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

• Overview

  Jewell Lake stands in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. It sits at 135 feet above sea level. Surface area is around 101 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The edge runs 2.4 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Nearest place of any size is Big Lake, 5.2 miles away. Anchorage sits 17 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Jewell Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Matanuska-Susitna Borough cover 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. On Jewell Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 58°F, the coldest about 11°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about early November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. On Jewell Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A platform or pier sits within half a mile. 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 tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Cann Lake is 0.9 miles off. Nothing on Jewell Lake should be assumed from this page alone.