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Lake Pend Oreille Fishing Report

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

Idaho's inland sea: 1,150 feet deep, home of monster rainbows and resurgent kokanee.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
59 / 64 F
Wind
SW 6 mph

Sources: 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Lake Pend Oreille offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings a mixed sky, wind SW around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1016 hPa and a high of 64. 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

WalleyeGood

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

Smallmouth bassGood

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

Northern pikeGood

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

Yellow perchFair

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.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp59 F
High / Low64 / 51 F
WindSW 6-7 mph
Pressure1016.0 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain36% cloud, 41%
Sunrise / Sunset06:08 / 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, 64/51 F, wind 7 mph, rain 41%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Pend Oreille: 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 Lake Pend Oreille 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 Lake Pend Oreille 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 65 F, wind to 12 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 62 F, wind to 14 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 82 F, wind to 13 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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

Lake trout: no limit, harvest encouraged. Rainbow rules by season: check IDFG.

Access

Garfield Bay, Glengary, Sandpoint City Beach, Hope ramps.

About this water

94,600 acres, Bonner/Kootenai counties, ID. Glacial giant: 1,158 ft deep, 111 miles of shore.

Fishing Lake Pend Oreille: the full guide

The deep north

Pend Oreille is the fifth-deepest lake in America: Gerrard-strain rainbows grow past 20 pounds chasing kokanee (the world-record 37-pounder came here), mackinaw prowl the depths, and the recovered kokanee fishery fills summer coolers. Big-water trolling with a view that outcompetes the fish.

Rainbow royalty

Pend Oreille built its name on Kamloops-strain rainbows past 20 lb chasing kokanee across the big basin: winter surface trolling (bucktail flies at daybreak) remains the trophy tradition. The derby culture peaks Thanksgiving-through-February when the giants ride the top 20 feet.

A 1,150-foot lake

The fifth-deepest lake in the nation fishes in layers: kokanee fleets at 40-80 ft in summer; lake trout (harvest encouraged: no limit) in the 100-250 band; cutthroat and smallmouth on every rocky drop. The Clark Fork delta and Green Monarchs concentrate the drama.

Common questions

Why is lake trout harvest unlimited here?

To protect the kokanee-Kamloops economy: lakers crashed it once. Anglers are the management tool: take a cooler of them home guilt-free.

Seasons of the big water

Pend Oreille organizes by thermal calendar: spring scatters cutthroat and smallmouth along warming shorelines; summer stratifies the giant basin into kokanee bands and laker depths; fall pulls big rainbows shallow behind spawning kokanee (the trophy season); winter's stable cold concentrates everything into predictable columns. The lake rewards anglers who think vertically: pick the layer before the location.

What is the Green Monarchs area?

A dramatic underwater cliff line on the southeast shore dropping hundreds of feet: bait stacks against it and the lake's biggest predators patrol the wall. It is the classic big-fish troll.

Is fishing good at Lake Pend Oreille right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Priest Lake35 miNoxon Rapids Reservoir42 miCoeur d Alene Lake46 miKootenai River55 miSaint Joe River62 miLake Roosevelt92 mi
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