Natural lake

Skilak Lake

Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska

Skilak Lake is a big glacial lake on the Kenai River inside the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, reached by Skilak Lake Road off the Sterling Highway. Anglers come for lake trout and for rainbow trout and char at the river inlet and outlet.

Air temp in Cooper Landing, AK Loading current temperature…

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Current air temperature at Skilak Lake (National Weather Service) ↗

Surface area24,512 acres

Max depth—

Shoreline—

Boat motorsCheck local rules

Species

Fishery rating out of 5.

Lake Trout●●●●○

Lake trout come shallow in spring, and summer trolling works deeper than about 45 feet.

Rainbow Trout●●●●○

Rainbows use the lake mostly in winter and gather near the Kenai River inlet and outlet.

Arctic Char●●●○○

The char here are Dolly Varden, which ADF&G groups with Arctic char.

Sockeye Salmon●●○○○

The lake is a sockeye nursery, and adults pass through on the way upriver.

When they bite

Month-by-month activity for each target species.

	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Lake Trout
Rainbow Trout
Arctic Char
Sockeye Salmon

SlowFairGoodHot

Boat launches

3 launch sites. Fees and hours change, so confirm before you go.

Upper Skilak Lake CampgroundPublic
USFWS campground and boat launch on Skilak Lake Road, Kenai National Wildlife RefugeDirections ↗
Lower Skilak Lake CampgroundPublic
USFWS campground with boat launch on Skilak Lake Road, Kenai National Wildlife RefugeDirections ↗
More public accessPublic
See Alaska Fish & Game or the lake manager's website for all ramps and feesDirections ↗

Size & creel limits

Minimum size and daily limit for each species in Skilak Lake are published by the state. Look up the current size and creel limits for this lake directly: Alaska Department of Fish and Game ↗

Rules change, so confirm current limits with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game before you fish.

Bait & tackle nearby

Closest shops to the lake and its boat launches. Call ahead for live bait and hours.

Kenai Cache OutfittersNearby
14899 Sterling Hwy, Cooper Landing, AK(907) 595-1401 Directions ↗
Alaska TroutfittersNearby
18230 Sterling Hwy, Cooper Landing, AK(907) 206-1935 Directions ↗

Search more bait shops near Skilak Lake ↗

Local tips

Launch at the Upper or Lower Skilak campground ramps off Skilak Lake Road.
Glacier winds can build big waves fast, so small boats should stay near shore and watch the weather.
The water is silty from glacial melt, so bright or noisy lures help fish find the bait.

Angler reports

Water temp, what's biting, and anything else other anglers should know about Skilak Lake.

Loading reports...

View on interactive map

Zoom and pan on a street, satellite or terrain map. Red pins are boat launches.