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Fishing American Falls Reservoir: what the data says
55,261-acre reservoir near Bannock. The lake tops out around 53 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Cutthroat Trout fishing at American Falls Reservoir
In spring, cutthroat trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. They move out to 10 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a trolled spoon (small) or a inline spinner gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig |
Brown Trout fishing at American Falls Reservoir
In spring, brown trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 25 ft. They move out to 16 to 53 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around after dark and early morning in the warm months. A spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 16 to 53 ft | night & dawn | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Rainbow Trout fishing at American Falls Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Steelhead fishing at American Falls Reservoir
In spring, steelhead run shallow here, mostly 3 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 45 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 15 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring steelhead. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a orange dodger + fly high in the column or a thin spoon off boards and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Small spoon or spinner at the mouths, Jig + waxworm under float |
| Summer | 5 to 45 ft | dawn & dusk | Orange dodger + fly high in the column, Thin spoon off boards |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinner (silver/blue), Casting spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Float jig (black/purple), Bead rig |
Kokanee fishing at American Falls Reservoir
Spring kokanee on American Falls Reservoir hold shallow, usually 10 to 30 ft. By summer they slide out to 16 to 53 ft, and by winter most fish are in 13 to 53 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 45 ft of water that rates prime for kokanee in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Summer baits: a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn |
| Summer | 16 to 53 ft | dawn | Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn |
| Fall | 5 to 40 ft | dawn | Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon |
| Winter | 13 to 53 ft | dawn | Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon |
Chinook Salmon fishing at American Falls Reservoir
In spring, chinook salmon run shallow here, mostly 5 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 16 to 53 ft, and by winter most fish are in 16 to 53 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for chinook salmon in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 16 to 53 ft | dawn & dusk | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 16 to 53 ft | midday | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
American Falls Reservoir also holds coho salmon (16 to 53 ft in summer), crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 45 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 27 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 24 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 13 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 13 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 12.251143119370171 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 8.139183546362872 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 6.877982339622349 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 5.4487640727679 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 5 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 5 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 4.794049640255724 ft
Common questions
How deep is American Falls Reservoir?
American Falls Reservoir is about 53 ft (16 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in American Falls Reservoir?
Anglers target crappie, rainbow trout, chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, brown trout, kokanee, cutthroat trout on American Falls Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on American Falls Reservoir?
Creek inflow is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish American Falls Reservoir?
For cutthroat trout, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Chesterfield Reservoir · Stone Reservoir · Treasureton Reservoir · Oneida Narrows Reservoir · Foster Reservoir · Lamont Reservoir
See how American Falls Reservoir stacks up: best crappie lakes in Idaho · best rainbow trout lakes in Idaho · best chinook salmon lakes in Idaho · best coho salmon lakes in Idaho
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