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Fishing Summit Lake: what the data says
4,077-acre lake near Paxson. a large Richardson Highway lake at Isabel Pass near Paxson, at the head of the Gulkana, holding lake trout, burbot, grayling and whitefish. The lake tops out around 214 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Lake Trout fishing at Summit Lake
Start shallow in spring: lake trout sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 50 to 120 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 80 ft. Rock reef is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 8.628682526321775 ft, rated prime for fall lake trout. Plan around early morning in the warm months. 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 Summit Lake
Start shallow in spring: burbot sit in 25 to 70 ft that time of year. 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 19.354519629804674 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and midday. A heavy jig + cut bait covers the summer program.
| 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 |
Arctic Grayling fishing at Summit 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. Rock reef is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 8.628682526321775 ft, rated prime for spring arctic grayling. 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 | 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) |
Lake Whitefish fishing at Summit Lake
In spring, lake whitefish run shallow here, mostly 15 to 45 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 40 to 90 ft, and winter fish settle into 25 to 70 ft. Rock reef is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 8.628682526321775 ft, rated prime for fall lake whitefish. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Chinook Salmon fishing at Summit Lake
Start shallow in spring: chinook salmon sit in 5 to 40 ft that time of year. 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 Break off the point: a drop-off around 96 ft that scores prime in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn & dusk | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 30 to 90 ft | midday | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 182 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 96 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 54 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 54 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 19.354519629804674 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 8.628682526321775 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 7.440189987161041 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Common questions
How deep is Summit Lake?
Summit Lake is about 214 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 Summit Lake?
Anglers target chinook salmon, lake trout, lake whitefish, burbot, arctic grayling on Summit Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Summit Lake?
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: a offshore hump in about 19.354519629804674 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 Summit 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
Paxson Lake · Crosswind Lake · Klutina Lake · Tonsina Lake · Thompson Lake · Blueberry Lake
See how Summit Lake stacks up: best chinook salmon lakes in Alaska · best lake trout lakes in Alaska · best lake whitefish lakes in Alaska · best burbot lakes in Alaska
Browse all Alaska fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.