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Fishing Dworshak Reservoir: what the data says
16,000-acre reservoir near Orofino. a deep, steep-walled Clearwater-country reservoir with one of the West's best smallmouth fisheries and abundant kokanee. The lake tops out around 600 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.
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Dworshak Reservoir
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 Offshore hump: a offshore hump around 23.335013176635826 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| 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 |
Kokanee fishing at Dworshak Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: kokanee sit in 10 to 30 ft that time of year. They move out to 30 to 70 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 80 ft. Elk Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for fall kokanee. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn |
| Summer | 30 to 70 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 | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Dworshak Reservoir
In spring, rainbow trout run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Elk Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in 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 | 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 Dworshak Reservoir
Spring steelhead on Dworshak Reservoir hold shallow, usually 3 to 20 ft. They move out to 5 to 45 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 15 ft. Elk Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 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 |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 510 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 150 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 150 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 111.40421816644046 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 85.36518543410514 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 24 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 24 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 23.83180346953383 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 23.335013176635826 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 23.268490487978184 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 23.21772357017841 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 23.062123678369304 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 23 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 23 ft
Common questions
How deep is Dworshak Reservoir?
Dworshak Reservoir is about 600 ft (183 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 Dworshak Reservoir?
Anglers target smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, steelhead, kokanee on Dworshak Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on Dworshak Reservoir?
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: a offshore hump in about 23.335013176635826 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Dworshak Reservoir?
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
Lost Lake · Lower Glidden Lake · Bull Run Lake · Rose Lake · Lake Waha · Chatcolet Lake
See how Dworshak Reservoir stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Idaho · best rainbow trout lakes in Idaho · best steelhead lakes in Idaho · best kokanee lakes in Idaho
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