Christiansen Lake Fishing in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Christiansen Lake is set in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. The country round it is lake country bush from end to end. Around 150 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. At about 5.1 miles of edge, most people work one arm at a time. 13 miles away sits Susitna North, the nearest town. The nearest city of size is Anchorage, 76 miles away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Christiansen Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Matanuska-Susitna Borough records list rainbow trout, Coho salmon, sockeye salmon, longnose sucker and Arctic charr among the fish reported. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At Christiansen Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 12°F and July at about 58°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice-out usually falls in early May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Average temperatures cross freezing around early May in spring and again near late October in autumn. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. The season on Christiansen Lake rarely departs from it.

• 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. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Y Lake is 0.7 miles off. Check the position on Christiansen Lake before loading the car.