Little Merganser Lake Fishing Guide, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Little Merganser Lake is a Kenai Peninsula Borough water, in Alaska. The shore lies 14 miles out. Surface area runs to about 11 acres — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Kenai Peninsula Borough list. Sterling sits 14 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Anchorage sits 42 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 Little Merganser Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Open biodiversity records for Kenai Peninsula Borough list northern pike, sockeye salmon, rainbow trout, Coho salmon and Chinook salmon. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. The shape of Little Merganser Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 57°F, the coldest about 16°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about early November. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That shapes the year on Little Merganser Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Big Merganser Lake, 0.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Ask locally about Little Merganser Lake if anything is unclear.