Fishing at Hook Lake, Custer County, Idaho

• Overview

  Set in Custer County, Hook Lake is an Idaho water. The surface lies 9,934 feet up. It is pond-in-a-field scale, with the far bank a short lob away. Most waters listed here for Custer County are larger. Head to Sun Valley, 31 miles away, for anything you forgot. After that come Ketchum at 32 miles and Challis at 33 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Hook Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Species logged across Custer County include rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, Chinook salmon and sockeye salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Hook Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 50°F in July and bottoms out near 16°F in December. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Winter locks it down, and early June brings it back. Ice clears near early June and comes back about early November in a typical year. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. It sets the rhythm of the year at Hook Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Cove Lake is 0.2 miles distant. Signs at Hook Lake carry more weight than any list.