“The premier trout fishery in Southern California within two hours of Los Angeles this time of year is Big Bear Lake,” says Mike Giusti, an associate fisheries biologist for the California Department of Fish and Game. “Generally, the experienced anglers can catch good numbers of fish of quality size.”

Big Bear is one of the larger reservoirs in Southern California. Like all reservoirs that don’t sit on the aqueduct system, the reservoir has been hit hard by the drought. The lake has fallen from 73,320 acre-feet at full pool in the spring of 1998 to currently about 30,500 acre-feet.

Regardless of low water levels, Big Bear fishing is as good as ever, and there are still dozens of miles of shoreline for anglers to fish. Amazingly enough, few anglers are taking advantage of the great fishing, Giusti said.

“It’s a typical summer time phenomenon in Southern California where people quit fishing for trout in high mountain lakes around here,” Giusti said. “I think this is the best time of year to fish at Big Bear.”

The equation revolves around water temperature and oxygen levels.

“During the hottest time of the year is when some of the best trout fishing occurs, because the fish are concentrated in areas of cool temperatures where the highest levels of oxygen are located,” Giusti said. “In Big Bear Lake, that should be 10 to 30 feet and it should continue through October when the water starts to cool and the lake turns over.”

“For the most part, anglers will find trout in 10 to 20 feet of water during the day and close to the surface during the cooler lowlight hours,” he added. “You don’t need downriggers or leadcore line. You can fish monofilament line and catch rainbow trout.”

Big Bear is heavily planted annually by Fish and Game. Each year, roughly 58,000 6 to 12 inch rainbow trout are planted. “We have a continuous catchable stocking program,” Giusti said. “Those fish double in size after a year in the lake.”

Big Bear is also managed as a successful put-and-grow fishery. Eagle Lake trout are planted at 3 to 4 inches in the fall. Up to 200,000 sub-catchable Eagle Lake trout are stocked by the Mojave River Hatchery each year.

“We have a great put-and-grow program. By the spring those fish that were stocked in the fall are 6 to 8 inches and by the following spring they are 14 to 18 inches,” Giusti said. “The lake grows trout well because of the high productively associated with nutrient levels in the lake.”

The best action comes to trollers working small spoons, spinners and stickbaits. While anywhere on the west end can be productive, it’s best to work from the West Launch Ramp to Big Bear Dam, from Big Bear Dam to the mouth of Papoose Bay, across the mouth of Boulder Bay and from Zebra Point to Gilner Point.

“I’d recommend people contact local tackle shops to find out which lures and baits are working best at the time they are going,” Giusti said.

Shoreline fish can also be excellent. Soak dough baits on the north shore from Gray’s Landing to the buoy line in front of the dam. Use a sliding sinker combo on 4-pound test. “Anyplace you have the deeper water you’ll have trout,” Giusti said.