Long Lake, Alaska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Long Lake is a Lake and Peninsula Borough water, Alaska side. It sits at 354 feet above sea level. At some 3.6 sq miles it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. You are looking at roughly 13 miles of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Anchor Point is the closest place, 114 miles off. Beyond it, Diamond Ridge at 125 miles and Homer at 126 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Across Lake and Peninsula Borough, recorded fish include sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon and Arctic grayling. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Long Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 12°F to 57°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early May. Open water usually runs from early May until about early November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. That is the shape of the year on Long Lake.

• 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. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. 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. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Joe Nort Lake at 6.5 miles is the nearest alternative. Check the position at Long Lake before loading the car.