Fishing at Lower Dewey Lake, Skagway Municipality, Alaska

• Overview

  Look for Lower Dewey Lake in the Skagway Municipality part of Alaska. The surroundings are rolling bush. The water covers some 32 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The full circuit measures close to 1.6 miles on foot. The closest town, Skagway, is 1 mile distant. Beyond it, Haines at 15 miles and Juneau at 85 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lower Dewey Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Skagway Municipality: pink salmon, brook trout and Chinook salmon. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. At Lower Dewey Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 54°F, the coldest about 17°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. The season between ice runs from about late April to mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Lower Dewey Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. A ramp is mapped within half a mile. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. Mapping shows a picnic spot within half a mile. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Failing this one, try Devils Punch Bowl, 1.5 miles away. Treat access at Lower Dewey Lake as something to verify.