Best rainbow trout lakes in Idaho
9 Idaho waters hold rainbow trout, 6 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. The classic stocked cold-water trout. Depth is everything: rainbows follow the temperature layer they like.
- Lake Coeur d'Alene — 210 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
- Bear Lake — 197 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Cutthroat Trout
- 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
- Salmon River (Upper) — 10 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead, Cutthroat Trout
- Snake River (South Fork) — 12 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout
- Henrys Fork — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout
When to fish rainbow trout in Idaho
- Spring 5–20 ft — Post-ice-out trout roam shallow; fish inflows and windblown shorelines.
- Summer 8–30 ft — Rainbows hold near cold inflows, current seams and the thermocline — find the cool water and you've found the fish.
- Fall 10–35 ft — Fall feeding on rock shoals, current and channel edges as water cools.
- Winter 8–40 ft — Trout are comfortable in cold water — one of the best winter targets; streams and tailwaters fish shallow, deep lakes hold on basin edges.
Also in Idaho: best kokanee lakes · best cutthroat trout lakes
Rainbow Trout elsewhere: Ontario · Minnesota · Michigan · New Hampshire · Montana · Wyoming · Massachusetts · Washington · North Dakota · Indiana · Connecticut · Utah · Colorado · Alaska · New York · Wisconsin · Kentucky · Arizona · Nevada · Tennessee · Missouri · Oregon · Maine · Vermont · West Virginia · Rhode Island · New Jersey · California