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Fishing Chelatna Lake: what the data says
3,904-acre lake near Talkeetna. a deep fly-in lake at the head of Lake Creek in the Yentna drainage, holding lake trout, rainbows, grayling, pike and salmon. The lake tops out around 410 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Lake Trout fishing at Chelatna Lake
Spring lake trout on Chelatna Lake hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 50 to 120 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 80 ft. Offshore hump is the standout, a offshore hump at roughly 58.86543745383673 ft, rated prime for summer lake trout. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Burbot fishing at Chelatna Lake
Spring burbot on Chelatna Lake hold shallow, usually 25 to 70 ft. By summer they slide out to 50 to 120 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 60 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Offshore hump: a offshore hump around 58.86543745383673 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is after dark and midday. Summer baits: a heavy jig + cut bait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 70 ft | night & dusk | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | night & midday | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 30 to 80 ft | night & dusk | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Chelatna Lake
Spring rainbow trout on Chelatna Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Coffee Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Arctic Grayling fishing at Chelatna Lake
In spring, arctic grayling run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Coffee Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for arctic grayling in spring. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. A dry fly (parachute adams, elk hair caddis) or a small inline spinner covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dusk | 1/16 oz spinner (silver), Small dry fly (Adams, Griffith's) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Dry fly (parachute Adams, elk hair caddis), Small inline spinner |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Small spoon, Beadhead nymph under indicator |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + waxworm, Small jigging spoon (gold) |
Northern Pike fishing at Chelatna Lake
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Coho Salmon fishing at Chelatna Lake
In spring, coho salmon run shallow here, mostly 3 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 30 to 70 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. Coffee Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring coho salmon. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Small spoon, slow troll |
Chelatna Lake also holds chinook salmon (50 to 120 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 349 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 205 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 185 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 103 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 103 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 58.86543745383673 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 38.353625201876035 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 38.14425777423323 ft
- Coffee Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Common questions
How deep is Chelatna Lake?
Chelatna Lake is about 410 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Chelatna Lake?
Anglers target northern pike, rainbow trout, chinook salmon, coho salmon, lake trout, burbot, arctic grayling on Chelatna Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Chelatna Lake?
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: a offshore hump in about 58.86543745383673 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in winter. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Chelatna Lake?
For lake trout, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Hewitt Lake · Shell Lake · Upper Lilly Lake · Byers Lake · Red Shirt Lake · Nancy Lake
See how Chelatna Lake stacks up: best northern pike lakes in Alaska · best rainbow trout lakes in Alaska · best chinook salmon lakes in Alaska · best coho salmon lakes in Alaska
Browse all Alaska fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.