Fishing Bigfoot Lake in Idaho County, Idaho

• Overview

  Idaho holds Bigfoot Lake, in Idaho County. The surface lies 6,260 feet up. It covers about 24 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It ranks high for size among our Idaho County listings. The nearest town is Hamilton, 26 miles away. Beyond it, Stevensville at 42 miles and Lolo at 57 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Bigfoot Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Idaho County include rainbow trout, Chinook salmon and cutthroat trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At Bigfoot Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 58°F in August and bottoms out near 20°F in December. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Bigfoot Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Brushy Fork Lake, 2.1 miles out. Confirm access to Bigfoot Lake locally before you travel.