The Big Bear TroutFesT is open to anyone and everyone who enjoys trout fishing in calm, beautiful lakes surrounded by the gently rolling San Bernardino Mountains. With men, women, boy and girl categories, everyone in the family can have fun fishing for cash and prizes.
The TroutFesT
Held every year on the first weekend in October, the Western Outdoor News Big Bear Lake TroutFesT begins on Friday afternoon with early registration. Fishing starts early Saturday and continues again on Sunday. The award ceremony takes place on Sunday afternoon, after weigh-in is complete, around 3:30pm. Tournament scales, raffle prize drawing and the awards program will be held in the Big Bear Marina parking lot.
A Few Things to Know
Participating anglers can fish from shore, from docks, boats, kayaks and tubes. They just have to fish in the lake during the official fishing times. Contest limits are five fish per day, per angler, and fish must be at least 10 inches long. Register early, since the first 600 entrants will receive a bag full of goodies from the event sponsors.
The Prizes
The four winners in each category (men, women, boy, girl), based on the total weight of five trout caught on the lake will receive trophies and merchandise. Last year’s women’s 1st place won with a 5.352 lb. trout, and the men’s winner won with a 6.113 lb. trout. Trophies and merchandise will also be awarded to the angler with the overall largest trout caught.
Besides the weight class contests, there are also thirty tagged trout worth $50k swimming out in the lake waiting to be hauled in. Five are worth $10k each, and the rest are worth $500 each. So even if you don’t catch a trophy fish, you can still catch one worth some cash.
Participating anglers can win cash in the Blind Bogey Contest too. Each day ten random weights will be chosen, and if your daily weight comes closest to (but not over) the selected weight, you win! And every participant will be in the running for raffle prizes too. Be sure to stick around for the end of the award program when they do the raffle since you must be present to win.
Big Bear TroutFesT
If you have any questions about where to register, fees or anything else relating to the TroutFesT, give us a call. We can also help you with finding the perfect lakefront cabin where you can watch all the fishing fun from your rental’s deck.
