Little Bayhorse Lake near Challis: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Within Custer County, Idaho, you have Little Bayhorse Lake. It sits in pine and birch. It covers about 15 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. You are 10 miles from Challis. The big place round here is Boise, 106 miles distant. This one is safely inside the county line. In wet weather the last stretch of track is the awkward part.

• Where to Fish on Little Bayhorse Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Open biodiversity records for Custer County list rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and Arctic grayling. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Little Bayhorse Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between December at about 18°F and July at about 53°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late May. The lid tends to go about late May and return around mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. The season on Little Bayhorse Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. A pier 150 yards from here gives a platform over deeper water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Bayhorse Lake sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. For Little Bayhorse Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.