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Coeur d Alene Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

North Idaho’s big water: Coeur d’Alene holds chinook, kokanee and a northern pike population that changed the lake.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
504 cfs
Air / High
59 / 63 F
Wind
SSE 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 12419000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Coeur d Alene Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The river is running 504 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSE around 4 mph, steady pressure near 1016 hPa and a high of 63. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeExcellent

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perchGood

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 72 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Spokane River near Post Falls (outlet).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 12419000.

506546586504 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp59 F
High / Low63 / 51 F
WindSSE 4-6 mph
Pressure1015.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain67% cloud, 33%
Sunrise / Sunset06:10 / 19:21
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 63/51 F, wind 6 mph, rain 33%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

The species that matter on Coeur d Alene Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Coeur d Alene Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Coeur d Alene Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 67 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 83 F, wind to 17 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Idaho requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Idaho license. Chinook, kokanee and pike limits differ: check current IDFG rules, including harvest encouragement for pike.

Access

Independence Point and Blackwell Island (Coeur d’Alene), Harrison, Heyburn State Park; chain lakes access along the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes.

About this water

A 31,000-acre lake 25 miles long in Kootenai and Benewah counties, Idaho, fed by the Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe rivers.

Fishing Coeur d Alene Lake: the full guide

Twenty-five miles of Idaho

Lake Coeur d’Alene stretches 25 miles south from the city that shares its name, 31,000 acres of deep, clear water surrounded by forested mountains. The fishery has changed over decades: chinook salmon and kokanee anchor the coldwater side, while northern pike, introduced and now abundant in the southern bays and chain lakes, have become a destination fishery of their own alongside smallmouth and largemouth bass.

Salmon and kokanee

Chinook salmon, landlocked and feeding on kokanee, reach genuine size: troll large plugs and spoons deep, often 80-150 feet, near the main-lake structure. Kokanee themselves school through the summer at 40-80 feet and take small dodger-hoochie rigs. Both fisheries reward electronics and patience. Spring and fall bring fish shallower and within reach of less specialized gear.

Pike in the bays

Northern pike have flourished in the southern end: Windy Bay, Cougar Bay and the chain lakes along the Coeur d’Alene River hold fish past twenty pounds. Big spoons, spinnerbaits and dead bait produce, with spring the best window as pike move shallow to spawn. Idaho encourages harvest here to protect other species. Smallmouth work the rocky shorelines throughout the lake.

Access and the city

Ramps at Independence Point in Coeur d’Alene, Blackwell Island, Harrison and Heyburn State Park serve the lake. The city end is busy in summer with heavy recreational traffic; the southern bays and the chain lakes stay quiet. The Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes provides bank access along the river and chain lakes for anglers without boats.

Common questions

How big do the pike get?

Twenty-pound fish come from the southern bays and chain lakes every year, with spring the prime window.

Is the chinook fishery real?

Yes: landlocked chinook feeding on kokanee reach substantial size, though they require deep trolling gear and patience.

Where do I fish without a boat?

The Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes gives bank access to the chain lakes and river, productive for pike and bass.

Is fishing good at Coeur d Alene Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Saint Joe River35 miLake Pend Oreille46 miNoxon Rapids Reservoir61 miPriest Lake71 miDworshak Reservoir72 miNorth Fork Clearwater River75 mi
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