Pats Lake Fishing near Wrangell, Alaska

• Overview

  Set in City and Borough of Wrangell, Alaska, this is Pats Lake. This is open valley ground. It covers about 19 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is a small entry by City and Borough of Wrangell standards. For supplies, Wrangell is 8.5 miles out. Petersburg follows at 40 miles, then Craig at 68 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Pats Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Survey and observation records for City and Borough of Wrangell include Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, Coho salmon and pink salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. The shape of Pats Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 55°F, the coldest about 29°F. Most months fish reasonably, given the right weather. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. Pats Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. 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. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Kunk Lake is 6.1 miles off. Check the position at Pats Lake before loading the car.