Campbell Lake Fishing Guide, City and Borough of Wrangell, Alaska

• Overview

  Campbell Lake sits within City and Borough of Wrangell in Alaska. The water sits 387 feet up. The water covers some 87 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 1.7 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Wrangell lies 29 miles from the water. Vancouver sits 603 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Campbell Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in City and Borough of Wrangell include Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, pink salmon and cutthroat trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Campbell Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 24°F in January to roughly 55°F in July. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. The season on Campbell Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Fall Lake is 1.4 miles distant. Confirm access to Campbell Lake locally before you travel.