Fishing Susan Lake in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Set in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Susan Lake is an Alaska water. Beyond the shoreline you have lake country bush. The water covers some 45 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. About 1.2 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. The nearest town is Big Lake, 1.9 miles away. The nearest city of size is Anchorage, 21 miles away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Susan Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Open biodiversity records for Matanuska-Susitna Borough list rainbow trout, Coho salmon, sockeye salmon, longnose sucker and Arctic charr. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Susan Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 58°F; the cold one sits at 10°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. On average, late April opens the water and early November closes it again. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Susan Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Sara Lake sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing on Susan Lake should be assumed from this page alone.