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Fishing Red Shirt Lake: what the data says
1,359-acre lake near Willow. a trail-in lake in the Nancy Lake State Recreation Area, a well-known Southcentral northern pike destination. The lake tops out around 50 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Northern Pike fishing at Red Shirt 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 |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 43 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 25 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 23 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 13 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 13 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Lynx Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 5 ft
Common questions
How deep is Red Shirt Lake?
Red Shirt Lake is about 50 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 Red Shirt Lake?
Anglers target northern pike on Red Shirt Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Red Shirt Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Red Shirt Lake?
For northern pike, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Nancy Lake · Big Lake · Zero lake · Prator Lake · Green Lake · Campbell Point Lake
See how Red Shirt Lake stacks up: best northern pike lakes in Alaska
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