Fishing Drill Lake in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  In Alaska, Drill Lake belongs to Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Tidal water begins 32 miles from here. It measures about 29 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 1.3 miles on foot. You are 14 miles from Sutton-Alpine. The big place round here is Anchorage, 61 miles distant. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Drill Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name rainbow trout, Coho salmon and sockeye salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. At Drill Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 51°F and January near 13°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early May. In an average year the thaw lands around early May and the freeze near late October. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It sets the rhythm of the year at Drill Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Fish Lake is 1.9 miles off. Rules at Drill Lake are worth checking on the day.