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648,000-acre lake near Iliamna. Alaska's largest lake and the world's greatest sockeye-salmon nursery, a vast Bristol Bay water holding trophy lake trout, huge rainbows, Arctic char, grayling, pike and whitefish. The lake tops out around 988 ft. Contours on this water are modeled from its actual shoreline and max depth. Good for finding likely water, never for navigation. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Iliamna Lake maps at 655,476 acres behind 560.2 miles of shoreline, broken up by 63 islands. An index of 4.9 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. 21% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 77.2 mi, about 32.5 mi across. Lake and Peninsula Borough claims this one. Crescent Lake sits 88 mi northeast — the closest neighbouring chart.
When the water first warms, lake trout slide up into 10 to 40 ft. Summer is a 50 to 120 ft game here, winter a 20 to 80 ft one. Start at Rock reef. It's a rock pile holding about 11 ft of water and rates prime come fall. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (11 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Deep basin (840 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (11 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Rock reef (11 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Start shallow in spring: arctic char sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 20 to 60 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Rock reef, a rock pile in the 8 ft range, prime in fall. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Newhalen River inflow (8 ft) | Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small) |
| Summer | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Deep basin (840 ft) | Jigging spoon vertical, Tube jig (smelt) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Rock reef (8 ft) | Casting spoon (orange/gold), Beadhead streamer |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Rock reef (11 ft) | Jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + plastic |
Early season arctic grayling use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 3 to 15 ft game here, winter an 8 to 25 ft one. The chart's best answer is Newhalen River inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 8 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Tie on a dry fly (parachute adams, elk hair caddis) or a small inline spinner and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dusk | Newhalen River inflow (8 ft) | 1/16 oz spinner (silver), Small dry fly (Adams, Griffith's) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Newhalen River inflow (8 ft) | Dry fly (parachute Adams, elk hair caddis), Small inline spinner |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Rock reef (8 ft) | Small spoon, Beadhead nymph under indicator |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Rock reef (8 ft) | Tungsten jig + waxworm, Small jigging spoon (gold) |
When the water first warms, northern pike slide up into 2 to 8 ft. 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. Keep a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow flat (8 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Spring rainbow trout on Iliamna 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. Put Newhalen River inflow first on the milk run — an inflow / creek mouth near 8 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Newhalen River inflow (8 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Newhalen River inflow (8 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (11 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Newhalen River inflow (8 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Come spring, look for chinook salmon tight to the bank in 5 to 40 ft. They move out to 50 to 120 ft in summer and finish the year down in 30 to 90 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Newhalen River inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Newhalen River inflow (8 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (840 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Newhalen River inflow (8 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 30 to 90 ft | midday | Deep basin (840 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
Iliamna Lake also holds lake whitefish (40 to 90 ft in summer), cisco (lake herring) (40 to 80 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 50 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 840 ft.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Alaska waters are set by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game — and special regulations can apply to Iliamna Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Alaska fishing regulations →
Iliamna Lake is about 988 ft (301 m) deep 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.
Anglers target lake trout, arctic char, arctic grayling, northern pike, rainbow trout, chinook salmon, lake whitefish, cisco (lake herring) on Iliamna Lake.
Newhalen River inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for arctic grayling in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
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.
Fishing on Iliamna Lake is regulated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Check the official Alaska regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Crescent Lake 88 mi · Becharof Lake 130 mi · Kasilof River 136 mi · Tustumena Lake 145 mi · Nunavaugaluk Lake 145 mi · Upper Ugashik Lake 146 mi · Silver Lake 159 mi · Lower Ugashik Lake 160 mi · Kenai River (Middle) 160 mi · Watson Lake 166 mi · Egumen Lake 167 mi · Swan Lake 168 mi
See how Iliamna Lake stacks up: best northern pike lakes in Alaska · best rainbow trout lakes in Alaska · best chinook salmon lakes in Alaska · best lake trout lakes in Alaska
Browse all Alaska fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.