Jones Lake in Stikine Region: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Jones Lake is a Stikine Region water, British Columbia side. Elevation runs to 716 metres. About 1.47 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. You are looking at roughly 9.8 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. The closest town, Skagway, is 87 km away. Anchorage sits 880 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Jones Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Reported across Stikine Region: Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and Coho salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Jones Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 13°C and January near -16°C on the long-run figures. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about early November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. On Jones Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Should this one be busy, Shaker Lake is 11 km off. Nothing on Jones Lake should be assumed from this page alone.