Potoniek Lake in Northwest Arctic Borough: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska. It sits 2.7 miles in from the sea. At 4.2 sq miles you are fishing a fraction of it whatever you do. The shoreline runs to about 21 miles, far more than one trip can cover. It is low-lying compared with other Alaska water we list. Nearest town is Kotzebue, 29 miles off. Nome is 200 miles and Utqiagvik 324 miles. Others within reach: Nulvororok Lake after 3.4 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Potoniek Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The tide is the timetable on this water; two hours either side of the change usually fish hardest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Potoniek Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 54°F on average, January about -2°F. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early June. Ice clears near early June and comes back about mid October in a typical year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. The season on Potoniek Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Nulvororok Lake is 3.4 miles off. What applies at Potoniek Lake may have changed since it was mapped.