Missoula Lake Fishing in Shoshone County, Idaho

• Overview

  Missoula Lake is a Shoshone County water, in Idaho. The bank is 6,050 feet above sea level. About 12 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. You are 30 miles from Plains. After that come Thompson Falls at 38 miles and Frenchtown at 42 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Missoula Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across Shoshone County, recorded fish include rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, Arctic grayling and brook trout. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Missoula Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 56°F and January reads 20°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. The season between ice runs from about early May to mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. The season on Missoula Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Public data has parking about half a mile from the shore. A campsite lies half a mile away for anyone staying over. A toilet block sits half a mile away. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Oregon Lakes is 1.3 miles off. None of that is settled for Missoula Lake in what we hold.