Fishing at Dickey Lake, Copper River Census Area, Alaska

• Overview

  Dickey Lake lies in Copper River Census Area, Alaska. The ground around here is dry rangeland. At some 808 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. With 7.4 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Few waters listed in Copper River Census Area are bigger. Head to Deltana, 71 miles away, for anything you forgot. Tok lies 101 miles off, Healy another 109 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Dickey Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Copper River Census Area records list Arctic grayling, Chinook salmon, round whitefish and longnose sucker among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Dickey Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 54°F, the coldest about -3°F. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. The lid usually goes in late May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. In an average year the thaw lands around late May and the freeze near mid October. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Anyone fishing Dickey Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Upper Tangle Lake sits 4.9 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Dickey Lake for certain.