Fishing at Timber Lake, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska

• Overview

  Look for Timber Lake in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area part of Alaska. Elevation runs to 161 feet. It measures some 318 acres, and wind has room to build across it. You are looking at roughly 3.7 miles of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. The nearest place of any size is Kotzebue, 185 miles away. Beyond it, Ester at 252 miles and College at 258 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Timber Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area: bering cisco, least cisco and lake whitefish. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Timber Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 60°F, the coldest about -7°F. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. The lid usually goes in mid May, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Climate figures give an open season running mid May to mid October. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Timber Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Clay Lake, 4.7 miles away. Check the position on Timber Lake before loading the car.