Memory Lake Fishing Guide, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Out in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, sits Memory Lake. It sits 8 miles in from the sea. With some 87 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Nearest town is Tanaina, 0.2 miles off. For a city, Anchorage is 32 miles off. Also within reach: Chignaki Pond about 2.1 miles, Kings Lake within 2.3 miles, Emerald Lake about 2.6 miles and Anderson Lake within 2.9 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Memory Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name rainbow trout, Coho salmon, sockeye salmon and longnose sucker. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Memory Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 58°F for July and 15°F for January. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Open water usually runs from late April until about early November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. It holds true on Memory Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. There is a slipway on the shore, half a mile from the water we list. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Chignaki Pond, 2.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Memory Lake carry more weight than any list.