Fishing at Upper Wolf Lake, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Ketchikan Gateway Borough in Alaska is where Upper Wolf Lake sits. It lies 312 feet above sea level. At about 135 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The edge covers about 4.0 miles, enough to hold several distinct areas. Head to Ketchikan, 13 miles away, for anything you forgot. For a city, Vancouver is 562 miles off. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Upper Wolf Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Reported across Ketchikan Gateway Borough: pink salmon, Chum salmon and Chinook salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Upper Wolf Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical August readings run about 57°F; by January the average is down near 31°F. Seasons here are moderate, and the fishing runs most of the year. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Upper Wolf Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Leask Lake sits 1.3 miles off and takes the overflow. Signs at Upper Wolf Lake carry more weight than any list.