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Fishing Swan Lake: what the data says
832-acre lake near Sterling. a hub of the Swan Lake canoe route in the Kenai NWR, holding rainbow trout, Dolly Varden and coho salmon. The lake tops out around 44 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.
Coho Salmon fishing at Swan Lake
Start shallow in spring: coho salmon sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. They move out to 13 to 44 ft in summer and finish the year down in 13 to 44 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 36 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 13 to 44 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 13 to 44 ft | midday | Small spoon, slow troll |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Swan Lake
Spring rainbow trout on Swan 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. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 26 ft, rated prime for winter rainbow trout. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. 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 Swan Lake
Spring arctic char on Swan Lake hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 13 to 44 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 40 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 36 ft, rated prime for summer arctic char. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small) |
| Summer | 13 to 44 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 |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 36 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 26 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 17 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 15 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 13 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Swan Lake?
Swan Lake is about 44 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 Swan Lake?
Anglers target rainbow trout, coho salmon, arctic char on Swan Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Swan Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 36 ft of water that rates prime for coho salmon in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Swan Lake?
For coho salmon, 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
Paddle Lake · Watson Lake · Egumen Lake · Pepper Lake · Kenai River (Middle) · Kelly Lake
See how Swan Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Alaska · best coho salmon 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.