Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve guide · 1 min read
Lake Trout, Arctic Char and Grayling Fishing
Lake trout are Alaska's largest freshwater fish and the biggest members of the char family.
They prefer large, deep, cold lakes, where they spend their whole lives. In spring they often move near the surface and along the shoreline, then drop deeper as the season goes on. Many anglers do well with bright spinners or spoons, fishing from shore or near the inlet and outlet streams.
Arctic grayling are the most widespread fish in the park. They live in many clear, cold rivers and in lakes that have an outlet stream. They will take almost any bait, lure, or fly, and they are especially known for rising to a dry fly.
Arctic char in Alaska occur only in the lake-resident freshwater form, and they can be found in the park's lakes. They tend to take many of the same patterns that lake trout do.
Most of the North Slope foothill and mountain lakes that hold fish are small, deep basins at the headwaters of tributary streams that feed large rivers. The clear, cold waters here support several arctic species. The open-water season is short, though, because ice blocks access for much of the year. Trout fishing is best soon after the ice melts, while char and grayling fishing peaks in the fall.
Arctic waters are low in productivity, and fish here grow slowly, so their populations are easy to overfish. Even in areas and seasons where fish are plentiful, the park encourages catch-and-release fishing. If you do keep a fish, take only what you can eat right away.
