First Hill Lake in Matanuska-Susitna Borough: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, First Hill Lake is an Alaska water. Elevation runs to 2,267 feet. It measures some 623 acres, and wind has room to build across it. The shoreline runs about 4.6 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. On our Matanuska-Susitna Borough list it sits near the top for size. 86 miles away sits Valdez, the nearest town. Sutton-Alpine lies 100 miles off, Lazy Mountain another 105 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on First Hill Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Public occurrence data for Matanuska-Susitna Borough names rainbow trout, Coho salmon, sockeye salmon, longnose sucker and Arctic charr. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At First Hill Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 55°F, while January sits near -3°F. The season is measured in weeks rather than months. After mid May the shallows warm and the fish move up. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid May and starts locking again about mid October. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. That shapes the year on First Hill Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Second Hill Lake, 2.8 miles away. For First Hill Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.