Aaron Garcia spent a lot of time fishing at Big Bear Lake in his youth. This is a guest post with tips and hints for successful fishing at our mountain lake resort!

Growing up in Southern California, I think I got spoiled by all of the amazing fishing spots and opportunities the state offers. Bishop, California offers some amazing stream fishing for rainbow and brown trout. Santa Monica Pier gives you a chance to catch halibut and sea bass and chartering a boat for some deep sea fishing could land you quite a few yellowfin tuna. However, my favorite spot of all to fish, when living in southern California, was Big Bear Lake.

A Little About Big Bear Lake
This quaint mountain town boasts a population of nearly 6,000 residents, but its lifeblood comes from the tourists that flock to Big Bear year round for skiing, sightseeing, and of course fishing.

Big Bear Lake itself is a man made reservoir, created by the Big Bear dam. The lake is entirely snow fed and has no other source of replenishment. The lake is regularly stocked with rainbow trout, which are the most common fish found in the lake. Other species of fish include bass, sunfish, and carp.

Unique Fishing Experience at Big Bear Lake
Fishing at this mountain lake resort is a completely different experience than fishing anywhere else. As someone who has fished the streams of Montana, the rivers of the Carolinas and the open oceans of the Pacific and Atlantic, lake fishing presents a unique challenge, especially at high altitudes (Big Bear Lake rests at 6,750 ft above sea level).

Big Bear Lake offers three distinct types of fishing:

• Pier or Dock Fishing
• Fishing from the Shore
• Fishing from a Boat

Choosing a Rod/Reel
Choosing the correct rod and reel depends on what type of fishing you will be doing. Whether you are fishing from the shore, boat, or dock, the most common type of rod is a spin/bait casting rod. The spinning reel allows you to cast great distances, and although not as accurate as other types of rods, this point becomes irrelevant when fishing in an expansive lake such as Big Bear Lake.

If you are fishing only from a boat, another option would be to use what is called a trolling rod. Trolling is when you drop your line in the water with a lure on the end and leave it as the boat travels around the lake. If you don’t want to bring two rods with you on your fishing trip to Big Bear Lake, you can generally troll with a spin/bait casting rod, but they do make rods specifically designed for trolling.

Choosing a Location
If you are fishing from the shore, your location becomes a lot more important than if you are fishing from a boat or from a dock where your options are very limited. When fishing from the shore, you should pay attention to two major factors:

1. Make sure the sun is in your face – even though this may seem uncomfortable to you, the shadow cast by your body will be behind you and won’t disturb or alert the fish.
2. Make sure the area above you and behind you is free of trees, shrubs and other foliage – many a fishing trip have been ruined because the angler spent hours untangling line from the tree behind him instead of fishing.

In my experience, there is no such thing as a poor location to fish from when visiting Big Bear Lake.

The scenery is beautiful, the weather is amazing and the fish are almost always jumping. Growing up I spent countless days catching countless fish up at this mountain lake resort, and every chance I get, I try to take the time to go back to the lake where I caught my first fish.

About the Guest Author: Aaron Garcia is a representative for Big Bass Lake, a Poconos Vacation Home Community. Aaron is an avid fisher and traveler, and as a Southern California native, he has over 20 years of experience in fishing the lakes and streams of the region.

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“Fawnskin blows” and other silly remarks circulated through the Old Fashioned Picnic on Saturday.

In case you don’t live around these parts, our mountain lake resort community tends to be a bunch of smart…errr…mouthed residents.

The wind kicked up early in the am and continued throughout the day and a fall chill was in the air.

The wind and temperature drop was actually a preview of yesterday’s balmy high of 58 degrees and this morning’s 37 degrees–which lead GG (today labeled as goosebump girl) to build a fire to take away the chill in the inside of the house.

But back to the picnic, I actually ambled over to join the festivities instead of staying sequestered in my house as has been the case for the past couple of years.

Most locals haven’t seen me much at any events but now that I am mostly recovered I do manage to get out now and again.

I was touched by those who took the time to hug me and share their good wishes and thoughts for my sister who goes in for brain surgery this week to removed two tumors around her pituitary.

Since I cannot be there, I’ve been a mess–but we are mostly optimistic.

Plus, it is probably best that I am not there since we’d all be crying up a storm because, well, we are mushy.

A side that some people swear I don’t have.

In fact, I found it odd that someone told me that I was always a grump (grumpy girl GG) when I haven’t seen the guy much over the past couple of years.

Of course, alcohol does tend to distort your reality and his was pretty distorted!

The food was plentiful and yummy and the new Moose Lodge 2085 crew was grilling up a storm.

It is odd to see a changing of the guard and I actually got to sit with Dennis London who has been a grill master of many events around these parts since I moved into Fawnskin.

Many lodge members rushed off for Monte Carlo night–which I forgot to mention.

Eesh, see what stress and age do to this one’s memory?

And Pat, who had graciously agreed to collect any winnings from the brown bag auction, got a lot of grief for winning, winning, winning…I swear her treading back and forth created a worn path in the grass between the stage and her seat as she tromped to collect over and over again.

Todd was busy strong arming recruiting people into participating in the apple bobbing contest and the egg toss.

He did a fine job of it by the way. This was the biggest participation I’ve seen for the egg toss since I’ve been attending the event.

The Heart Lights provided some great music (which I could not hear from my home) and actually sounded better than when I hear their music reverberating through my windows when they play at the NS Tavern.

Sadie supervises the picnic grill!

Sadie (a dog) the marina mascot was busy supervising the BBQ and did a fine job of it.

She became the official taster–quality control so to speak, but I was a bit suspicious of the guys when they told me she got all the mistakes because she wasn’t moving and I am thinking she was working them over pretty well and bet they were making mistakes on purpose.

I enjoyed seeing a lot of neighbors I haven’t encountered in a while and it was nice to get out for a bit.

Bob and Nancy happily informed me that all the puppies were placed and that they are having a fine time hiking and enjoying quality time with their two dogs now that the puppy swarm is gone.

They won a few great prizes but it was the usual suspects—Snoop Sister Deb and Karin who got me wondering if some of these things are rigged.

Karin won the 50/50 AGAIN and Deb got a few items, her favorite being the Discovery Tour package.

Wondering if she will adopt me as family so I can enjoy the loot too?

Alas, I had to head home to get back to work since I had a couple of project deadlines but it was a great time and be sure you make next year’s event.

I have a guest author participating on Wednesday but I’ll be back again shortly!

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GG the slacker forgot the date and tomorrow is the annual Old Fashioned Picnic.

It is free to all Fawnskin Folks & their peeps.
When: Saturday, August 28th, 2010 4-7 pm
Where: At Captain John’s Marina

• Food, Games, Raffle Prizes and Live Music
• Free Hamburgers and Hot Dogs
• Our Favorite Moose Chefs Will Man the Grill
• Bring Beverages, Chairs & a Side Dish or a Dessert to Share

Contact Kathy Murphy with Questions and for Information (909) 866-5784

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