Spring has sprung! Big Bear Lake now open for fishing, boating and private tours

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (KABC) -- Although the calendar says it's spring, in Big Bear Lake, it's still rather cold.

But despite the cooler temperatures, the lake officially reopened Tuesday, signifying the mountain resort's transition away from the winter season.

"Boats can go in the water, water activities can resume again," said Visit Big Bear CEO Travis Scott. "I promise there will be people on the water [Tuesday], it's very exciting for us to open the lake every year."

Especially considering last September, the Line Fire forced the closure of much of Big Bear, forcing an early end to the summer season.

"We were essentially, as a town, closed for about three weeks, so that definitely put a damper on our tourism economy up here," said Scott.

On Monday, people were seen coming up to the mountains in anticipation of summertime activities. Plus, all the ski and snowboard resorts are still open, but the question remains: For how long?

"It's getting short. We're the end of the season. We're praying we'll have some skiing left on Easter weekend," said Scott.

Plus, we can't forget about the impact that Jackie, Shadow and their eaglets have had in the area. They're expected to draw even more visitors over the next few months.

"Obviously, the forest is closed because of the eagles this time of year. We ask people to respect that, but yes, we get visitors in the visitor center every day telling us that they came here just to see the eagles' home," said Scott.

So is it possible to see them flying around every now and then? Absolutely!

"If you hang out and watch, you'll see Jackie and Shadow head off for food runs, and take a break, and land in some of their other roosting trees, so it's really very cool," said Scott.

In case you're wondering, the lake level itself is about 6 feet from being completely full. The water level is expected to continue to rise over the next couple of months.