Big Lily Lake in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Big Lily Lake falls in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, part of Alaska. The surface lies 646 feet up. This is sizeable water at about 528 acres, and a boat opens up most of it. The edge covers about 4.2 miles, enough to hold several distinct areas. Healy sits 84 miles from here and is the nearest stop. After that come Ester at 127 miles and College at 132 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Big Lily Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area include bering cisco, least cisco and lake whitefish. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Fish Big Lily Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 61°F at the top of summer and -10°F at the bottom of winter. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Winter locks it down, and mid May brings it back. The open-water window runs from around mid May to about late October in an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. At Big Lily Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Starr Lake, 1.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Big Lily Lake should be assumed from this page alone.