Heart Lake in Shoshone County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Heart Lake is a Shoshone County water, in Idaho. It lies 6,207 feet above sea level. It is pond-in-a-field scale, with the far bank a short lob away. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Shoshone County. Plains lies 28 miles from the water. Thompson Falls is 35 miles away, with Frenchtown at 45 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Heart Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Shoshone County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, Arctic grayling, brook trout and brown trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The shape of Heart Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 20°F in January and 57°F in August. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. The season on Heart Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Hidden Lake is 1 mile distant. Confirm before you fish Heart Lake.