Fishing at Big John Lake, Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska

• Overview

  Big John Lake is set in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska. The setting is sage and rock on every side. At 319 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. With 7.7 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Tok is the closest town at 31 miles. For a city, Anchorage is 280 miles off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Big John Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Southeast Fairbanks Census Area records list Arctic grayling, lake whitefish, lake trout and longnose sucker among the fish reported. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Read Big John Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 59°F in July and bottom out at -17°F in January. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. The lid tends to go about early May and return around mid October. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Big John Lake.

• 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 recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Nuziamundcho Lake, 2.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Big John Lake are worth checking on the day.