We wrapped up our annual kokanee survey on July 1 this year. The kokanee average about 10” and catch rates have been good. In our survey, we usually catch kokanee fry, juveniles, and three year olds (the 10” fish this year) and we saw fewer juveniles and an uptick in fry compared to 2023. The abundance of fry should benefit growth of other species of fish in the lake: like trout, bass, and crappie. Spirit Lake is fishing well and should continue to provide a diversity of fishing opportunities for anglers. Our spring and fall gill netting surveys in 2021 showed some really nice cutthroat (up to 23” and 6 lbs), rainbows (up to 22” and 5.5 lbs), largemouth (up to 20”+), and crappie (up to 14”).
Good luck if you get out fishing,
Mike Thomas
Regional Fisheries Biologist
Idaho Department of Fish and Game