Payette Lake is a lake in Idaho, near Valley County.
Stocking records show that the following fish or strains were stocked here. A historical stocking does not by itself prove that a self-sustaining population remains today.
Payette Lake in the northern part of Valley County is a lake in Idaho.
The recorded size of Payette Lake is missing; fish one short bank carefully before deciding whether a wider search makes sense.
Payette Lake is a deep glacial lake beside McCall with kokanee, trout, smallmouth bass, and steep shorelines. It has again shown its trophy potential with a 42-inch catch-and-release lake trout record in 2025.
Troll above kokanee schools, jig or troll deeper for lake trout, cast small spoons for rainbows, and use tubes on rocky points for smallmouth.
The North Fork Payette enters the lake before water leaves through the outlet at McCall. Cold open water suits kokanee and lake trout, while bass stay closer to warmed rock.
After a bite on Payette Lake, write down whether the fish used current, rock, weeds, wood, open water, or a creek edge because that short note helps separate lake trout, kokanee salmon, rainbow trout and westslope cutthroat trout without relying on a broad report from another end of the water.
Fish lake trout, kokanee salmon, rainbow trout and westslope cutthroat trout on separate passes at Payette Lake when they use different depths and cover, changing lure depth or speed once before leaving the exact feature that produced there.
Before making a long move on Payette Lake, compare the best nearby feature at two depths so the result shows whether lake trout are absent or the lure is simply moving above or below them.
Fish listed for Payette Lake include Lake Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Smallmouth Bass, and Yellow Perch.
During the final pass near a small drop while the water is rising, keep a small jig tipped with a worm or minnow close to bottom on a shelf for yellow perch.
On a warm summer afternoon near a firm-bottom flat while the water is falling, drag a tube or Ned rig across rock and the hard edge of a point for smallmouth bass.
On a careful second pass near the outside weed line in stained water, cast a small spoon, inline spinner, light jig, or fly through cool water for rainbow trout.
On a cold winter outing near the edge of deeper water close to shade, use wind as a clue; a light push can carry food toward a bank, but hard wind may muddy it, so look for a clean edge near a point or protected pocket.
While using one careful route near a soft-to-hard bottom change near firm bottom, shallow water is worth a careful look in spring and again during fall; bright summer days favor shade, weeds, or deeper breaks; under ice, a small depth change can be more useful than a long move.
During the last hour of daylight near a clean gravel patch away from empty shoreline, a light spinning rod, thin line, a few small spoons, inline spinners, and jigs cover the listed trout; carry one slightly heavier setup when other fish or windy water call for more control.
During the first hour near the downwind side while the water is rising, record the wind, water color, depth that produced twice, and cover after a bite; those four notes are more useful on the next trip than a long list of spots that did not produce.
On a low-light period near the first break after warm rain, keep the first hour simple: use one moving bait to find active fish, slow down with a jig or natural bait on the best edge, and repeat the same setup when two bites come from matching depth and bottom during that part of the trip.
The main difference is simple: Payette Lake is a deep glacial lake beside McCall with kokanee, trout, smallmouth bass, and steep shorelines.
Start with this: Troll above kokanee schools, jig or troll deeper for lake trout, cast small spoons for rainbows, and use tubes on rocky points for smallmouth.
Pay attention to this: The North Fork Payette enters the lake before water leaves through the outlet at McCall.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.