Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
1,754-acre lake near Moose Pass. A road-accessible Kenai lake at Moose Pass in the Trail Lakes system, with lake trout, Dolly Varden, rainbows and a coho run. The lake tops out around 146 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
Upper Trail Lake maps at 1,575 acres behind 18.8 miles of shoreline, with 3 islands in the mix. The 3.4 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 20% of this chart, as modeled. The basin spans about 5.3 mi end to end and 2.9 mi across at its widest. It sits in Kenai Peninsula Borough. Its nearest charted neighbour, Ptarmigan Lake, is 8 mi to the southeast.
Early season lake trout use the shallows, holding in 10 to 40 ft. Expect a summer slide to 50 to 120 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 80 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 124 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (37 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Deep basin (124 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (37 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Break off the point (66 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Spring puts arctic char in skinny water — 4 to 15 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 20 to 60 ft, wintering in 10 to 40 ft. Spring arctic char concentrate at Trail Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Trail Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small) |
| Summer | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Break off the point (66 ft) | Jigging spoon vertical, Tube jig (smelt) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Trail Creek inflow (8 ft) | Casting spoon (orange/gold), Beadhead streamer |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (124 ft) | Jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + plastic |
Come spring, look for rainbow trout tight to the bank in 5 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 8 to 40 ft. Start at Trail Creek inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 8 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Trail Creek inflow (8 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Trail Creek inflow (8 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (37 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Trail Creek inflow (8 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Early season coho salmon use the shallows, holding in 3 to 25 ft. Summer is a 30 to 70 ft game here, winter a 20 to 60 ft one. The chart's best answer is Trail Creek inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 8 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Trail Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (66 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Trail Creek inflow (8 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Break off the point (66 ft) | Small spoon, slow troll |
The chart marks 10 structure features on Upper Trail Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 124 ft.
Access data: Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game — Launch Ramps. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
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 Trail Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Alaska fishing regulations →
Upper Trail Lake is about 146 ft (45 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 lake trout, arctic char, rainbow trout, coho salmon on Upper Trail Lake.
Trail 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. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
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.
Fishing on Upper Trail 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.
Ptarmigan Lake 8 mi · Kenai Lake 9 mi · Cooper Lake 15 mi · Upper Russian Lake 20 mi · Lower Russian Lake 21 mi · Alder Pond 26 mi · Tangle Pond 26 mi · Airstrip Pond 26 mi · Jean Lake 27 mi · Hidden Lake 30 mi · Engineer Lake 32 mi · Skilak Lake 32 mi
See how Upper Trail 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
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.