Orton Lake, Alaska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Look for Orton Lake in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska. The surroundings are rolling hill. The water covers some 158 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. About 2.4 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Head to Ketchikan, 23 miles away, for anything you forgot. Vancouver sits 564 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Orton Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Open biodiversity records for Ketchikan Gateway Borough list pink salmon, Chum salmon and Chinook salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Orton Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 29°F to 56°F. In milder years the surface never sets. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. On Orton Lake that shapes the whole year. Long daylight spreads the feeding across more hours.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. If the gate is shut, Snow Lake at 1.2 miles is the nearest alternative. Ask locally about Orton Lake if anything is unclear.