Johnson Lake Fishing near Cohoe, Alaska

• Overview

  You will find Johnson Lake in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska. It sits at 174 feet above sea level. Surface area is around 88 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. With about 2.1 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Supplies mean a trip to Cohoe, 5.6 miles off. It is 79 miles to Anchorage, the nearest city. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Johnson Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Records held for Kenai Peninsula Borough cover northern pike, sockeye salmon, rainbow trout, Coho salmon and Chinook salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Treat Johnson Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 56°F, while January sits near 13°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about early November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. It holds true on Johnson Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Encelewski Lake, 2.7 miles away. For Johnson Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.