Lake fishing fun

Valley Life editor

As giant king salmon start making their way to the Susitna Valley streams, many anglers forget that some of the best fishing of the year is already taking place -- in Valley lakes.

While you won't find 50-pound king salmon swimming in those waters, you will find hungry and eager rainbow trout, willing grayling and the occasional northern pike, which all adds up to evenings and weekends of fun for anglers.

"It's a lot more quiet out fishing the lakes, that's for sure," said Gerald DeLong, who said some of his favorite spots to hit are two Kepler-Bradley lakes, stopping short of identifying them by name. "I go fishing to get away from everything, not fight the other 100 people on the bank. When it's time to stock the freezer, we go down and dipnet for reds one weekend. That's all the salmon fishing I need."

That's a growing sentiment among anglers who are frustrated with overcrowded rivers, and the many problems that brings, including illegal fishing, litter and overall, more of a hostile environment. For those anglers, paddling a canoe around a lake in search of trout 10-18 inches is a lot more rewarding.

"I grew up on a lake in Wisconsin, so it feels like home," said Sammy Donnell, DeLong's fishing partner. "You can hear for miles. Everything seems to slow down when you are out on the lake."

Lake fishing can be very productive during the spring and early summer, as fish tend to hug the shores until the warmer weather pushes them to deeper water. Donnell said lake fishing yields one of life's treasures when it comes to fly fishing.

"Up here, we don't have the dry fly fishing like they do in the Lower 48," Donnell said. "But on the lakes, you can see the bugs coming off the water, try to match them and catch rainbows on dries.

"There's nothing like seeing the rise, but we don't get to do that too much up here. That alone makes it worth it to fish lakes every now and then in my mind," Donnell said.

Lakes are also a good place to take children just starting to fish, and learning to appreciate the time spent outdoors.

Smaller crowds means less distraction, and at some of the easier to access areas, like Kepler-Bradley lakes and the Nancy Lake System lakes, you can rent a canoe, making it even easier to get on the water.