Spirit Lake part of a statewide salmon study

Since 2016, Spirit Lake has been part of a statewide study to evaluate the performance of hatchery-stocked Chinook salmon. These Chinook are landlocked (meaning they do not migrate to the ocean), but can still reach large sizes in waters with abundant kokanee. Prior to 2016, there were no Chinook salmon in Spirit Lake. Chinook can be found in several other lakes and reservoirs around the state, including Lake Coeur d’Alene where they have supported a fishery for nearly 40 years.