Fishing Shearer Lake in Pend Oreille County, Washington

• Overview

  Set in Pend Oreille County, Shearer Lake is a Washington water. The setting is open valley. With some 48 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Shoreline comes to about 1.1 miles, small enough to learn in a day. The nearest town is Newport, 3.6 miles away. Priest River is 7 miles and Spirit Lake 20 miles. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Shearer Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. 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. County-wide records name rainbow trout, tench, cutthroat trout and pumpkinseed. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Shearer Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 26°F and August at about 65°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A lid forms in a hard winter only. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Shearer Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is a mapped slipway roughly half a mile away. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Freeman Lake at 0.8 miles is the nearest alternative. Rules at Shearer Lake are worth checking on the day.