Buck Lake, Idaho: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Valley County in Idaho is where Buck Lake sits. The water sits 8,294 feet up. This is a pocket water of some 16 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. McCall is the closest town at 42 miles. The nearest city of size is Boise, 93 miles away. Also on the doorstep: Papoose Lakes roughly 0.7 miles, Meadow Creek Lake within 7.4 miles, Pistol Lake roughly 8.2 miles, Riordan Lake within 9.4 miles and Roosevelt Lake roughly 13 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Buck Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Valley County records list rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, Coho salmon and Arctic grayling among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. The shape of Buck Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 54°F in July and bottoms out near 17°F in December. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid May. Open water usually runs from mid May until about mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That shapes the year on Buck Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Papoose Lakes is 0.7 miles distant. The position on Buck Lake is worth confirming on the day.