Fishing Fish Lake in Clearwater County, Idaho

• Overview

  Fish Lake is a Clearwater County water, Idaho side. It sits at 5,892 feet above sea level. Around 117 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. With about 1.7 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Few waters listed in Clearwater County are bigger. 35 miles away sits Frenchtown, the nearest town. The big place round here is Spokane, 132 miles distant. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Fish Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and Chinook salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Anyone new to Fish Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 57°F, while December sits near 20°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Fish Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Siamese Lakes is 2.6 miles off. None of that is settled for Fish Lake in what we hold.