Panhandle Fishing

by John Kruse, June 28, 2005

If you haven’t decided where to go for your next vacation yet, you may want to drive over to the Panhandle of Idaho and visit one or more of the three huge and gorgeous lakes there.

44 miles long and 1100 feet deep, Lake Pend Oreille is reminiscent of Central Washington’s Lake Chelan. On the north end of the lake lies the fun little resort town of Sandpoint offering lodging and good food. If you have a shopper in the family, they’ll want to visit the Coldwater Creek clothing headquarters. Surrounded by pine trees and upscale homes, the lake is a great place to explore by motor boat, a sailing excursion, or as some do, by kayak. Fishermen enjoy this lake too. It contains huge Kamloops Rainbow Trout. At the annual fishing derby this spring, a 90-year old man won the big fish prize when he hauled up a gargantuan 22 pound rainbow trout. Rainbows are not the only big trout here. Lake trout are also found in the deep depths of this lake and closer to shore, there is a good smallmouth bass fishery.

Northern Idaho’s largest town, Couer d’Alene, sits on the north end of another big body of water. Lake Couer d’Alene’s big fish claim to fame is the landlocked Chinook Salmon that live here. This lake is the second largest one in Idaho. Besides Chinook fishing, there is also angling for Kokanee Salmon, Smallmouth Bass, and aggressive Northern Pike, a rarity here in the Northwest. Like Lake Pend Oreille, Couer d’Alene offers lots of opportunities for those with a maritime bent with miles of shoreline to explore in a sail or motor boat.

If you are looking for a more remote experience, head up to Priest Lake. It’s about 25 miles from the south end of Priest Lake to the north end of Little Priest Lake. With no towns close by, this lake is a great camping and getaway destination. I remember paddling 50-miles by canoe here as a Boy Scout in1981. Situated at the base of the Selkirk Mountains, it’s still a scenic place to canoe and kayak, offering plenty of wildlife and fishing opportunities. The fishing here is for lake trout. There are big ones too. A 57-pounder that set the record in the United States was caught here in 1971.

Until next time, take care, enjoy your summer, and make it a point to spend some time outdoors.

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