Looking for a high adventure? Beat the summer heat and try Idaho’s alpine lakes
It’s alpine lake season for Idaho anglers! Every summer, we get an opportunity to enjoy these unique and beautiful high-mountain fisheries — typically mid-July through early September is the prime window.
Idaho has thousands of alpine lakes, and they are a great place to beat the heat during the dog days of summer. The scenery is breathtaking. Most lakes don’t get a ton of traffic. And summer is the peak feeding season for alpine fish, so catch rates are usually high.
Westslope cutthroat trout are the most commonly stocked fish in Idaho’s mountain lakes. Rainbow trout and brook trout also inhabit many alpine fisheries, while golden trout, bull trout, arctic grayling and tiger muskies can be found in a small handful of lakes.
Alpine trout fishing is pretty straightforward. Small dry flies, nymphs, hoppers, leeches and woolly worms are productive for the fly-fishing crowd. Spinners, spoons, Rapalas and bait (where legal) catch fish on spinning gear. I recommend packing a float tube, which will give you access to the whole lake and maximize your chances of success.
There are clusters of lakes worth exploring in the mountains above Cascade, McCall, Stanley and Idaho City (just to name a few places). The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has a handy list of tips for fishing alpine lakes on its website. Happy planning, and tight lines!
Jordan Rodriguez has been fishing Idaho waters since he was a teen. Share your fish stories, adventures and questions with him at tightlinesboise@gmail.com, or visit www.tightlines208.com for the latest local fishing reports and upcoming class offerings. a
