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1,137-acre lake near Cooper Landing. A deep Kenai lake at the head of the world-famous Russian River, reached by the Resurrection Pass trail, holding wild rainbow trout and Dolly Varden. The lake tops out around 260 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Drawn out, this is 1,143 acres of water rimmed by 8.3 miles of bank. Index 1.7 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. 12% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 2.9 mi, about 1 mi across. The water lies in Kenai Peninsula Borough. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Cooper Lake, 6 mi northeast of here.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: rainbow trout in 5 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 30 ft before dropping to 8 to 40 ft for winter. The spot to know is Creek inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
When the water first warms, arctic char slide up into 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 20 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small) |
| Summer | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Deep basin (221 ft) | Jigging spoon vertical, Tube jig (smelt) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Casting spoon (orange/gold), Beadhead streamer |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (221 ft) | Jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + plastic |
In spring, coho salmon run shallow here, mostly 3 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 30 to 70 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring coho salmon. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (221 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Deep basin (221 ft) | Small spoon, slow troll |
Upper Russian Lake carries 8 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 221 ft down.
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 Upper Russian Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Alaska fishing regulations →
Upper Russian Lake is about 260 ft (79 m) deep 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.
Anglers target rainbow trout, arctic char, coho salmon on Upper Russian Lake.
Creek inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For rainbow trout, 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.
Fishing on Upper Russian 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 · Lower Russian Lake 8 mi · Kenai Lake 11 mi · Jean Lake 15 mi · Skilak Lake 16 mi · Hidden Lake 16 mi · Engineer Lake 18 mi · Upper Trail Lake 20 mi · Kelly Lake 21 mi · Ptarmigan Lake 22 mi · Egumen Lake 23 mi · Watson Lake 24 mi
See how Upper Russian Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Alaska · best coho salmon lakes in Alaska · best arctic char lakes in Alaska
More water nearby: Kenai Peninsula Borough fishing maps (23 charts). Browse all Alaska fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. 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.