Best kokanee lakes in Idaho
5 Idaho waters hold kokanee, 5 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Landlocked sockeye. A plankton-eating school fish glued to its preferred temperature band — find the school, catch a limit.
- Lake Coeur d'Alene — 210 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
- Palisades Reservoir — 235 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Brown Trout, Kokanee
- Cascade Reservoir — 69 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout
- Anderson Ranch Reservoir — 303 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Chinook Salmon
- Arrowrock Reservoir — 223 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Kokanee
When to fish kokanee in Idaho
- Spring 10–30 ft — Schools roam the upper column over open water while it's cool — short leaders, slow trolls.
- Summer 30–70 ft — Kokanee compress into the 50-55°F band at the thermocline over the deepest basins — precise depth is everything.
- Fall 5–40 ft — Spawners turn crimson and gang up off tributary mouths and gravel shorelines; remaining fish scatter with turnover.
- Winter 20–80 ft — Deep suspended schools — an electronics game through the ice.
Also in Idaho: best rainbow trout lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes
Kokanee elsewhere: Montana · Wyoming · Washington · Utah · Colorado