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2,990-acre lake near Big Lake. The busy road-accessible recreation lake in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, holding Dolly Varden, burbot, northern pike and stocked rainbow trout. The lake tops out around 89 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
Traced from the shoreline, Big Lake runs 3,072 acres with 27.5 miles of edge, with 6 islands in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 3.5) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. 32% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 4.6 mi, about 2.2 mi across. The water lies in Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Prator Lake, 8 mi northeast of here.
When the water first warms, arctic char slide up into 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 20 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Rock reef: a rock pile around 8 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Sharp break (11 ft) | Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small) |
| Summer | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Break off the point (40 ft) | Jigging spoon vertical, Tube jig (smelt) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Rock reef (8 ft) | Casting spoon (orange/gold), Beadhead streamer |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (40 ft) | Jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + plastic |
Start shallow in spring: burbot sit in 25 to 70 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 27 to 89 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 60 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 76 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and midday. Throw a heavy jig + cut bait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 70 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (76 ft) | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 27 to 89 ft | night & midday | Deep basin (76 ft) | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 30 to 80 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (76 ft) | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Rock reef (8 ft) | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
Spring puts northern pike in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 5 to 15 ft. Spring northern pike concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 6 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (11 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: rainbow trout in 5 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 30 ft before dropping to 8 to 40 ft for winter. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 40 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (6 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (8 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (8 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Break off the point (40 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
The chart marks 23 structure features on Big Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 76 ft.
Access data: Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game — Launch Ramps. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Alaska waters are set by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game — and special regulations can apply to Big Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Alaska fishing regulations →
Big Lake is about 89 ft (27 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target arctic char, burbot, northern pike, rainbow trout on Big Lake.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 76 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in summer. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For arctic char, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Big Lake is regulated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Check the official Alaska regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Prator Lake 8 mi · Zero lake 8 mi · Red Shirt Lake 11 mi · Nancy Lake 11 mi · Beach Lake 14 mi · Walden Lake 15 mi · Clunie Lake 16 mi · Memory Lake 17 mi · Lower Fire Lake 17 mi · Wasilla Lake 18 mi · Spring Lake 18 mi · Mirror Lake 18 mi
See how Big Lake stacks up: best northern pike lakes in Alaska · best rainbow trout lakes in Alaska · best burbot lakes in Alaska · best arctic char lakes in Alaska
More water nearby: Matanuska-Susitna Borough fishing maps (15 charts). Browse all Alaska fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.