Lake Bess Fishing in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Lake Bess is listed under Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska. The coast is 3.9 miles away. With some 54 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Around 2.1 miles of margin, front to back. Most waters listed here for Ketchikan Gateway Borough are larger. For supplies, Wrangell is 43 miles out. Ketchikan is 45 miles and Metlakatla 60 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lake Bess

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Fish documented in Ketchikan Gateway Borough include pink salmon, Chum salmon, Chinook salmon, Coho salmon and sockeye salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Fish Lake Bess where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 56°F and January reads 27°F. Seasons here are moderate, and the fishing runs most of the year. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Lake Bess fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. 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. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Lake Nellie sits 1.1 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing on Lake Bess should be assumed from this page alone.