Fishing at January Lake, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Within Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska, you have January Lake. Beyond the shoreline you have open valley. It runs to roughly 213 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. There is roughly 3.3 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. The closest town, Ketchikan, is 29 miles away. The nearest city of size is Vancouver, 551 miles away. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on January Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. 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. County-wide records name pink salmon, Chum salmon and Chinook salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On January Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 27°F and August at about 56°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Mild ends to the year keep the season long. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. The season on January Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Lake Grace is 2.9 miles off. Treat access at January Lake as something to verify.