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360-acre lake near Trapper Creek. A clear, road-accessible lake in Denali State Park with lake trout, burbot, grayling, rainbow trout and Dolly Varden. The lake tops out around 177 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Byers Lake maps at 345 acres behind 4.4 miles of shoreline. A middling shoreline index (1.7) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. About 13% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. The basin spans about 1.4 mi end to end and 0.7 mi across at its widest. It sits in Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Its nearest charted neighbour, Stephan Lake, is 39 mi to the east.
Spring lake trout on Byers Lake hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 50 to 120 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 80 ft. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 80 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (44 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Break off the point (80 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (44 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Break off the point (80 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Spring burbot on Byers Lake hold shallow, usually 25 to 70 ft. By summer they slide out to 50 to 120 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 60 ft. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 80 ft, prime for fall. Prime time lands in after dark and midday. The summer box starts with a heavy jig + cut bait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 70 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (150 ft) | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | night & midday | Break off the point (80 ft) | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 30 to 80 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (80 ft) | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (150 ft) | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
Come spring, look for arctic grayling tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 3 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 8 to 25 ft. Start at Creek inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 8 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in the evening and early morning. A dry fly (parachute adams, elk hair caddis) or a small inline spinner is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | 1/16 oz spinner (silver), Small dry fly (Adams, Griffith's) |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Dry fly (parachute Adams, elk hair caddis), Small inline spinner |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small spoon, Beadhead nymph under indicator |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tungsten jig + waxworm, Small jigging spoon (gold) |
When the water first warms, rainbow trout slide up into 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Creek inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
In spring, arctic char run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 20 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 40 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring arctic char. Time it for early morning. You won't need more than a jigging spoon vertical or a tube jig (smelt) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Small casting spoon (silver/orange), Jerkbait (small) |
| Summer | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Deep basin (150 ft) | Jigging spoon vertical, Tube jig (smelt) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Casting spoon (orange/gold), Beadhead streamer |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (150 ft) | Jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + plastic |
The chart marks 8 structure features on Byers Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 150 ft.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. 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 Byers Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Alaska fishing regulations →
Byers Lake is about 177 ft (54 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 lake trout, burbot, arctic grayling, rainbow trout, arctic char on Byers Lake.
Creek inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for arctic grayling in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For lake trout, 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 Byers 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.
Stephan Lake 39 mi · Chelatna Lake 46 mi · Hewitt Lake 65 mi · Shell Lake 71 mi · Nancy Lake 72 mi · Zero lake 76 mi · Red Shirt Lake 77 mi · Prator Lake 78 mi · Slipper (Eska) Lake 79 mi · Memory Lake 80 mi · Kings Lake 81 mi · Anderson Lake 81 mi
See how Byers Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in Alaska · best lake trout lakes in Alaska · best burbot lakes in Alaska · best arctic grayling 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.