Whiting Lake, Alaska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Juneau City and Borough, Whiting Lake is an Alaska water. The water sits 925 feet up. Around 6.3 sq miles of open water: conditions change from one end to the other. You are looking at roughly 15 miles of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Nothing else we list in Juneau City and Borough covers more water. The town to know is Juneau, 59 miles out. Petersburg is 86 miles away, with Wrangell at 111 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Whiting Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Juneau City and Borough include Chum salmon, sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, pink salmon and Dolly Varden. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Anyone new to Whiting Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 16°F and July at about 51°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early May. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near early November in autumn. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Whiting Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Crescent Lake at 21 miles is the sensible second choice. The position on Whiting Lake is worth confirming on the day.