Duck Lake Fishing in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska

• Overview

  Set in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, this is Duck Lake. The surroundings are northern bush. With some 131 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Bank access stretches around 1.5 miles in total. Kotzebue lies 192 miles from the water. It is 362 miles to Anchorage, the nearest city. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Duck Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area include bering cisco, least cisco and lake whitefish. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. At Duck Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 59°F and January near -5°F. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid May. Climate figures give an open season running mid May to mid October. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Duck Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping classes it as an oxbow: an old river bend cut off from the main channel. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Peter Cleaver Lake sits 6.2 miles off and takes the overflow. Where Duck Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.