Bottleneck Lakes Fishing Guide, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Out in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, sits Bottleneck Lakes. The shore lies 1.5 miles out. The water covers some 35 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. About 1.3 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. It is a small entry by Kenai Peninsula Borough standards. The town to know is Cohoe, 6.2 miles out. Beyond it, Kalifornsky at 9.6 miles and Soldotna at 17 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Bottleneck Lakes

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Kenai Peninsula Borough include northern pike, sockeye salmon, rainbow trout and Coho salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Bottleneck Lakes a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 15°F in January and 55°F in July. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. The season on Bottleneck Lakes follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Encelewski Lake is 2.7 miles off. Confirm access to Bottleneck Lakes locally before you travel.