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Idaho Fish and Game

A family fishing near a river

Fishing

For anglers, Idaho is truly a land of opportunity and variety. From alpine valleys to lowland deserts, a dazzling array of waters await discovery.

Idaho is graced with 26,000 miles of streams and rivers, more than 3,000 natural lakes, and a quarter-million acres of ponds and reservoirs. Inhabiting those waters are 42 game fish species, from giant white sturgeon to wild trout, catfish to kokanee, and smallmouth bass to salmon and steelhead.

Most Idaho waters have year-round fishing seasons. However, many rivers and streams and some lakes have special rules and seasons. Pick up a fishing rules book, which outlines season dates, special regulations and bag limits, at all Idaho Fish and Game offices and most sporting goods stores statewide.

To fish in Idaho you need:

  • A fishing license.
  • Rules and regulations.
  • Proper gear.
  • A place to go.


4th of july fishing thumbnail

Top ‘patriotic’ places to go fishing this 4th of July

Nowadays, when you search Idaho Fish and Game’s online Fishing Planner, you quickly find that Idaho’s founding fathers weren’t just patriots, but anglers! All across the state are patriotic tips of Uncle Sam’s bucket hat to the red, white, and blue lakes where anglers can celebrate their freedoms from the bank, the boat, or the dock. Here’s a few spots to get you started.

Walleye from Lake Pend Oreille

Kill, keep, report any walleye found in salmon and steelhead rivers

Anyone who catches a walleye in the Lower Snake, Clearwater and Salmon rivers is asked to kill it, take a photo and contact Fish and Game Biologist Marika Dobos at the Lewiston Regional Office by email at marika.dobos@idfg.idaho.gov, or call (208) 750-4228.

kokanee, Payette Lake

Building better kokanee fishing through "captive broodstock" that may stabilize stocking numbers

Things are about to change in the kokanee world, in fact, they’re changing as you read this. Rather than crossing their fingers and hoping Mother Nature delivers enough kokanee (and eggs) for the next generation, Fish and Game biologists started raising thousands of “captive broodstock” kokanee in hatcheries to hopefully make egg production more reliable and predictable.