Pearl Lake Fishing near McCall, Idaho

• Overview

  This water sits in Valley County, Idaho. This is lake country bush ground. Surface area runs to about 10 acres — small enough to read in one session. You are 13 miles from McCall. After that come Grangeville at 59 miles and Joseph at 64 miles. Nearest other option: 0.6 miles out stands Teardrop Lake, Marge Lake near enough 0.9 miles, 1.9 miles out stands Brush Lake, Duck Lake near enough 2.5 miles and 3.4 miles out stands Sisters Lakes. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Pearl Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Valley County cover rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, Coho salmon, Arctic grayling and yellow perch. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. At Pearl Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 17°F in December and 53°F in July. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Count the season from break-up, usually mid May. Open water usually runs from mid May until about mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Pearl Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Teardrop Lake sits 0.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Pearl Lake for certain.