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Fishing Palisades Reservoir: what the data says
16,000-acre reservoir near Irwin. The lake tops out around 235 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Cutthroat Trout fishing at Palisades Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: cutthroat trout sit in 3 to 15 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 10 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 40 ft. Shoreline point is the standout, a point at roughly 18 ft, rated prime for fall cutthroat trout. 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 |
Lake Trout fishing at Palisades Reservoir
Spring lake trout on Palisades Reservoir hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 50 to 120 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 80 ft. Offshore hump is the standout, a offshore hump at roughly 60 ft, rated prime for summer lake trout. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Brown Trout fishing at Palisades Reservoir
In spring, brown trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 25 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shoreline point: a point around 18 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. 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 | 25 to 60 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) |
Kokanee fishing at Palisades Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: kokanee sit in 10 to 30 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 30 to 70 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 80 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Offshore hump: a offshore hump around 60 ft that scores prime in summer. 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 |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Palisades Reservoir
Spring rainbow trout on Palisades Reservoir hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Shoreline point, a point in about 18 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon gets it done.
| 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) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 221 ft
- Big Elk Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 182 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 109 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 108 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 71 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 60 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 53 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 51 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 43 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 31 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 25 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 25 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 18 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Palisades Reservoir?
Palisades Reservoir is about 235 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 Palisades Reservoir?
Anglers target rainbow trout, lake trout, brown trout, kokanee, cutthroat trout on Palisades Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on Palisades Reservoir?
Shoreline point is the top-rated area: a point in about 18 ft of water that rates prime for cutthroat trout in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Palisades 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
Snake River (South Fork) · Henrys Fork · Bear Lake · Salmon River (Upper) · Anderson Ranch Reservoir · Arrowrock Reservoir
See how Palisades Reservoir 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. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.