Hidden Lake in Custer County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Hidden Lake is a Custer County water, in Idaho. It lies 7,041 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 7 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. For a base, Challis sits 46 miles out. After that come Sun Valley at 56 miles and Ketchum at 57 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Hidden Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Records held for Custer County cover rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and Arctic grayling. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Hidden Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 55°F, while December sits near 17°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. Ice clears near early May and comes back about mid November in a typical year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Hidden Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Kelly Lake, 2.3 miles away. Treat access at Hidden Lake as something to verify.