Irene Lake Fishing near Gateway, Alaska

• Overview

  Set in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Irene Lake is an Alaska water. The water sits 135 feet up. Surface area runs to about 21 acres — small enough to read in one session. Our Matanuska-Susitna Borough list holds plenty of bigger water. The town to know is Gateway, 1.8 miles out. Beyond it, Palmer at 3.6 miles and Lakes at 5 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Irene Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Matanuska-Susitna Borough, recorded fish include rainbow trout, Coho salmon, sockeye salmon and longnose sucker. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Irene Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 58°F, the coldest about 14°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near early November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Irene Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Canoe Lake at 0.2 miles is the sensible second choice. Signs at Irene Lake carry more weight than any list.