Slide Lake Fishing Guide, Custer County, Idaho

• Overview

  In Idaho, Slide Lake falls inside Custer County. Elevation runs to 10,236 feet. It sits higher than most water we list in Idaho. Sun Valley sits 32 miles from the bank. Further out sit Ketchum (32 miles) and Challis (33 miles). Water in the same corner: Neck Lake 0.2 miles, Cirque Lake (0.4 miles), Sheep Lake 0.4 miles, Sapphire Lake (0.7 miles) and Hook Lake 0.8 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Slide Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Across Custer County, recorded fish 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 Slide Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 50°F, with December the cold end at about 16°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early June. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early June until roughly early November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. It sets the rhythm of the year at Slide Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. If the gate is shut, Neck Lake at 0.2 miles is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Slide Lake for certain.