Sign inSign up freeRecent catches at Lake Coeur d'Alene
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
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.
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Lake Coeur d'Alene
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rock reef: a rock pile around 9 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Coeur d'Alene
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Coeur d'Alene hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Northern Pike fishing at Lake Coeur d'Alene
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Lake Coeur d'Alene
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. If you only fish one area, make it Spokane River inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon covers the summer program.
| 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) |
Crappie fishing at Lake Coeur d'Alene
Spring crappie on Lake Coeur d'Alene hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring crappie. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | 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. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Back-bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | 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
- 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
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 19 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 9 ft
- Shallow flat: weed flat, around 8 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 5 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Coeur d'Alene?
Lake Coeur d'Alene is about 210 ft 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 largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, crappie, rainbow trout, 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. Open the map above to see every rated 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.
Nearby waters
Cascade Reservoir · Salmon River (Upper) · Arrowrock Reservoir · Anderson Ranch Reservoir · Henrys Fork · Snake River (South Fork)
See how Lake Coeur d'Alene stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Idaho · best kokanee lakes in Idaho
Browse all Idaho fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.