Any info for Priest Lake Idaho?

[Gigstead]

Hello everyone, I am getting ready for a trip to Priest Lake Idaho, and was wondering if anyone has any information on what to use when deep trolling for Lake Trout. I have fished it in the past with mixed results, and thought I would see if anyone had any advice. Also I have tried and failed at finding a good fishing report for that lake, any ideas on that front?

Thanks for your help

[Anglinarcher]

OK, I have not been there in a couple of years, but here goes.

I find that fishing the humps and saddles are the best way to go. I often fish the saddles and humps with a downrigger, with lines set to just miss the tops as I go by. The lakers are not the monsters of yesteryear, but you can get some good ones.

Some of them key in on the Mysis Shrimp and they have red flesh just like the rainbows. While usually smaller, I like the taste better. Hit them with smaller attractor spoons for best results. Some of them still key in on fish, and they are larger, but have white flesh. These guys are tougher to catch, but size 9 or 11 Rapalas in blue blacks often do the trick for me.

[swedefish4life1]

Post was strong:-$ He gave you!
I have a gal bud who places every year in each contest on her it can humble you but as posted there are some beasts I would aslo find bait, zero lead/coated balls only and power pro over wire on the riggers and have a scent trail that would lead sharks in!


Great Electronics will help on her as well:-$ P66 Transducer:-#

Its very deep/temps as well I will ask her to share she is spot on one of the best and lives on her!!:cheers:



I would change your trolling speeds as well and produce small SSSSS into your game

Out of respect for me she painted her balls this and yes there Glow!!! lol

I hope she posts she is deadly!:chef:

[DougShields.com]

Great info above for trolling. We upped our catch rate switching to a dodger & mini glow squid with a strip of squaw fish on the hook.

We then upped our rate more when we switched to the drop shot method. Good electronics are also a must for better catching. Find schools of mysis shrimp and you will catch fish. Maybe a few other factors.

These fish out of Priest Lake are great table fare when they are 2-5lbs. Caught the pictured fish 6-27-2007 before the LoonyTunes remodel. We have had a good number of fish above those weights that are great as well, just not as high a percentage.

The insides of these fish look almost fake as the digestive system is flo pink. You can see what the fillets look like in the sink below that were caught exactly one year later on 6-27-08. One of the best tasting fish you can have when taken from this lake. I believe it is the high volume of mysis shrimp in their diet when younger. The ripple effect of the mysis shrimp in the lake also cost young kokes their food source and on up the food chain...resulting in smaller macks.

We enjoy the challenge of the search, find and skill of the catch, along with the beauty of the lake.

[DougShields.com]

We took this young man out for his first drop shot trip at Priest Lake and the picture is of his first catch. Insisted on trying it his way all day. We finally forced one of our rods on him and talked him through it and the results are now in evidence.

[Smar969905]

I was talking to a friend of the family who has a cabin out there, and she said that the best time is late winter to early spring for the big ones.

[Gigstead]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I can't wait to get out for Memorial weekend. When you say drop shoting do you mean jiging off the bottom? I have tried that without any luck. The only time I have caught them is trolling. I see a lot of boats jiging so I have some ideas of where to try, but not what to put on the ole jig...

I agree with the posts about the fish, I love it, I just wish I caught more of them.

Thanks again!

[Denman]

I think what he means by drop shotting is a cannonball sinker weight on a 12" to 24" line attached to a swivel up from your leader used in getting the bait to the bottom quicker while trolling and with less line out. Usually a 3 to 6 oz. sinker will work fine depending on speed of troll. Good luck over there and please report when you get back.

[DougShields.com]

I am sorry for my non-response if the drop shot question was aimed at me. Seems obvious it was.

Drop shot, or down shot, is a form of jigging, but the sinker is on the bottom and the weightless minnow/jig is tied up the line with a palomar knot. The weight(s) are connected to the remaining tag line that you purposely leave long in order to attach the weight at the chosen number of inches from the lure. This results in a more precise distance from the bottom and a more lifelike presentation of the minnow. Both are now up to your skills.

We generally do not "troll" and we try to get away with as little weight as possible. The weight required at 50 feet is far less than required at 150 feet, as an example. We use our front electric motor to keep us over the fish according to the electronics and conditions. Sometimes, we give some ground to help promote a bite, which in effect, is a very slow troll.

Light gear and the need for skill, knowledge and practice, make this an enjoyable experience for us in the great outdoors.

[Gigstead]

Well thanks again for the responses, we made it up to the lake Friday night, fished all day Saturday and had to leave on Sunday. We had no luck in the morning, so I spoke to a few people at the lake and told me the fish were at around 150' so I kept trying. We actually ended up with 8 nice lake trout by the end of the day, made for some really nice fillets... We caught them almost exclusively on a silver and blue flat fish, behind a 0/0 flasher. We caught them all in about 2 hours near twin islands, but only in around 110' of water... I think it is just going to take time until I figure it out, it seems to get better each year... I was reading the water temp around 57 to 59 degrees. It was a beautiful sunny day at Priest...