Raven Lake Fishing near Cohoe, Alaska

• Overview

  Raven Lake is a Kenai Peninsula Borough water, Alaska side. The shore lies 8 miles out. With some 87 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. With about 1.7 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. The town to know is Cohoe, 7 miles out. Beyond it, Kalifornsky at 9.4 miles and Soldotna at 14 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Raven Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Kenai Peninsula Borough, recorded fish include northern pike, sockeye salmon, rainbow trout, Coho salmon and Chinook salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Take Raven Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 56°F and January near 15°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near early November: that is the shape of an average year. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Raven Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Star Lake, 1.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on Raven Lake is worth confirming on the day.