Fishing at Navy Lake, City and Borough of Wrangell, Alaska

• Overview

  Look for Navy Lake in the City and Borough of Wrangell part of Alaska. The coast is 1.1 miles away. At about 133 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. There is roughly 3.1 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Nearest place of any size is Wrangell, 28 miles away. Vancouver sits 611 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Navy Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for City and Borough of Wrangell include Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, pink salmon and cutthroat trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Navy Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 56°F in August and bottoms out near 30°F in January. A long season, with weather mattering more than the month. It is not guaranteed even in a cold spell, so check yourself. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. Plan around that when you fish Navy Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping shows no built access close by; expect to walk in from wherever you can leave the car. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Hatchery Lake is 2.2 miles off. Signs at Navy Lake carry more weight than any list.