Mackeys Lakes, Alaska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, is where Mackeys Lakes sits. Everything around it is rolling bush. It runs to roughly 98 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. There is roughly 2.6 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Some 3.1 miles away sits Ridgeway, the nearest settlement. Soldotna is 3.7 miles and Sterling 7.8 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Mackeys Lakes

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Kenai Peninsula Borough: northern pike, sockeye salmon, rainbow trout and Coho salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Mackeys Lakes gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 57°F and January reads 14°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly early November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. It holds true on Mackeys Lakes more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Derks Lake, 0.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Mackeys Lakes before loading the car.