Swim Lake Fishing in Custer County, Idaho

• Overview

  Swim Lake sits within Custer County in Idaho. The bank is 8,894 feet above sea level. At 16 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Idaho listings. Nearest town is Challis, 33 miles off. Further out sit Sun Valley (35 miles) and Ketchum (36 miles). No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Swim Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Custer County: 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. Anyone new to Swim Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 54°F and December about 17°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid May. In an average year the thaw lands around mid May and the freeze near mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Swim Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. The water borders Cecil D. Andrus-White Clouds Wilderness, so reserve rules are likely to apply. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Hoodoo Lake, 1.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Swim Lake.