Sign inSign up freeRecent catches at Lake Pend Oreille
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
Fishing Lake Pend Oreille: what the data says
92,765-acre lake near Bonner. The lake tops out around 1152 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 Lake Pend Oreille
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. Clark Fork inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring cutthroat trout. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a trolled spoon (small) or a inline spinner and you're in the game.
| 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 |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Lake Pend Oreille
Spring rainbow trout on Lake Pend Oreille hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 40 ft. Clark Fork inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring rainbow trout. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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) |
Kokanee fishing at Lake Pend Oreille
Spring kokanee on Lake Pend Oreille hold shallow, usually 10 to 30 ft. They move out to 30 to 70 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 80 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Clark Fork inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 979 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 576 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 518 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 288 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 288 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 181.31323342356347 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 163.23807024907615 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 130.13219083062327 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 129.28855043045624 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 60 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 60 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 50 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 50 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 50 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Pend Oreille?
Lake Pend Oreille is about 1152 ft (351 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 Lake Pend Oreille?
Anglers target rainbow trout, kokanee, cutthroat trout on Lake Pend Oreille.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Pend Oreille?
Clark Fork inflow is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 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 Lake Pend Oreille?
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
Shepherd Lake · Round Lake · Kelso Lake · Blue Lake · Rose Lake · Bull Run Lake
See how Lake Pend Oreille stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Idaho · best kokanee lakes in Idaho · best cutthroat trout lakes in Idaho
Browse all Idaho fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.