Fishing Bilk Lake in Idaho County, Idaho

• Overview

  You will find Bilk Lake in Idaho County, Idaho. The surface lies 6,752 feet up. It covers about 2 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. On size it sits at the modest end of our Idaho County list. The town to know is Hamilton, 48 miles out. The big place round here is Spokane, 164 miles distant. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Bilk Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Idaho County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, Chinook salmon, cutthroat trout, bull trout and brook trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Anyone new to Bilk Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 54°F, while December sits near 19°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early May. The open-water window runs from around early May to about mid November in an average year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. That is the shape of the year on Bilk Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Running Lake sits 1.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Where Bilk Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.