Below Tree Lake in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Below Tree Lake falls in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, part of Alaska. The bank is 2,067 feet above sea level. It measures about 204 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 3.1 miles on foot. It sits higher than most water we list in Alaska. Supplies mean a trip to Prudhoe Bay, 152 miles off. Farmers Loop is 246 miles and College 250 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Below Tree Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name bering cisco, least cisco and lake whitefish. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Below Tree Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 51°F and January about -18°F. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early June. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early June and starts locking again about early October. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Time your trip to Below Tree Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. G Lake sits 6.5 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat access at Below Tree Lake as something to verify.