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6,100-acre lake near Cooper Landing. A deep, turquoise glacial lake at the head of the Kenai River near Cooper Landing, with lake trout, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, grayling and whitefish. The lake tops out around 569 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 the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
There are 57.2 miles of drawn shoreline to work, with a single island in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 3.4) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Roughly 0% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. End to end it runs roughly 19.7 mi, about 6 mi across. The water lies in Kenai Peninsula Borough. The nearest mapped water is Cooper Lake, 6 mi to the west.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: lake trout in 10 to 40 ft. As the season builds they drop to 50 to 120 ft, wintering in 20 to 80 ft. Top water on the chart: Rock reef, a rock pile in the 10 ft range, prime in fall. Time it for early morning. Summer baits: a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (10 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (50 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (10 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (50 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 8 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Snow River inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in the 9 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Snow River inflow (9 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Snow River inflow (9 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (10 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Snow River inflow (9 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Come spring, look for arctic char tight to the bank in 4 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 20 to 60 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 40 ft. Start at Offshore hump. It's an offshore hump holding about 50 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in early morning. A jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Snow River inflow (9 ft) | Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small) |
| Summer | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (50 ft) | Jigging spoon vertical, Tube jig (smelt) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Rock reef (10 ft) | Casting spoon (orange/gold), Beadhead streamer |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (18 ft) | Jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + plastic |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: arctic grayling in 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 3 to 15 ft before dropping to 8 to 25 ft for winter. The spot to know is Snow River inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for arctic grayling in spring. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a dry fly (parachute adams, elk hair caddis) or a small inline spinner gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dusk | Snow River inflow (9 ft) | 1/16 oz spinner (silver), Small dry fly (Adams, Griffith's) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Snow River inflow (9 ft) | Dry fly (parachute Adams, elk hair caddis), Small inline spinner |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Rock reef (10 ft) | Small spoon, Beadhead nymph under indicator |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Rock reef (10 ft) | Tungsten jig + waxworm, Small jigging spoon (gold) |
Come spring, look for lake whitefish tight to the bank in 15 to 45 ft. Expect a summer slide to 40 to 90 ft, then a winter hold in 25 to 70 ft. Start at Rock reef. It's a rock pile holding about 10 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in early morning. A blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (18 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (50 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Rock reef (10 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (50 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
13 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 567 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game — Launch Ramps. 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 Kenai Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Alaska fishing regulations →
Kenai Lake is about 569 ft (173 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target lake trout, rainbow trout, arctic char, arctic grayling, lake whitefish on Kenai Lake.
Snow River inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each 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 Kenai 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.
Cooper Lake 6 mi · Upper Trail Lake 9 mi · Ptarmigan Lake 11 mi · Upper Russian Lake 11 mi · Lower Russian Lake 14 mi · Jean Lake 21 mi · Hidden Lake 23 mi · Skilak Lake 25 mi · Engineer Lake 25 mi · Kelly Lake 28 mi · Egumen Lake 30 mi · Watson Lake 31 mi
See how Kenai Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Alaska · best lake trout lakes in Alaska · best lake whitefish lakes in Alaska · best arctic grayling lakes in Alaska
More water nearby: Kenai Peninsula Borough fishing maps (23 charts). Browse all Alaska fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. 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.