Red Lake Fishing Guide, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Red Lake sits in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, out in Alaska. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. With some 104 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. There is roughly 3.3 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. The nearest place of any size is Willow, 69 miles away. Susitna North lies 74 miles off, Big Lake another 77 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Red Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name rainbow trout, Coho salmon, sockeye salmon, longnose sucker and Arctic charr. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. The near bank of Red Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 57°F and January near 8°F on the long-run figures. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice-out usually falls in mid May, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The lid tends to go about mid May and return around late October. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. It holds true on Red Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Finger Lake, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Red Lake.