Snake Lake ice-out opens boat access for Bristol Bay anglers

Snake Lake is now ice-free and open for fishing, allowing boat access at one of Bristol Bay's sport-fishing destinations, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Anglers should watch for soft shoulders on the access road and drive carefully.

Lower-elevation lakes are mostly ice-free while higher-elevation lakes remain inaccessible due to ice, the department reported Tuesday. An earlier Alaska News article on Bristol Bay ice conditions noted that late breakup had kept many lakes inaccessible through late May.

Fishing at the Wood River Lakes system is good and improving at the outlets of salmon spawning streams as juvenile salmon begin out-migrating in greater numbers, according to the department. Arctic char fishing at the Agulowak River outlet is good, with char coming to the surface. Effort is still minimal in Bristol Bay but more anglers are starting to arrive and should continue to increase this week.

Rainbow trout fishing on the Snake River has recently been poor, with few rainbow trout observed in the river yet. Halibut fishing should be fair off the coast of Protection Point.

There are currently no emergency orders for the Bristol Bay management area.