COEUR D’ALENE – Lake Pend Oreille walleye are providing steady action for anglers this summer. Walleye are set up in their typical summer locations, and anglers are reporting consistent catch rates. Walleye also continue to be distributed widely throughout the system.
Since walleye telemetry began in 2019, biologists have observed a similar distribution of acoustic-tagged fish during the month of June. Walleye locations displayed in this map are from June 1 to June 28. Each colored circle represents the number of unique, acoustic-tagged walleye detected at a receiver between those dates.
Walleye are now post-spawn and are returning to early-summer foraging locations along Sunnyside and Kootenai Points, the south bank of the Sandpoint railroad bridge and in the Clark Fork River. Walleye are widespread throughout the north end of Lake Pend Oreille and both the Clark Fork and Pend Oreille Rivers.
The Highway 95 Long Bridge and Railroad Bridge areas near Sandpoint continue to be walleye fishing hotspots, where the greatest number of acoustic tags were detected.
Some of the tactics anglers report having success with include vertical presentations such as jig-crawler or jig-plastic combos, swimbaits and blade baits. Using light baits and fishing them slowly can be most effective this time of year.
Finding the edges of weed beds, and locations where baits can be worked over the top of or through these beds can be important as walleye roam edge habitats looking for prey. Trolling crawler harnesses or deep diving crankbaits along the edge of weed beds is also effective at times of day when boat traffic is not as high.
Due to low water levels throughout the spring, weed growth in Lake Pend Orielle is somewhat patchier than years past, so look for broken edges of weed beds as a spot to troll or cast over.
The bays and points at the north end of the main lake such as the Pack River Delta, Kootenai Point, Kootenai Bay, Oden Bay, Sourdough Point and Fisherman’s Island also continue to hold multiple acoustic-tagged walleye. Fish in these areas can be caught along weed edges using the tactics described above, as well as trolling spinners and crawler harnesses on the outside breaks and weed beds.
The lake level now sits at 2062 feet, about half a foot below full pool. All boat launches and major access points are accessible to boaters.
View the interactive walleye map and mobile friendly version of this month’s map by following this link.
Biologists track acoustic-tagged walleye to learn more about walleye movements and to help anglers effectively target walleye and participate in the Lake Pend Oreille angler incentive program.
Idaho Fish and Game Biologists tag walleye annually to keep about 100 fish with $1,000 reward-tags swimming in the waters of the Lake Pend Oreille system. So far this year anglers have earned over $5,000 by turning in walleye tagged with $1,000 reward tags. The reward tags are in all sizes of fish, so any walleye caught could be the next big winner! To learn more about walleye rewards and try your hand at becoming a big winner, check out the Lake Pend Oreille angler incentive program on the Fish and Game website.
If you’re interested in learning more about walleye fishing in Lake Pend Oreille, the angler incentive program, or general information about walleye in the lake, Fish and Game has resources to help.
Check out the Lake Pend Oreille fisheries webpage and watch the 2024 State of the Lake Meeting to learn more about the world-class fisheries in Lake Pend Oreille.
You can also visit the Idaho Fishing Planner to get information about diverse fishing opportunities throughout the state.
Please contact the Panhandle Regional office for more information at (208)-769-1414 and follow us on the Panhandle Region Facebook page for regular news and updates.
