Fishing at Goose Lake, Clearwater County, Idaho

• Overview

  You will find Goose Lake in Clearwater County, Idaho. The ground round it is lake country bush. It covers about 6 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Start from Frenchtown, 34 miles down the road. Then Plains, 38 miles, and Lolo, 42 miles. Close by you also have: Dalton Lake sits 1.8 miles out, 2.3 miles away is Pearl Lake, Crater Lake sits 2.6 miles out, 2.9 miles away is Steep Lakes and Heart Lake sits 2.9 miles out. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Goose Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Species logged across Clearwater County include rainbow trout, cutthroat trout and Chinook salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Goose Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 20°F in January to roughly 57°F in August. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. On average, late April opens the water and mid November closes it again. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Goose Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Dalton Lake, 1.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the current arrangement for Goose Lake.