Hatchet Lake Fishing Guide, Custer County, Idaho

• Overview

  Hatchet Lake lies in Custer County, Idaho. The water sits 8,907 feet up. It covers about 12 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It sits higher than most water we list in Idaho. Start from Sun Valley, 28 miles down the road. It is 88 miles to Boise, the nearest city. Also on the doorstep: Shelf Lake 0.2 miles, 0.4 miles away is Sliderock Lake, Lodgepole Lake 0.6 miles, 0.9 miles away is Baker Lake and Frog Lake 1.1 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Hatchet Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. 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. Across Custer County, recorded fish 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. At Hatchet Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 53°F on average, December about 17°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late May. The water is typically free of ice between late May and mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. That is the shape of the year on Hatchet Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. 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. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Shelf Lake sits 0.2 miles off and takes the overflow. Confirm access to Hatchet Lake locally before you travel.