Upper Jean Lake Fishing near Funny River, Alaska

• Overview

  The Kenai Peninsula Borough end of Alaska holds Upper Jean Lake. Land around it is lake country bush. With some 53 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 1.4 miles keeps the choices simple. Start from Funny River, 19 miles down the road. Sterling lies 19 miles off, Soldotna another 29 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Upper Jean Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Kenai Peninsula Borough records list northern pike, sockeye salmon and rainbow trout among the fish reported. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Fish Upper Jean Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 55°F and January about 19°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Look for the thaw near early May; the fishing lifts straight after. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near early November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. At Upper Jean Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is a car park half a mile from the bank. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Jean Lake sits 2 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat Upper Jean Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.