Fishing Lucile Lake in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Lucile Lake is a Matanuska-Susitna Borough water, Alaska side. The land about it is lake country bush. Roughly 378 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. The perimeter runs near 4.1 miles, so plan the walk before you start. On our Matanuska-Susitna Borough list it sits near the top for size. Some 1.2 miles away sits Wasilla, the nearest settlement. For a city, Anchorage is 29 miles off. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lucile Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Public occurrence data for Matanuska-Susitna Borough names rainbow trout, Coho salmon, sockeye salmon, longnose sucker and Arctic charr. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Treat Lucile Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 58°F and January near 15°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about early November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Plan any trip to Lucile Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A picnic area is mapped about half a mile away. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. The nearest alternative is Emerald Lake, 1.9 miles out. Ask locally about Lucile Lake if anything is unclear.