Thirtyeight Mile Lake, Alaska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Thirtyeight Mile Lake is set in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska. Beyond the shoreline you have spruce and muskeg. It runs to roughly 206 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With about 2.8 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Healy is the closest town at 113 miles. Susitna North is 137 miles away, with Willow at 158 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Thirtyeight Mile Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Species logged across Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area include bering cisco, least cisco and lake whitefish. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Thirtyeight Mile Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 60°F for July and -5°F for January. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly mid October. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. The season on Thirtyeight Mile Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. If the gate is shut, Fortymile Lake at 1.9 miles is the nearest alternative. Rules at Thirtyeight Mile Lake are worth checking on the day.