Fishing Report For Hayden Lake, ID

By Rick Seaman

May 2, 2025

Popular Fish Species Reports
Hayden Lake Fishing Video
Available Fish Species
Today's Weather & Forecast
Fishing Boat Rentals
Boat Launch Ramps
Marinas
Fishing License
Map
Contact Info

Fishing Report Hayden Lake, ID

Fishing Reports

Popular Fish Species Hayden Lake, ID

Kokanee Salmon

Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

Kokanee enjoy the cool depths of Hayden Lake, and are being caught primarily by anglers trolling with downriggers. Jigging and trolling with leaded line will work, but are far less productive. Kokanee school up and hang out over deep water, usually relating to some type of structure below. Their ideal water temperature is mid to low 50's. As current surface temperatures are in the mid 40's, fish are being caught in 30' to 35' of water. As Summer warms the water the kokanee keep moving deeper, and most will be caught between 75' and 85'. A popular area to troll if from Sportsman Park to the English Point area. Worm harnesses and wedding ring spinner setups are popular when trolled behind a 4" dodger. Locals are tipping these baits with shoepeg white corn, PowerBait, or maggots. Trolling these baits between 1.2 mph and 1.8 mph is a good speed for these kokes.

Largemouth Bass

Current Report: Fair To Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

While kokanee get a lot of attention here, there is also some pretty good bass fishing to be had. The clear water requires stealth presentations, but anglers are starting to catch bass as they are moving into the shallows to feed and spawn. Long casts with jerkbaits, fished on light line, is a top producer in colder water. Pitching plastics around docks is starting to produce and will continue through Fall. Stick worms, Texas-style worms and jighead worms will soon be catching bass around shallow rocky areas. Crankbaits fishing will just keep getting better as the water warms.

Northern Pike

Johnson Silver Minnow Spoon with a curly tail grub

Current Report: Fair To Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

The Idaho state record northern pike, weighing over 40 pounds, was caught here in March of 2023. Hayden Lake has plenty of prey for these predators, so they eat often and grow quickly. Once the ice melts, anglers report catching northern pike in the shallows on flashy lures. For many decades the Johnson Spoon has been a deadly bait for northerns, especially when tipped with a white, or bright colored trailer. Jerkbaits, big spinners, swimbaits are all catching northerns here. As the water warms, noisy topwater baits like the Whopper Flopper are a good choice.

Fishing Video

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, black crappie, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, bluegill, pumpkinseed sunfish, yellow perch, kokanee salmon and northern pike at Hayden Lake in Idaho.

Hayden Lake is a 3,800-acre lake with over 40 miles of shoreline is home to both cold-water and warm-water fish species. Smallmouth bass fishing is very popular, as is fishing for salmon, trout, northern pike, sunfish, crappie, perch and largemouth bass. Rainbow trout and kokanee are stocked here with regularity.

Primary fish species residing in Hayden Lake

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Today's Weather & Forecast

Fishing Boat Rentals

Click here for fishing boat rentals available at this lake.

Public Boat Launch Ramps & Landings

Click here for boat ramps available at this lake.

Marinas

Click here for marinas available at this lake.

Fishing License

Click here for a Idaho Fishing License.

Map - Fishing & Access

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".