Bear Lake

The 'Caribbean of the Rockies' - 69,446-acre turquoise lake on Idaho-Utah border. Home to four fish species found NOWHERE else in the world. The Bonneville Cutthroat have made a huge comeback and grow to 10+ lbs. Also lake trout and the unique Bonneville Cisco dip-net fishery in winter.

Species: Bonneville Cutthroat, Lake Trout, Bonneville Cisco, Bonneville Whitefish, Yellow Perch. Difficulty: intermediate. Some experience pays off here.

Best timing: Summer and Fall and Winter. Summer fishes best at first light and late evening; midday is technical. Fall is prime — heavy feeding before winter, fewer crowds. Winter access is for dedicated anglers; ice conditions vary year to year.

Regulations: Special cutthroat regulations. Always confirm with the current IDFG rule book before fishing.

Southeast context

Southeast Idaho holds the densest concentration of trophy trout water in the state. The Henry's Fork is the marquee fly-fishing river in North America for technical dry-fly fishing; the South Fork of the Snake holds Yellowstone cutthroat-rainbow hybrids; Henrys Lake and Palisades Reservoir produce trophy-sized fish. Driggs, Ashton, Idaho Falls, and Soda Springs are the staging towns.

Plan for the experience level the fishery rewards.