Fishing Spirit Lake in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska

• Overview

  Set in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Spirit Lake is an Alaska water. What surrounds it is northern bush. It runs to roughly 160 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. There is roughly 2.4 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Some 121 miles away sits Healy, the nearest settlement. Beyond it, Susitna North at 143 miles and Willow at 162 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Spirit Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area include bering cisco, least cisco, lake whitefish and Arctic grayling. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Spirit Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 59°F for July and -4°F for January. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid May. The open-water window runs from around mid May to about mid October in an average year. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. It holds true on Spirit Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Fish Creek Lake is 6.1 miles off. For Spirit Lake in particular, ask before you travel.