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Best lake trout lakes in Alaska

21 Alaska waters hold lake trout, 10 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Deep, cold and long-lived. Below 50°F water year-round — shallow at ice-out and on fall spawning reefs.

1. Iliamna Lake — 988 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout
2. Becharof Lake — 594 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout
3. Tustumena Lake — 942 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Arctic Char
4. Kenai Lake — 569 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Arctic Grayling
5. Skilak Lake — 633 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Arctic Char
6. Hidden Lake — 148 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Arctic Char
7. Paxson Lake — 89 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Burbot
8. Crescent Lake — 100 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Arctic Grayling
9. Chelatna Lake — 410 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon
10. Crosswind Lake — 128 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Burbot
11. Summit Lake — 214 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Burbot
12. Upper Trail Lake — 146 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Arctic Char
13. Tonsina Lake — 295 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout, Burbot
14. Matcharak Lake — 115 ft max · survey depth data · Lake Trout, Arctic Grayling
15. Stephan Lake — 91 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout
16. Clunie Lake — 107 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Lake Trout
17. Kings Lake — 89 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout
18. Sand Lake — 39 ft max · survey depth data · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon
19. Anderson Lake — 91 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout
20. Blueberry Lake — 42 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout
21. Byers Lake — 177 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Burbot, Arctic Grayling

When to fish lake trout in Alaska

• Spring 10–40 ft — The brief shallow window: post-ice-out lakers roam rock shoals and points where anyone can reach them.
• Summer 50–120 ft — Below the thermocline in sub-50°F water — deep humps and basin edges near bait (smelt, cisco, alewife).
• Fall 10–50 ft — Turnover puts lakers on shallow rock reefs to spawn — big fish shallow, best late in the day.
• Winter 20–80 ft — One of the best ice targets — cold water is their comfort zone; they roam basin edges and humps all winter.

Also in Alaska: best northern pike lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best chinook salmon lakes · best coho salmon lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best burbot lakes · best arctic grayling lakes · best arctic char lakes

Lake Trout elsewhere: Ontario · Minnesota · Québec · Michigan · New Hampshire · Montana · Wyoming · Utah · Colorado · New York · Wisconsin · Maine · Vermont