A postal questionnaire was used to estimate the seasonal distribution of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush fishing effort and catch and the proportion of lake trout caught with baited and unbaited lures in the Tanana drainage during 1991. Of the 159 surveys mailed, 129 (84%) were successfully delivered and 87 (67%) of the delivered surveys were completed and returned. Forty of the returned surveys (46%) indicated that they fished for lake trout in 1991. The greatest proportion of fishing effort (0.827) occurred during the open water season. Similarly, the greatest proportion of the lake trout catch (0.868) came from summer angling. The proportion of lake trout caught with baited terminal gear during the ice-covered season was 0.545, whereas the proportion of lake trout caught with baited terminal gear during the open water season was 0.077. Although baited lures were important in the winter fishery, they accounted for only a small proportion (0.132) of the annual catch.