Fishing Smith Mountain Lakes in North Slope Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Alaska holds Smith Mountain Lakes, in North Slope Borough. Elevation runs to 1,152 feet. With some 44 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 1.3 miles keeps the choices simple. Most waters listed here for North Slope Borough are larger. Utqiagvik at 176 miles is the nearest place to stop. It is 553 miles to Anchorage, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Smith Mountain Lakes

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in North Slope Borough include bering cisco and Arctic cisco. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Smith Mountain Lakes decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -11°F in February up to 50°F in July. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid June. The open-water window runs from around mid June to about early October in an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Smith Mountain Lakes runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. One rod, a handful of hooks and floats, and a few small lures are enough for this water. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Battery Lake is 15 miles distant. Signs at Smith Mountain Lakes carry more weight than any list.