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Fishing Tustumena Lake: what the data says
73,432-acre lake near Kasilof. the largest lake on the Kenai Peninsula and one of Alaska's deepest, a vast glacier-fed lake in the Kenai NWR with big lake trout, rainbows, Dolly Varden and salmon. The lake tops out around 942 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Lake Trout fishing at Tustumena Lake
Spring lake trout on Tustumena Lake hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. They move out to 50 to 120 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 80 ft. The spot to know is Offshore hump, a offshore hump in about 76 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in summer. 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 |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Tustumena Lake
Spring rainbow trout on Tustumena 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. If you only fish one area, make it Shoreline point: a point around 31 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.
| 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 Tustumena Lake
In spring, arctic char run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 20 to 60 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 40 ft. Offshore hump is the standout, a offshore hump at roughly 37 ft, rated prime for summer arctic char. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Summer baits: a jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small) |
| Summer | 20 to 60 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 |
Coho Salmon fishing at Tustumena Lake
Spring coho salmon on Tustumena Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 30 to 70 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shoreline point: a point around 31 ft that scores prime in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Small spoon, slow troll |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 806 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 461 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 254 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 236 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 196 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 140 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 126 ft
- Nikolai Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 100 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 76 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 74 ft
- Bear Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 66 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 51 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 46 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 37 ft
Common questions
How deep is Tustumena Lake?
Tustumena Lake is about 942 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 Tustumena Lake?
Anglers target rainbow trout, coho salmon, lake trout, arctic char on Tustumena Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Tustumena Lake?
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: a offshore hump in about 76 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Tustumena 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
Kasilof River · Kenai River (Middle) · Silver Lake · Watson Lake · Egumen Lake · Swan Lake
See how Tustumena Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Alaska · best coho salmon lakes in Alaska · best lake trout 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.