Check out this record catch on Payette Lake near McCall! Idaho Fish and Game says Dylan Smith landed this 41.5-inch long lake trout last month, breaking the previous record by two inches!

Every year during ice fishing season, I get lots of questions about Payette Lake in McCall. It is lesser known than Cascade, and fewer anglers fish it, but the giant Mackinaw trout that lurk in ...

Mackinaw trout, or lake trout, can be caught at Payette Lake in McCall, Idaho. The fish can be a challenge for anglers, who can also find Kokanee salmon and pikeminnow.

Managing a large sterile lake with big, long-lived predators and a fluctuating prey species poses a big challenge for fisheries managers, and Payette Lake at McCall is the latest case ...

Dylan Smith with a catch/release record lake trout caught in July 2018 from Payette Lake. Dylan Smith photo . Support Local Journalism . If you value these stories, please consider subscribing.

An Idaho angler has set a state record by catching a mackinaw trout measuring 41.5 inches and weighing an estimated 30-plus pounds. The mackinaw was so voracious that it had a smaller lake trout ...

That was before Idaho Fish & Game instituted the catch-and-release record program—the current record is a 41.5-inch whopper landed by Dylan Smith in 2018 (also at Payette Lake, but during summer).

If too many lake trout are present, they eat all the kokanee and struggle to grow for lack of food. Further complicating the Payette situation is an abundance of northern pikeminnow, which also ...

Lake Trout. Payette Lake has trout of potentially 50 pounds. Expect to devote some time staring at a fish finder to locate them, but there is no guarantee they will bite. Cutthroat Trout.

Idaho Fish and Game has worked for years to balance the kokanee salmon and Mackinaw trout populations. Fishing columnist Jordan Rodriguez said it’s paying off.