Fishing at Moon Lake, Stikine Region, British Columbia

• Overview

  Moon Lake is set in Stikine Region, British Columbia. The setting is spruce and muskeg. Roughly 3.44 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. There is roughly 13 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Few waters listed in Stikine Region are bigger. Skagway sits 56 km from the bank. For a city, Anchorage is 848 km off. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Moon Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Species logged across Stikine Region include Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, Coho salmon and mountain whitefish. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Moon Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 10°C on average, January about -16°C. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late May. Averages suggest open water from about late May through to roughly late October. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It holds true on Moon Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. If the gate is shut, Skelly Lake at 8.8 km is the nearest alternative. Check the position on Moon Lake before loading the car.