Fishing at Tincup Lake, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska

• Overview

  The Southeast Fairbanks Census Area end of Alaska holds Tincup Lake. It stands 2,884 feet above sea level. Around 7.2 sq miles of open water: conditions change from one end to the other. There is roughly 21 miles of bank, and each arm behaves like its own water. It ranks high for size among our Southeast Fairbanks Census Area listings. Start from Whitehorse, 157 miles down the road. Further out sit Dawson City (158 miles) and Tok (161 miles). It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Tincup Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, recorded fish include Arctic grayling, lake whitefish, lake trout and longnose sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Tincup Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about -10°F in January to roughly 53°F in July. Little of the calendar is open water, so timing counts for everything. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid May. The water is typically free of ice between mid May and mid October. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. The season on Tincup Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. For a change of water, Dogpack Lake is 5.5 miles distant. What applies at Tincup Lake may have changed since it was mapped.