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

• Overview

  In Alaska, Lake Louise falls inside Matanuska-Susitna Borough. It sits at 2,359 feet above sea level. It covers about 22.6 sq miles, which means weather matters as much as tactics. The outline is moderately broken, so there is usually a lee somewhere. Nothing else we list in Matanuska-Susitna Borough covers more water. Valdez lies 83 miles from the water. Sutton-Alpine follows at 87 miles, then Lazy Mountain at 92 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lake Louise

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish documented in Matanuska-Susitna Borough include rainbow trout, Coho salmon, sockeye salmon, longnose sucker and Arctic charr. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Lake Louise that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 55°F at the top of summer and -5°F at the bottom of winter. Winter runs most of the calendar, and everything worth doing happens in the gap. Winter locks it down, and mid May brings it back. The season between ice runs from about mid May to late October. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Plan around that when you fish Lake Louise.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Records list it as a fishing water. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Lake Dinty, 2.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Lake Louise carry more weight than any list.