Fishing Gem Lake in Idaho County, Idaho

• Overview

  You will find Gem Lake in Idaho County, Idaho. It sits at 7,726 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 15 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Some 33 miles away sits Joseph, the nearest settlement. Enterprise follows at 36 miles, then McCall at 37 miles. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Gem Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Public occurrence data for Idaho County names rainbow trout, Chinook salmon and cutthroat trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. The near bank of Gem Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 55°F at the top of summer and 23°F at the bottom of winter. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about late November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Gem Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Rock Island Lake, 0.3 miles out. Treat Gem Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.