Trout Lake, Alaska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Trout Lake is an Alaska water. It lies 79 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to roughly 465 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. There is roughly 7.0 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. It ranks high for size among our Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area listings. Metlakatla sits 3.6 miles from the bank. Then Ketchikan, 15 miles, and Craig, 69 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Trout Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area records list pink salmon, Chum salmon and Chinook salmon among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Trout Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put August at about 57°F and January near 33°F. Ice comes and goes from one year to the next. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. Trout Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern. Long daylight spreads fish out; short daylight concentrates them.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. 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. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Melanson Lake, 1.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Trout Lake.