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Best lake whitefish lakes in Alaska

6 Alaska waters hold lake whitefish, 3 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. Cold-water bottom feeder with a cult jigging following — soft bite, hard fight, best eating in the north.

1. Iliamna Lake — 988 ft max · Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout
2. Kenai Lake — 569 ft max · survey depth data · Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Arctic Grayling
3. Paxson Lake — 89 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Burbot
4. Summit Lake — 214 ft max · Chinook Salmon, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Burbot
5. Kipmik Lake — 118 ft max · survey depth data · Lake Whitefish, Arctic Grayling
6. Lake Gigi — 22 ft max · survey depth data · Lake Whitefish, Arctic Grayling

When to fish lake whitefish in Alaska

• Spring 15–45 ft — Post-ice schools graze gravel shoals and hard-bottom flats for invertebrates — small jigs worked slowly.
• Summer 40–90 ft — Whitefish hold deep and cold — vertical blade baits or small spoons dragged near bottom on the deep humps.
• Fall 8–30 ft — The November spawn brings big schools onto shallow rock and gravel — the year's best shot at numbers.
• Winter 25–70 ft — An ice-jigging phenomenon — pound the bottom to raise silt, then hop a small spoon just above it.

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

Lake Whitefish elsewhere: Ontario · Minnesota · Québec · Michigan · Montana · Wyoming · Wisconsin · Manitoba · Alberta