Idaho's Little Pend Oreille Chain of Lakes

Friends from Colville turned me on to the beautiful, easy access waters of the Little Pend Oreille Chain that string out along Highway 20 way up in the "empty corner" of the state. It's not too early to plan a summer trip during season which starts the last Saturday in April and runs until November. And a week would not be too long to sample all the lakes that spice cutthroat with rainbows and a few brook trout even if you could pass up the Colville River and other nearby treasures.

If you accept the fact that trout are basically a foot-long fish, and if you enjoy poking about in one, two or more new spots each day as can be the case on the Heritage, Thomas, Gillette, Sherry Lake chain which connect with channels this is heaven even if you don't fish nearby Coffin, Frater, Nile and Leo Lakes. Bank fishing is possible, but a float tube or canoe is ideal and your usual methods all work somewhere, sometime. There's not space to cover everything. So here are some highlights.

Heritage Lake is the top end of the chain and may have the worst fishing and the most weeds. Thomas Lake Heritage Lake is the inlet and Gillette Lake the outlet of this 170 acre lake most reach by boat from Gillette. The flat on the right of the inlet is a good place to start, as is the outlet flat. The steeper east shore is the spot to troll, but fly fishers do better on the west side of the lake in the evenings. Foot-long and larger cutthroat, some very nice brook trout and rainbows offer decent action if you arrive on weekdays and avoid the motorized folks.

Gillette Lake - Given the 3160 foot elevation, this 48 acre lake offers solid action at the opener. The north end inlet from XXXX quickly drops off to a wide shelf between 25 and 35 feet deep that runs around the point to the East. This is an excellent area to fish with spoons or fast sinking flies in the middle of the day. Early and late the east side and the cove east of the outlet are the hot spots. There are decent Forest Service Campgrounds, a good ramp and the resort that's the supply center for the lake chain.

Sherry Lake -Plants of cutthroat, plus the usual holdover rainbows and a few brooks make this 26 acre lake, the lowest in the chain a decent last chance shot.

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