Fishing at Woods Lake, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Within Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, you have Woods Lake. The shore lies 11 miles out. It measures about 44 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. About 1.6 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Most waters listed here for Kenai Peninsula Borough are larger. Sterling lies 22 miles from the water. Anchorage sits 34 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Woods Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Kenai Peninsula Borough cover northern pike, sockeye salmon and rainbow trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. The near bank of Woods Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 17°F in January and 57°F in July. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. The season between ice runs from about late April to early November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. On Woods Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. 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. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Red Squirrel Lake, 0.4 miles out. For Woods Lake in particular, ask before you travel.