Fishing Swede Lake in Copper River Census Area, Alaska

• Overview

  Swede Lake stands in Copper River Census Area, Alaska. Elevation runs to 2,792 feet. At some 464 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. Shoreline length is close to 5.4 miles, and each section fishes a little differently. It is high ground by Alaska standards. The nearest place of any size is Deltana, 64 miles away. For a city, Anchorage is 178 miles off. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Swede Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Copper River Census Area cover Arctic grayling, Chinook salmon, round whitefish and longnose sucker. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Swede Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 54°F in July and bottom out at -2°F in January. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Break-up comes around late May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Open water usually runs from late May until about mid October. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. That is the shape of the year on Swede Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Little Swede Lake, 1.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm access to Swede Lake locally before you travel.