We have phenomenal lake fishing within the Mat-Su Borough. It’s a secret we’ve been trying to tell for years. Given the spring we are currently having, which feels more like a well-prayed-for day in June, we hope it lends to an even greater interest in discovering the more than 80 fishable lakes in our back yard.
Here’s some information to get you hooked on the idea. With any luck, we’ll see you on the water this weekend.
For fishermen, the most anticipated part of spring is how quickly lakes transition from thick ice to open water. This year, the ice on Finger Lake made this transition over the course of three days.
Two Sundays ago, we were standing on Finger Lake ice fishing. The next day the ice was no longer suitable to walk on. The following day, half the lake was open. And by Wednesday, we had our boat unwrapped and in the water. We still can’t believe it.
Typically we are left with time to detangle and pack away our ice fishing gear, dig out our summer gear, and stare at the receding lake ice through April and into May. Not the case this year, and fisherman everywhere are springing into action.
Our luck doesn’t end there. Other factors, such as water clarity, also slow progress for spring stillwater fishing.
Typically, when the ice goes out, there will be a period of poor water clarity, making it more difficult to find a bite. When it clears, some of the best fishing of the entire year takes place. This year we noticed, at least on Finger Lake, if there was a time with cloudy, poor water clarity, it went by almost undetected. More good news.
There are lakes in the Valley that still have ice coverage to some degree. With this weekend’s warm weather, hopefully your favorite lake will have open water by Monday. With this said, a word of caution should be extended. If you must go on the ice, have a good enough reason to justify falling through, and a plan to get yourself out.
We watched anxiously as a teen walked across rotten honeycomb ice to fish a natural wide open spring in the middle of the lake, of all places. We also cringed watching a husky run across the ice, luckily falling through close enough to a public boat launch to make the swim to shore only to have his owner call him back across the ice that he just fell through.
Both the teen and the dog are safe, and luckily the ice went out. But seriously, common sense comes in handy in both these situations. If you don’t have that handy, heed the free advice being hollered your direction.
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