Go Fish! Charters' reputation was built on the Smallmouth Bass inhabiting the greater Lake Pend Oreille (LPO) system, including the Clark Fork and Pend Oreille Rivers. Priest Lake also has a fishable population of Smallmouth Bass. The LPO system has a healthy population of smallies, and it is fairly common to catch 20-30 fish a day with good fish averaging 2-3 pounds. We boat several 4 pounders and a handful over 5 pounds most years. Our boat record is 6.5 pounds, and we’ve seen bigger! The best chance for a trophy is either early or late in the season. Primarily catch and release, particularly for fish over 14”.

Largemouth Bass are less common and occupy more specific habitat than their smallmouth cousins within the Lake Pend Oreille system. Approximately 95% of the bass we catch are smallies, but the biggest ones are Largemouth. Some years the average size is around 5 pounds. Our boat record is 7.5 pounds. The best time is April and May.

Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille River host a modest population of Black Crappie. Because most anglers (us included) only target crappie when they are stacked up during pre-spawn, some of these fish can be slabs. Most crappie we catch are 10-14”, although our boat record was 16” and 2.5 pounds. As this is a sensitive fishery, we urge restraint in harvest.

Perch occupy practically every weed bed in the LPO system. They are a primary forage fish for Lake Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Pike, Walleye, and other Perch, and there are no harvest restrictions on them. The combination of angling pressure and predation keeps the average perch smaller than the “jumbos” of yesteryear, but the action is still there. Catch rates can be rated by fish per minute. Good perch these days run 10-12”. Our boat record is 15.5” caught in 2011. Perch are great for tacos, but I won’t clean more than 10 per trip, often advocating for “upgrading” to a couple walleye or a pike for table fare!

Walleye are among the most coveted eating fish in the Lake Pend Oreille System, and rightly so. Walleye, like Pike and Rainbow Trout, grow as fast here as anywhere in the world, and the potential for a fishery is great. We do walleye trips, but anyone booking a walleye trip should know a few things first. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is aggressively “suppressing” the population by targeted gill netting of spawners and by incentivizing angler harvest, and will not manage in favor of a sustainable walleye fishery. If this seems wrong, please get involved with the North Idaho Sportfishing Association.

The idea that this system is full of Walleye is simply not true. There is a low-density population here occupying a relatively limited shallow water habitat. Walleye move around a lot, so they are harder to find than to catch. Go Fish! Charters has spent the last 15 years learning where, when, and how to catch LPO Walleye throughout the year. Though it isn’t what it could be, we do have a fishery dominated by young fish, but with the possibility of a wall hanger. Average keeper fish is 16-20”.  Boat record is 31.5 inches.

Pike are the latest addition to the LPO fishery, and currently provide an exciting sport-fishing opportunity and excellent table fare. Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) is not in favor of a sustainable Pike fishery but, because they haven’t yet taken the action they have against Walleye, the fishing is still pretty good. Pike are notoriously cannibalistic, as are many of our favorite sport fish, so my take on Pike is that whether you like them or not, it’s better to let the big ones (over 15 pounds) live, so they can regulate the population. Without large pike, the fishery can get over-run with hammer handles.  

One 8-pound pike easily feeds 8 people, and in blind taste tests, 3 out of 4 people choose LPO Pike over Walleye. We fish for Pike most of the year with especially good times being May and late fall. An average 3-year-old fish is 6-10 pounds. Boat record is 46.5” and 30 pounds.

North Idaho is one of the few places where, when someone says they got a 20, it is reasonable to ask if that is pounds or inches! Two strains of Rainbow Trout inhabit both the Kootenai and LPO systems. The bigger lake strain fish are known as Kamloops (Kams for short). These fish make annual runs into the rivers to feed and spawn and are what originally made LPO a fishing destination. Kams are native to the Kootenai, but were introduced to LPO. Both systems also have resident river Rainbows that can be over 20”, and along with Cutthroat trout provide for solid summer and fall fly-fishing. Fall is the best time to troll for Kams in the lakes. We drift fish the rivers in winter and spring with either spinning or fly-fishing tackle.

Trophy management is in effect on the LPO system, and catch and release fishing is mandatory on the Clark Fork from December 1 to Memorial Day weekend. Limit is one fish over and one fish under 20” on LPO. Boat record is 42” and estimated at 28 pounds.

Westslope Cutthroat Trout are Idaho’s State Fish. They inhabit all of the waters in the Go Fish! operating area and provide an excellent catch and release fishing opportunity. Cutthroat Trout hybridize with Rainbow Trout and an estimated 30% of either species inhabiting the Clark Fork are hybrids, including Kamloops/Cutthroat combinations, which can weigh 10 pounds. The Priest Lake population is the most genetically pure and recently produced the Idaho State catch and release record. Because of hybridization, it’s hard to say what our boat record is, but Clark Fork fish average 16-18” while Kootenai fish are usually a little smaller.

Kokanee (landlocked Sockeye Salmon) are native to the Kootenai Rover and introduced to Priest Lake and the LPO system. LPO has the biggest population but the smallest fish because here they are managed primarily as a forage fish that sometimes reaches catchable size. In good years it is possible to catch limits (15/person) of 10” Kokanee during half day summer trips. Priest Lake Kokanee often exceed 14” and can be caught by trolling or casting. Kootenai Kokanee run up the river from Kootenai Lake in Canada to spawn and while it is possible to catch them casting or trolling lures, snagging is also allowed on the Kootenai.

Browns are found throughout the LPO system and, similar to Rainbow Trout, have a resident river population and a lake population. Lake fish are generally bigger, and sometimes caught while trolling for Kams. Some lake Browns move into tributaries in the fall and may stay through the winter. We seldom target Browns in Lake Pend Oreille, but often do target them in the Clark Fork with a variety of tactics including fly-fishing and casting lures throughout the year, especially during fall and winter. Early spring is a good time to catch Browns in the Pend Oreille River. River fish average 16-22” and can be over 30”.

The current world record Bull Trout (32 pounds) was caught in Lake Pend Oreille in 1949.  Bull Trout are federally listed as “threatened”, but North Idaho waters are the stronghold for the species in the continental U.S. and we are allowed to target them on a catch and release basis. Upper Priest, the Kootenai River, and the LPO system all have stable populations and it is fairly common to catch Bull Trout incidentally while targeting other species.

Lake Trout (Mackinaw) are closely related to Bull Trout, and are thought to limit them through competition for food, hybridization, and predation.  As such, IDFG has an ongoing war with Lake Trout in Lake Pend Oreille and Upper Priest Lake. Despite the suppression effort, there are still Mackinaw in Lake Pend Oreille and there is a remarkable difference in the growth rate and general condition of Priest Lake Mackinaw compared with LPO Mackinaw. Priest lake fish grow much slower, as is evidenced by their relatively big heads and slender bodies. LPO fish are fat, but because they are less abundant, we rarely target LPO Mackinaw, generally recommending Mackinaw trips in Priest instead. Priest Lake fish average 2-3 pounds.

Known as poor man’s lobster, Burbot are being re-established in the Kootenai River through an ambitious hatchery program run by the Kootenai Tribe. This is an emerging fishery and though Burbot are known to have reached up to 5 feet in the Kootenai, most fish today are considerably smaller. We generally fish for Burbot with bait from the jet boat during the winter. Because burbot are most active at night, a typical Burbot trip involves staying out on a sandbar after dark around a fire, waiting for a bite.

It doesn’t matter how much fishing you’ve done, we cater to all skill levels.