Butterfly Lake Fishing near Big Lake, Alaska

• Overview

  Butterfly Lake is a Matanuska-Susitna Borough water, Alaska side. The country round it is lake country bush from end to end. At 294 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. You are looking at roughly 4.5 miles of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Few waters listed in Matanuska-Susitna Borough are bigger. Supplies mean a trip to Big Lake, 7.5 miles off. Houston is 11 miles away, with Willow at 11 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Butterfly Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name rainbow trout, Coho salmon and sockeye salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Butterfly Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 9°F and July at about 58°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. From about late April to around early November, expect open water on the long-run figures. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Butterfly Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Heart Lake, 1.2 miles out. Nothing here settles the position at Butterfly Lake for certain.