Lake Coeur d'Alene Depth Map & Fishing Spots (ID)

Hatch outlook

Grasshoppers (east-side summer)Active window

Typical here: Jul 1 – Oct 15 · until the hard frosts of mid-October; on the Missouri, August hoppers fish mid-river, not the banks

adultall day in high summer, best when afternoon wind knocks bugs onto the water

Pulls fish to the windward grassy banks and edges for months — fish the bank the wind blows ONTO.

The friendliest crossover of the summer: on lakes, drift the windward bank with a bubble-and-foam-hopper — the bubble's splash doesn't hurt a hopper presentation. On rivers, the same rig dead-drifted along the undercut grass banks, or small gold spinners under the banks between rises.

The event happens over grassy banks, undercut edges and windward shorelines

Spruce MothActive window

Typical here: Jul 20 – Aug 31 · a conifer-forest event — it needs fir and lodgepole on the banks, so it's a Rock Creek / Blackfoot / upper Bitterroot specialty

adultmorning through midday — moths don't enter the water willingly — landings are sporadic and near the conifer banks; fish the imitation LOW in the film with minimal floatant, even fully drowned, with a little movement

When the moths show, just about every run produces — large trout key on them so hard that one pattern carries the whole box for two weeks.

Honest limit: a small drowned-surface moth has no lure analog. The workable rig is a casting bubble with a drowned moth pattern along the timbered banks in the morning; otherwise fish spinners early and late and leave the moth window to the film.

2–3 weeks at best, and day-to-day — fish key on the moths when they show and vanish with them

The event happens over banks under conifers — the moths rarely reach mid-river

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are interpolated from real agency depth surveys (state DNR / USACE). Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Lake Coeur d'Alene

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Lake Coeur d'Alene on the board.

Fishing Lake Coeur d'Alene: what the data says

31,000-acre lake near Coeur d'Alene. 25-mile glacial lake in the Idaho panhandle; smallmouth, pike in the bays, and deep trout. The lake tops out around 210 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

The outline encloses 28,102 acres, worked by 149.1 miles of shoreline, with a single island in the mix. With a shoreline index of 6.3, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Roughly 10% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 19.6 mi end to end and 16.8 mi across at its widest. Kootenai County claims this one. If the bite dies, Blue Lake is 5 mi to the southeast.

Smallmouth Bass fishing at Lake Coeur d'Alene

Come spring, look for smallmouth bass tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 45 ft. Start at Rock reef. It's a rock pile holding about 9 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Rock reef (9 ft)	Ned rig, Tube jig
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Rock reef (9 ft)	Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig
Fall	8 to 25 ft	midday & dawn	Rock reef (9 ft)	Jerkbait, Blade bait
Winter	20 to 45 ft	midday	Offshore hump (40 ft)	Blade bait, Hair jig

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Coeur d'Alene

When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a feeding flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Dock / pier line (10 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (2 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Old creek channel (40 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Northern Pike fishing at Lake Coeur d'Alene

Come spring, look for northern pike tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 15 ft. Start at Spokane River inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Spokane River inflow (3 ft)	#5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white)
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Feeding flat (20 ft)	Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow flat (8 ft)	Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait
Winter	5 to 15 ft	midday	Shallow flat (8 ft)	Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon

Rainbow Trout fishing at Lake Coeur d'Alene

Early season rainbow trout use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Summer is an 8 to 30 ft game here, winter an 8 to 40 ft one. The chart's best answer is Spokane River inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 3 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Spokane River inflow (3 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Rock reef (9 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Rock reef (9 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Old creek channel (40 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Crappie fishing at Lake Coeur d'Alene

Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Start at Marina / dock area. It's a dock line holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Marina / dock area (4 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	10 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Dock / pier line (10 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 20 ft	dawn	Dock / pier line (10 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Old creek channel (40 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Yellow Perch fishing at Lake Coeur d'Alene

Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Back-bay flat, a feeding flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	Back-bay flat (3 ft)	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Feeding flat (20 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	12 to 35 ft	midday	Offshore hump (40 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday & dawn	Offshore hump (40 ft)	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Lake Coeur d'Alene also holds chinook salmon (50 to 120 ft in summer), kokanee (30 to 70 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.

Notable structure

Count 31 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 183 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 183 ft
Deep basin: deep basin, around 183 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 128 ft
Sharp break: drop-off, around 113 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 44 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 40 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 40 ft
Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 39 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 10 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 10 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 10 ft
Rock reef: rock pile, around 9 ft
Shallow flat: feeding flat, around 8 ft

Public access & boat ramps

3rd Street Boat Ramp — ramp (paved)
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp
…plus 11 more mapped sites.

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Lake Coeur d'Alene fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Idaho waters are set by the Idaho Fish and Game — and special regulations can apply to Lake Coeur d'Alene specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Idaho fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Coeur d'Alene?

Lake Coeur d'Alene is about 210 ft (64 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.

What fish are in Lake Coeur d'Alene?

Anglers target smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, rainbow trout, crappie, yellow perch, chinook salmon, kokanee on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Coeur d'Alene?

Rock reef is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Lake Coeur d'Alene?

For smallmouth bass, 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.

What are the fishing regulations for Lake Coeur d'Alene?

Fishing on Lake Coeur d'Alene is regulated by the Idaho Fish and Game. Check the official Idaho regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Blue Lake 5 mi · Cave Lake 9 mi · Killarney Lake 9 mi · Chatcolet Lake 12 mi · Bull Run Lake 13 mi · Rose Lake 14 mi · Liberty Lake 17 mi, WA · Newman Lake 23 mi, WA · Spokane River 23 mi, WA · Kelso Lake 33 mi · Badger Lake 43 mi, WA · Medical Lake 43 mi, WA

See how Lake Coeur d'Alene stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Idaho · best smallmouth bass lakes in Idaho · best crappie lakes in Idaho · best rainbow trout lakes in Idaho

Browse all Idaho fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.