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

• Overview

  Blackfish Lake is a Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area water, Alaska side. The surface lies 850 feet up. It runs to roughly 164 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The full circuit measures close to 3.1 miles on foot. For supplies, Healy is 114 miles out. The nearest city of size is Anchorage, 187 miles away. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Blackfish Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area records list bering cisco, least cisco, lake whitefish and Arctic grayling among the fish reported. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Blackfish Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 60°F at the top of summer and -6°F at the bottom of winter. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly mid October. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Blackfish Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Yoder Lake, 1.7 miles away. Where Blackfish Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.