Cascade Lakes Fishing near Metlakatla, Alaska

• Overview

  Cascade Lakes belongs to Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska. The bank is 262 feet above sea level. With some 69 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Around 2.1 miles of margin, front to back. The nearest town is Metlakatla, 7.8 miles away. Vancouver sits 537 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Cascade Lakes

  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. Reported across Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area: pink salmon, Chum salmon, Chinook salmon, Coho salmon and sockeye salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. The shape of Cascade Lakes decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August runs about 57°F on average, January about 32°F. Spring and autumn are the strongest, but nothing is truly closed. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. Late winter often fishes better here than midsummer does. Anyone fishing Cascade Lakes regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Hassler Lake at 3 miles is the nearest alternative. For Cascade Lakes, the notice at the access point is the final word.