Fishing at Hidden Lake, Clearwater County, Idaho

• Overview

  You will find Hidden Lake in Clearwater County, Idaho. The bank is 6,089 feet above sea level. It covers about 6 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Plains is the closest place, 35 miles off. The big place round here is Spokane, 124 miles distant. More in the same country: Heart Lake 0.9 miles, Pearl Lake out at 1.5 miles, Hoodoo Lake 1.7 miles, Dalton Lake out at 2 miles and French Lake 2.3 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Hidden Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Reported across Clearwater County: rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, Chinook salmon and Arctic grayling. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Hidden Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between December at about 20°F and August at about 56°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early May. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Hidden Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Heart Lake at 0.9 miles is the nearest alternative. For Hidden Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.