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Fishing Hidden Lake: what the data says
1,596-acre lake near Sterling. a popular Kenai NWR lake off Skilak Lake Road, one of the few road-accessible Kenai lakes with lake trout, plus rainbows, Dolly Varden and salmon. The lake tops out around 148 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Lake Trout fishing at Hidden Lake
Spring lake trout on Hidden 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. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 123 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Hidden Lake
Spring rainbow trout on Hidden Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 19 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 Char fishing at Hidden Lake
In spring, arctic char run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 20 to 60 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 60 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small) |
| Summer | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon vertical, Tube jig (smelt) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Casting spoon (orange/gold), Beadhead streamer |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + plastic |
Coho Salmon fishing at Hidden Lake
Start shallow in spring: coho salmon sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 30 to 70 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 60 ft of water that rates prime for coho salmon in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 123 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 60 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 51 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 37 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 32 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 19 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 16 ft
Common questions
How deep is Hidden Lake?
Hidden Lake is about 148 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Hidden Lake?
Anglers target rainbow trout, coho salmon, lake trout, arctic char on Hidden Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Hidden Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 123 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Hidden 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
Engineer Lake · Skilak Lake · Jean Lake · Kelly Lake · Egumen Lake · Watson Lake
See how Hidden Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Alaska · best coho salmon lakes in Alaska · best lake trout lakes in Alaska · best arctic char lakes in Alaska
Browse all Alaska fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.