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

• Overview

  Carls Cache Lake is set in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska. Elevation runs to 850 feet. It measures about 242 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Around 2.5 miles of margin, front to back. Supplies mean a trip to Healy, 112 miles off. Susitna North is 128 miles away, with Willow at 148 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Carls Cache Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area cover bering cisco, least cisco, lake whitefish and Arctic grayling. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Take Carls Cache Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -6°F in January and 60°F in July. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid May. Averages suggest open water from about mid May through to roughly mid October. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan any trip to Carls Cache Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. The nearest alternative is Otter Lake, 1.2 miles out. Check the current arrangement for Carls Cache Lake.