Fishing at Moe Lake, Idaho County, Idaho

• Overview

  Set in Idaho County, Moe Lake is an Idaho water. The country here is lake country bush. The water measures roughly 5 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Hamilton is the closest place, 21 miles off. Stevensville follows at 36 miles, then Lolo at 51 miles. Round about: Diamond Lake at about 0.6 miles, Spruce Lake a shade over 2.5 miles, Granite Lake at about 2.9 miles, Bailey Lake a shade over 3.3 miles and Lower Bear Lake at about 3.4 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Moe Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. 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. Idaho County records list rainbow trout, Chinook salmon, cutthroat trout, bull trout and brook trout among the fish reported. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Moe Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 56°F in August and bottom out at 18°F in December. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. The water is typically free of ice between early May and mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Moe Lake rarely departs from it.

• 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. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Failing this one, try Diamond Lake, 0.6 miles away. The position on Moe Lake is worth confirming on the day.