Fishing at Crystal Lake, Idaho County, Idaho

• Overview

  Crystal Lake sits within Idaho County in Idaho. The water sits 7,323 feet up. With some 45 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. With about 1.2 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Size puts it in the front rank of our Idaho County list. You are 30 miles from Grangeville. After that come Kamiah at 45 miles and McCall at 54 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Crystal Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Idaho County include rainbow trout, Chinook salmon, cutthroat trout and bull trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Take Crystal Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 51°F on average, December about 18°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid May. Ice usually gives way near mid May, and forms again about mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. On Crystal Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. 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 the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Kelly Lake, 1.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Crystal Lake before loading the car.