Trout still chewing at Big Bear, catfish on solid late bite

BY BLAKE WARREN

BIG BEAR LAKE – Heading deeper into July, Big Bear Lake’s rainbows aren’t seeming to be trending towards any summer doldrums just yet as very good numbers of trout and lots of lim- its continue to be hauled out of the lake. While the majority of the recent catch remains on the considerably lighter side of the ledger, limits haven’t been all too tough to come by for either boaters or anglers wetting lines from the banks.

“There continues to be large numbers of mostly smaller fish biting an array of different baits and lures near the surface,” said Aga Dabrowski at Big Bear Sporting Goods. “Some of the bigger fish caught recently have been holding in the 10- to 15- foot range, but numbers are far lower (than when fishing the

upper portion of the water col- umn over the last couple weeks).”

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mouth and smallies gorge on the available juvenile, kokanee- sized rainbows. While bites have gotten a little tougher to come by as of late with the abundant food source, guys tossing weedless 3.8 and 4.8 Keitechs are picking off some good fish, along with anglers working deeper-running crankbaits near rocky structure by the dam. Topwater lures are also accounting for a fair share of blow-ups early and late.

With summer now in full swing, the catfish bite has also ramped up considerably. “The channel cat bite is at its peak right now,” said Dabrowski. “Live ‘crawlers, frozen mackerel and shrimp are all filling stringers over at the east end of the lake. Get started about an hour before dark and stay until dawn or until you hit your lim- it, because people are catching ’em pretty good right now.”