Fishing at North Saddle Lake, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  The Ketchikan Gateway Borough entry here is North Saddle Lake, in Alaska. The bank is 394 feet above sea level. Surface area is around 72 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Bank access stretches around 2.1 miles in total. On size it sits at the modest end of our Ketchikan Gateway Borough list. Ketchikan sits 17 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Beyond it, Metlakatla at 30 miles and Craig at 69 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on North Saddle Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Ketchikan Gateway Borough include pink salmon, Chum salmon, Chinook salmon and Coho salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On North Saddle Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 30°F in January up to 57°F in August. Ice comes and goes from one year to the next. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. Late winter often fishes better here than midsummer does. At North Saddle Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is South Saddle Lake, 1.2 miles out. Nothing on North Saddle Lake should be assumed from this page alone.