Fivemile Lake, Alaska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Fivemile Lake is one of the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area listings for Alaska. The surface lies 164 feet up. Surface area runs to roughly 788 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. Shoreline length is close to 7.1 miles, and each section fishes a little differently. Few waters listed in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area are bigger. The closest town, Kotzebue, is 194 miles away. Anchorage is the closest city, 368 miles away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Fivemile Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Fish documented in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area include bering cisco, least cisco and lake whitefish. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Fivemile Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 60°F and January reads -7°F. The freeze holds for the better part of the year. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid May. Climate figures give an open season running mid May to mid October. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Anyone fishing Fivemile Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Willow Lake, 5.2 miles out. For Fivemile Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.