Second Hill Lake Fishing in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Second Hill Lake is a Matanuska-Susitna Borough water, in Alaska. The surface lies 2,310 feet up. It measures some 694 acres, and wind has room to build across it. The outline measures near 5.6 miles, so local knowledge counts. Size puts it in the front rank of our Matanuska-Susitna Borough list. The closest town, Valdez, is 85 miles away. The nearest city of size is Anchorage, 144 miles away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Second Hill Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Matanuska-Susitna Borough include rainbow trout, Coho salmon, sockeye salmon and longnose sucker. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Second Hill Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 55°F at the top of summer and -3°F at the bottom of winter. Cold dominates the year and the fishing works around it. Break-up comes around mid May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Climate averages put the opening at about mid May and the closing near mid October. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Plan any trip to Second Hill Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. First Hill Lake, 2.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Second Hill Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.