Fishing at Beaver Lake, Copper River Census Area, Alaska

• Overview

  You will find Beaver Lake in Copper River Census Area, Alaska. The water sits 4,501 feet up. Surface area runs to roughly 337 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. Around 5.7 miles of bank, which is a long day on foot. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Alaska listings. The town to know is Tok, 97 miles out. Further out sit Dawson City (158 miles) and Valdez (162 miles). No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Beaver Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name Arctic grayling, Chinook salmon, round whitefish and longnose sucker. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Beaver Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -8°F to 49°F. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late May. The water is typically free of ice between late May and early October. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That shapes the year on Beaver Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. 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. Little Beaver Lake sits 1.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Beaver Lake as something to verify.