North Idaho’s Priest Lake is about 23,000 of open water. If you can find any old timers they will tell you of its hey-day when the lake was teeming with Whitefish and Kokanee. But thanks to some great government intervention that is a thing of the past.
Now Priest Lake is predominantly known for its Mackinaw or Lake Trout. The records show the record fish was 57 1/2 pounds, but you are not likely to see one of that size these days. There are some decent ones out there though if you know where and when to fish.
During the summer months, the fish hug the bottom and you will wind up scraping along with your down riggers, or jigging to find one. The good fishing is in the winter months when you are predominantly fishing through the ice in one of the bays.
Some of the best fishing is in the surrounding waters. This includes the rivers and streams that feed into Priest Lake as well as the Priest River that flows out, and some of the surrounding lakes such as Hunt, Standard, Two Mouth, Caribou, Mollies, Fault and Hidden. Most of these will require a good drive and a bit of hiking but are usually worth the effort.