Loon Lake Fishing near Sterling, Alaska

• Overview

  The Kenai Peninsula Borough end of Alaska holds Loon Lake. The shore lies 18 miles out. The water covers around 610 acres, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. At about 5.2 miles of edge, most people work one arm at a time. Size puts it in the front rank of our Kenai Peninsula Borough list. Sterling lies 9.8 miles from the water. Anchorage is the closest city, 45 miles away. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Loon Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Kenai Peninsula Borough cover northern pike, sockeye salmon, rainbow trout, Coho salmon and Chinook salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Loon Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 16°F in January and 57°F in July. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. The season between ice runs from about late April to early November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. That is the shape of the year on Loon Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. If the gate is shut, Rock Lake at 1.4 miles is the nearest alternative. For Loon Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.