way, besides a cellphone, to call for help? Thanks.
(edit) Since you’re asking what we think about the redesigned marina, I have two comments. First, I sure miss the big heated restroom with the bench in it for getting into your winter duds before hitting the water or heading home. That was sure a nice place to change where it was dry and warm.
Second, I notice on busy days that the lanes used to exit out of the marina are always clogged with boats trying to get ready to leave. There’s tons of room to prep and get on the water but very little area to get things stowed before exiting. I have had to wait to have someone clear a lane to leave because of so many boats on trailers cloging ALL exit lanes, still prepping to leave.
In general, I really like the set up but in some ways, I liked the old marina better.
We monitor VHF but more specifically Marine Band 16 in our buildings, boats and vehicles. However one thing to consider is that during the fall, winter and early spring many of our responsibilities take us off park and away from the lake and we have to rely upon the Sheriff’s Office dispatcher to contact us. The only way to reach him or her is with your phone. MB16 is monitored consistently during the summer months but only when we are in the area during all other times. Unfortunately we are not like Lake Powell with a permanent marine dispatcher. Cell phone is still the best. The Rich County Sheriff will also monitor MB16 when they are in the area.
We have had several comments about the lack of the bench. I will have to admit it was not very good fore thought on our part since it went down with the old building. However, we will replace it and place another bench in the restroom.
Regarding the traffic flow portion of the marina design, it looked great on paper and I will have to say that during the busiest of times in July, etc. it actually works very well; much better than before. However, there is one bottleneck and we recognize it. It is exactly where you described. We have found that unless we post a person there to keep people moving they will block traffic. Not sure why, but they do. So, we are going to try some new stripping and signs next year and give that a try. It is just something new and needs some getting used to.
I appreciate your comments and let us know if there is anything we can do to make your visit more enjoyable.
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We have found that unless we post a person there to keep people moving they will block traffic. Not sure why, but they do.
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I think the reason it gets clogged is we underestimate the time and degree people take to get their boats ready to go down the road. A lot of people want to wipe their whole boats down, others unload and secure a lot of stuff, covers are put on for the road trip, clothes are changed and restroom visits are needed, etc, etc, etc. You know the drill as well as anyone. Seems you need as much room to leave as when you arrive and more time to pack up!
Maybe a few less parking spots on the northwest end of the lot and four exit prepping lanes might be the ticket with the thru lane out where it is?