Fishing at Buckhorn Lake, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  The Ketchikan Gateway Borough end of Alaska holds Buckhorn Lake. The surface lies 1,115 feet up. At about 154 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The full circuit measures close to 2.1 miles on foot. The closest town, Ketchikan, is 12 miles away. The nearest city of size is Vancouver, 552 miles away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Buckhorn Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Species logged across Ketchikan Gateway Borough include pink salmon, Chum salmon and Chinook salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Buckhorn Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 30°F to 57°F. Mild ends to the year keep the season long. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. Anyone fishing Buckhorn Lake regularly works to that calendar. Fish feed harder before a change in weather than after it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. 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. For a change of water, South Saddle Lake is 5.2 miles distant. For Buckhorn Lake in particular, ask before you travel.