14 July 20 - Aug 3 , 2018 VOL . 37 • ISS . 16

Lower Bear River Reservoir features good populations of rainbow , mackinaw and brown trout . The Bear River Lake Resort and Campground offers boat rentals , berthing and boat launching .

Photo by DAN BACHER , Fish Sniffer Staff .

Other popular lakes along the Carson Pass Corridor include Silver , Kirkwood , Caples and Red . Because of its lower elevation , Lower Bear is the first reservoir to open in the spring and the last to remain open when the other lakes become inaccessible , due to ice and snow .

Lower Bear River Reservoir is known for offering an array of fishing options , ranging from trolling for big mackinaw and brown trout with plugs , spoons and nightcrawlers to shore fishing for planted and holdover rainbows .

The reservoir features 727 surface acres and a shoreline of about 9 miles when full . It is located along the Bear River , a tributary of the North Fork of the Mokelumne River , south of Highway 88 .

The Bear River Resort opened this year on May 1 , with 2,000 pounds of ¾ pound rainbow trout planted into lower Bear River Reservoir by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife ( CDFW ). PG & E stocked 1500 pounds of half pound rainbows in May , while the CDFW planted another 2,000 pounds

Huge mackinaws , such as this 26.4 lb . monster caught by Aiden McKinney of Pioneer while trolling with Rich Spears of the resort in September 2012 , prowl the waters of Lower Bear River Reservoir .

Photo courtesy of RICH SPEARS . of rainbows on June 5 .

One of the lake ’ s biggest events every year is the resort ’ s annual trout derby , held on the second weekend of June every year . This year it took place on June 9 and 10 . The resort stocked 1,000 pounds of trophy trout in the 2 to 7 lb . range in the lake prior to the popular event .

Jeremy Silvas won first place in the Bear River Lake Resort Trout Derby with a 4.89 lb . rainbow trout , winning $ 700 . Wyatt Broom placed second with a 4.4 lb . rainbow , winning $ 200 . Justin Lee placed third with a 3.72 lb . rainbow , winning $ 100 , reported Janette Frazier , owner of the Bear River Lake Resort .

After the winners received their cash prizes , every angler ended up going home with a raffle prize .

I have both fished both from shore and boat at Bear River , but I ’ ve experienced my best action while trolling from a boat . My most memorable trip to the reservoir was in May 2007 when Fred Solari of Lodi

and I hooked and released 20 rainbows while trolling threaded nightcrawlers on lead core line along the face of the dam for a couple of hours in the late afternoon .

While the majority of fish that anglers catch are rainbows , mackinaws and brown trout also swim in the lake ’ s clear waters . Mackinaw trout grow big and fat at the reservoir .

Chris

Richard Spears Jr . landed this quality 6 lb rainbow while kayaking on Lower Bear River last June .

Photo courotesy of BEAR RIVER LAKE RESORT CAMPGROUND , Pioneer .

Quimby set the lake mackinaw record of 30.4 pounds on June 17 , 2005 . His huge fish measured 40 inches long .

While most anglers use big minnow and trout imitation plugs on downriggers to target big mackinaw , Rich Spears , manager of the resort , also slow trolls with nightcrawlers behind big Ford Fenders on 17 colors of lead core line for his fish . The best time to fish for the trophy macks is in the spring right after ice out or in the late fall just before the lake ices over , but huge macks are caught throughout the season . Spears ’ trolling technique definitely works . Spears caught a 25 lb . mackinaw in his boat before the lake opened in 2014 . His next biggest was a 23.4 lb . mack that he landed in January 2012 .

However , the biggest mack ever put in his boat was the 26.4 lb . monster that Aiden McKinney of Pioneer caught and released while trolling with Spears on September 13 , 2012 .

The fish measured 38 inches in length and 16 inches in girth . McKinney hooked the fish while trolling a Trophy Stick on 12 lb . test Maxima line on a downrigger at 85 feet deep at 4 p . m . that day .

The lake also hosts a healthy brown trout population , a combination of wild fish and holdovers from CDFW plants .

Much bigger browns swim the waters of the lake . Donna Schlageter set the lake German brown record of 15-1 / 2 pounds while trolling on June 30,1991 .

CDFW , PG & E , and the Bear River Lake Resort stock rainbow trout at Lower Bear . The sizes of fish stocked included fingerling , sub-catchable , catchable , and