Upper Lake in Aleutians West Census Area: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Upper Lake is one of the Aleutians West Census Area waters in Alaska. The sea is 1.4 miles distant. This is a tiny water, and one quiet approach covers all of it. Most waters listed here for Aleutians West Census Area are larger. The town to know is Dutch Harbor, 221 miles out. Unalaska is 222 miles and Akutan 225 miles. Others worth noting: Seal Lake within 0.6 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Upper Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Aleutians West Census Area list Atlantic cod, Atlantic horse mackerel, European grayling and Atlantic herring. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Upper Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 27°F and August at about 48°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Whether it freezes depends on the year. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. November and March are the quiet, comfortable months to be out. Expect Upper Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Fishing from a pier is possible half a mile away. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Seal Lake is 0.6 miles off. Check the position at Upper Lake before loading the car.