Fishing at Bernard Lake, Valley County, Idaho

• Overview

  The Valley County entry here is Bernard Lake, in Idaho. The water sits 7,228 feet up. It covers about 18 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. McCall is the closest town at 43 miles. Hidden Spring follows at 62 miles, then Emmett at 63 miles. Others close at hand: Honeymoon Lake some 11 miles off, Morehead Lake lies 13 miles on, Mud Lake some 14 miles off, Collie Lake lies 15 miles on and Tule Lake some 15 miles off. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Bernard Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Valley County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, Coho salmon and Arctic grayling. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Bernard Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 19°F to 54°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. That shapes the year on Bernard Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. If the gate is shut, Honeymoon Lake at 11 miles is the nearest alternative. Nothing on Bernard Lake should be assumed from this page alone.