Kasook Lake in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Alaska, Kasook Lake belongs to Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area. The setting is open valley on every side. The water covers some 71 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline comes to about 2.1 miles, small enough to learn in a day. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Alaska listings. The nearest town is Craig, 32 miles away. Metlakatla is 50 miles and Ketchikan 51 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Kasook Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. This is tidal water: the state of the tide decides where fish sit, so plan the session around it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Fish documented in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area include pink salmon, Chum salmon and Chinook salmon. Fish Kasook Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put August near 57°F and January near 35°F. In milder years the surface never sets. 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. Plan around that when you fish Kasook Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Some banks are open only from a marked point. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Sukkwan Lake sits 2.8 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Kasook Lake in what we hold.