Fishing at Emma Lake, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  The Ketchikan Gateway Borough entry here is Emma Lake, in Alaska. The coast is 3.3 miles away. It runs to roughly 117 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With about 1.8 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. The nearest place of any size is Ketchikan, 20 miles away. The big place round here is Vancouver, 565 miles distant. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Emma Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Fish documented in Ketchikan Gateway Borough include pink salmon, Chum salmon and Chinook salmon. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Emma Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 29°F in January to roughly 56°F in August. The freeze here is occasional rather than annual. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Anyone fishing Emma Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Failing this one, try Jordan Lake, 1.5 miles away. The position on Emma Lake is worth confirming on the day.