Lemon Creek Fishing Guides
A short glacier-fed creek on the Juneau road system with a gauge reporting both flow and water temperature, running silty in summer and clearing for the autumn coho.
Guides on the Lemon Creek
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About the Lemon Creek
Lemon Creek drains the Lemon Creek Glacier and the ice field behind it, running a short distance down to Gastineau Channel on the edge of Juneau. It is one of the genuinely accessible pieces of salmon water on the Juneau road system, which in southeast Alaska counts for a great deal: most fishing here requires a boat or a float plane, and a creek you can reach by car is worth knowing about.
The gauge is unusually useful because it reports water temperature alongside stage and discharge. Both numbers matter on a glacial stream. Through the summer, melt off the ice field drives flow up on warm afternoons and carries rock flour that turns the creek opaque grey, and fishing in that water is largely a waste of time. As air temperatures drop into the autumn, melt shuts down, the creek drops and clears, and it becomes a different proposition entirely. The temperature trace is the clearest early signal that the seasonal switch has happened.
Coho are the prize and the reason most anglers fish it, arriving in the late summer and running into the autumn once rain has raised the creek. Pink salmon come in heavy numbers on their two-year cycle, chum are present, and a few sockeye pass through. Dolly Varden and coastal cutthroat trout hold in the creek and around the mouth, following the salmon and feeding on eggs, and they provide the fishing between runs.
Access is straightforward by Alaskan standards, from the Juneau road system with pull-offs and short walks to the water. Alaska’s regulations are detailed, vary by species and by season, and should be read for the specific reach before fishing.
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Access
Juneau road system - the creek is reachable by car, a rarity in southeast Alaska and the main reason it is fished.
Gastineau Channel - the saltwater the creek enters, where fish stage before running and where the mouth fishery sets up.
Lemon Creek Glacier - the ice source upstream that governs summer flow, silt load and water temperature.
Mendenhall River - the larger neighbouring drainage a short drive away, the usual alternative when Lemon is silted.
Salmon Creek - another short road-accessible Juneau stream with a similar run timing.
Juneau - immediately adjacent, with tackle, guides, charters, lodging and air access.
Douglas Island - across the channel, offering beach and shoreline access to the same saltwater fish.
Seasons
Spring: quiet, with resident Dolly Varden and cutthroat the only realistic targets before the melt begins.
Summer: high, cold and grey with glacial melt, poor for fishing but the period when pink salmon arrive in numbers.
Fall: the season worth planning around, as melt shuts off, the creek clears and coho run on autumn rain.
Winter: effectively over, with low cold water, short daylight and no migratory fish present.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Lemon Creek?
Anglers target Chum Salmon, Coastal Cutthroat Trout, Coho Salmon, Dolly Varden, Pink Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Sockeye Salmon, Steelhead on the Lemon Creek in Alaska.
Where can you access the Lemon Creek?
Juneau road system - the creek is reachable by car, a rarity in southeast Alaska and the main reason it is fished. Gastineau Channel - the saltwater the creek enters, where fish stage before running and where the mouth fishery sets up. Lemon Creek Glacier - the ice source upstream that governs summer flow, silt load and water temperature. Mendenhall River - the larger neighbouring drainage a short drive away, the usual alternative when Lemon is silted. Salmon Creek - another short road-accessible Juneau stream with a similar run timing. Juneau - immediately adjacent, with tackle, guides, chart...
When is the best time to fish the Lemon Creek?
Spring: quiet, with resident Dolly Varden and cutthroat the only realistic targets before the melt begins. Summer: high, cold and grey with glacial melt, poor for fishing but the period when pink salmon arrive in numbers. Fall: the season worth planning around, as melt shuts off, the creek clears and coho run on autumn rain. Winter: effectively over, with low cold water, short daylight and no migratory fish present.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Lemon Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Alaska agency site: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishregulations.main