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Best arctic char lakes in Alaska

40 Alaska waters list arctic char (official records or labelled estimates), 24 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Cold-water beauty that thrives where trout sulk — shallow at ice-out, deep all summer, electric through the ice.

1. Iliamna Lake — 988 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Lake TroutWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 2 public access sites
2. Tustumena Lake — 942 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Arctic CharWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
3. Kenai Lake — 569 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Arctic GraylingWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
4. Skilak Lake — 633 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Arctic CharWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
5. Nunavaugaluk Lake — 525 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
6. Eklutna Lake — 189 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Arctic CharWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
7. Hidden Lake — 148 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Arctic CharWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
8. Cooper Lake — 476 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Arctic CharWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
9. Upper Trail Lake — 146 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Arctic CharWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
10. Big Lake — 89 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Burbot, Arctic CharWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 3 public access sites
11. Pepper Lake — 42 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
12. Swan Lake — 44 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Arctic Char, Sockeye SalmonWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
13. Engineer Lake — 17 ft max · real survey depth contours · Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
14. Clunie Lake — 107 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Lake TroutWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
15. Paddle Lake — 41 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Arctic CharWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
16. Mirror Lake — 33 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
17. Airstrip Pond — 53 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Arctic Grayling, Arctic CharWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
18. DeLong Lake — 74 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic GraylingWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
19. Cheney Lake — 57 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
20. Jewel Lake — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
21. Byers Lake — 177 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Burbot, Arctic GraylingWhy #21: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
22. Green Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
23. Sand Lake — 39 ft max · real survey depth contours · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho SalmonWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
24. Memory Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
25. Prator Lake — 23 ft max · real survey depth contours · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Arctic CharWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached

…plus 15 more Alaska waters holding arctic char.

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When to fish arctic char in Alaska

• Spring 4–15 ft — The weeks after ice-out are the year's best shallow shot — small spoons along the drop.
• Summer 20–60 ft — Char follow the cold down — vertical jig small spoons and tubes over the deepest basins.
• Fall 8–30 ft — Fall brings them back to gravel shoals in spawning color — the prettiest fish of the year.
• Winter 10–40 ft — A premier ice target — char roam under the ice and hit small jigging spoons hard.

Also in Alaska: best northern pike lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best chinook salmon lakes · best coho salmon lakes · best lake trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best burbot lakes · best arctic grayling lakes · best pink salmon lakes · best chum salmon lakes · best pacific halibut lakes · best lingcod lakes · best black rockfish lakes

Arctic Char elsewhere: Sweden · Québec · United Kingdom · Norway · Maine