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Priest Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Idaho’s crown jewel: Priest Lake holds mackinaw in cold, clear water under the Selkirks, with a wild upper lake beyond.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
1,350 cfs
Air / High
55 / 58 F
Wind
SW 1 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 12395000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

Priest Lake feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. The release below the dam is running 1,350 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SW around 1 mph, steady pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 58. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:25 AM-11:25 AM and 9:56 PM-11:56 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Lake troutGood

Spring and fall bring lakers into 10 to 30 feet of water (Michigan DNR), within reach of casters and shallow trollers; fall is also spawning time over rocky shoals.

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Northern pikeGood

The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Yellow perchGood

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 52 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Idaho requires a fishing licence from age 14, from $35.50 for residents. What a Idaho licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing lake trout here? Check the size and bag limits with IDFG before you keep anything. The season dates for Idaho, read off the agency, are on the Idaho seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Priest River near Priest River (outlet).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 12395000.

6129031,1941,350 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 100 years of October 23

At 1,350 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 12395000 (Priest River near Priest River (outlet)) is at the 47th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 100 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 1,440 cfs; the highest was 3,020 cfs and the lowest 247 cfs.

p10 363median 1,440p90 2,199

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 12395000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp55 F
High / Low58 / 41 F
WindSW 1-8 mph
Pressure1014.5 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain23% cloud, 92%
Sunrise / Sunset07:19 / 17:42
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Priest Lake this week

The best day on Priest Lake this week looks like Wednesday Oct 28, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Wednesday, Oct 28 — good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:25 AM-11:25 AM and 9:56 PM-11:56 PM
Minor period
3:51 AM-4:51 AM
Sun
07:19 to 17:42
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Rain, 9 mph
Rain chance
92%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Spring and fall in shallow water, deep in summer, and through the ice in winter

Lake trout are slow-growing chars of large, deep, cold lakes, native from Alaska and northern Canada to New England and the Great Lakes, and introduced in many western lakes. Spring and fall bring lakers into 10 to 30 feet of water (Michigan DNR), within reach of casters and shallow trollers; fall is also spawning time over rocky shoals.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: cool water, from ice-out through spring, in fall and under the ice

A long, duck-billed predator of weedy lakes, slow rivers and backwaters that ambushes fish from vegetation. Wisconsin DNR points out that, unlike most of the state's common game fish, pike do their best feeding in cool water. The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

When to come: the Priest 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
Lake trout
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 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 Priest Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Lake trout led the card at good. High of 62 F, wind to 5 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Lake trout led the card at good. High of 60 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Lake trout led the card at good. High of 62 F, wind to 6 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. Lake trout, cutthroat and kokanee limits per current IDFG rules; bull trout are protected and must be released.

Access

Coolin, Kalispell Bay, Indian Creek and Priest Lake State Park ramps; thoroughfare access to Upper Priest Lake.

About this water

A 23,000-acre glacial lake in Bonner County, Idaho, connected to Upper Priest Lake beneath the Selkirk Mountains.

Fishing Priest Lake: the full guide

Two lakes and a thoroughfare

Priest Lake covers 23,000 acres in Idaho’s northern panhandle, connected by a two-mile natural channel to Upper Priest Lake, a smaller, wilder basin protected as a scenic area. Cold, deep and exceptionally clear, the system supports lake trout (mackinaw) as the primary fishery, with cutthroat trout, kokanee and bull trout: the latter protected: plus smallmouth bass in the warmer shallows.

Mackinaw water

Lake trout are the target and Priest is known for numbers as well as size: troll spoons and plugs deep, or jig tubes over the structure at 80-150 feet through summer. Spring after ice-out and fall bring fish shallower where casting and shallow trolling reach them. The lake has produced very large mackinaw historically, and the deep basins still hold fish that require serious gear.

Cutthroat and the upper lake

Westslope cutthroat hold near tributary mouths and along the shorelines, especially in the upper lake and the thoroughfare, taking dry flies and small spinners in summer. Upper Priest is reached by boat through the thoroughfare or by trail, and its protected status keeps it quiet: paddling in and fishing for cutthroat is one of the classic Idaho experiences.

Panhandle logistics

Ramps at Coolin, Kalispell Bay, Indian Creek and Priest Lake State Park serve the main lake, with campgrounds and resorts around the shoreline. The thoroughfare to Upper Priest is shallow and requires care. Wind builds across the open basin, and the lake is cold enough year-round that safety gear is not optional. Coolin and Nordman provide supplies.

Common questions

What is a mackinaw?

The western name for lake trout: Priest Lake is one of Idaho’s best fisheries for them, in both numbers and size.

Can I reach Upper Priest Lake?

Yes, by boat through the two-mile thoroughfare or on foot by trail. Its protected status keeps it quiet and wild.

Are bull trout catchable?

They are present but protected: release any bull trout immediately and check current IDFG identification guidance.

Is fishing good at Priest Lake 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

Lake Pend Oreille35 miCoeur d Alene Lake71 miNoxon Rapids Reservoir72 miKootenai River72 miLake Roosevelt83 miSaint Joe River96 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 12395000 — Priest River near Priest River (outlet)
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 48.5800, -116.8700 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written guide was drafted with AI assistance. Unlike our newer pages, it does not yet list the official pages its facts were checked against: that audit is under way, and anything it cannot verify will be taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.