Fishing at Bench Lake, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  This water sits in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska. The surroundings are lake country bush. It measures about 93 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The whole outline is near 2.2 miles, and most of it is walkable. Girdwood lies 22 miles from the water. Beyond it, Bear Creek at 32 miles and Seward at 36 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Bench Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Kenai Peninsula Borough include northern pike, sockeye salmon and rainbow trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. At Bench Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 51°F and January about 19°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid May. Break-up near mid May, freeze-up near late October: that is the shape of an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Bench Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Should this one be busy, Johnson Lake is 1.2 miles off. For Bench Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.