Fishing at Spread Point Lake, Idaho County, Idaho

• Overview

  Spread Point Lake lies in Idaho County, in Idaho. The surface lies 7,162 feet up. At 22 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It ranks high for size among our Idaho County listings. Grangeville sits 57 miles from the bank. Boise sits 152 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Spread Point Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Idaho County cover rainbow trout, Chinook salmon, cutthroat trout, bull trout and brook trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Fish Spread Point Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 18°F to 53°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid May. The open-water window runs from around mid May to about mid November in an average year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. The season on Spread Point Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Failing this one, try Bleak Creek Lake, 0.9 miles away. Treat access at Spread Point Lake as something to verify.