Reed Lake, Alaska: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Reed Lake belongs to Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. It lies 597 feet above sea level. At 18 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is a small entry by Matanuska-Susitna Borough standards. Some 3.9 miles away sits Lakes, the nearest settlement. Tanaina lies 4.4 miles off, Farm Loop another 6 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Reed Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Matanuska-Susitna Borough include rainbow trout, Coho salmon, sockeye salmon, longnose sucker and Arctic charr. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Reed Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 58°F, with January the cold end at about 16°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near early November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. At Reed Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Kennedy Lake at 1.3 miles is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Reed Lake for certain.