Hess Lake, Alaska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, is where Hess Lake sits. Height above sea level is 364 feet. Around 31 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Bank access stretches around 0.9 miles in total. Nearest town is Meadow Lakes, 0.1 miles off. Anchorage sits 30 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Hess Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Public occurrence data for Matanuska-Susitna Borough names rainbow trout, Coho salmon, sockeye salmon, longnose sucker and Arctic charr. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Hess Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 58°F in July and bottoms out near 13°F in January. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about early November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Hess Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Island Lake is 0.6 miles distant. What applies at Hess Lake may have changed since it was mapped.