An Angler's Guide To
Fishing The World's Trophy Hot Spots
Fishing Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho
Pend Oreille (Lake), Idaho, USA
"The kamloop trout is actually a gerrard rainbow, first stocked into the system in 1941. The gerrard is a long-living wild strain of rainbow native to the Lardeau River which flows into the Kootenay Lake in Canada, just north of the U.S. The Gerrard is well adapted to the cold waters of Pend Oreille and spawns successfully in the wild.
Now and then a lucky angler will catch a hybrid "cutbow," a cross between a cutthroat and a rainbow. The largest cutbow taken in Idaho was a 24-pounder caught here in 1991 by Irwin Donart.
In 1995, Jim Eversole caught the largest game fish ever taken from Lake Pend Oreille, a 43 lb. 6 oz. mackinaw also known as the lake trout.
The lake also retains the world record for a rainbow trout, a 37-pounder caught in 1947 by Wes Hamlet.
One reason these fish get so big is the abundance of kokanee, a small variety of landlocked sockeye salmon commonly called "bluebacks" or "silvers" that are the prey-base in their food chain. The typical sizes for kokanee on Lake Pend Oreille range from 8 to 12 inches. " Extract in quotes taken from SandPointOnline.com, Guide for Lake Pend Oreille
IdahoPTV.org, Lake Pend Oreille, An Anglers Paradise
VRBO.com, Vacation Rentals By Owner, Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho Club, LPOIC.org