Fishing at Lake Five, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  The Matanuska-Susitna Borough entry here is Lake Five, in Alaska. Around the bank it is rolling bush. At 12 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Matanuska-Susitna Borough list. Susitna North lies 8 miles from the water. Willow follows at 32 miles, then Houston at 41 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lake Five

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Survey and observation records for Matanuska-Susitna Borough include rainbow trout, Coho salmon and sockeye salmon. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Read Lake Five before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 59°F; the cold one sits at 10°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. On average, late April opens the water and late October closes it again. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. On Lake Five the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. The nearest alternative is Lake Six, 0.4 miles out. Treat Lake Five as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.