Contact:
Sam Ivey
Area Management Biologist
Phone: 907-746-6300

The Jim Creek drainage – including all waters downstream to the Knik River and continuing downstream on the Knik River to within 100 yards of its confluence with Bodenberg Creek – will close to sport fishing for salmon beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, August 20. Anglers may not target any species of salmon and must immediately release any salmon that is caught incidentally.

“While there are still a few sockeye salmon in Jim Creek, the intent of this closure is to protect coho salmon and give more fish an opportunity to reach the spawning grounds,” Sam Ivey, the Sport Fish Area Management biologist in Palmer said. “As of August 17, we’ve counted 196 coho salmon through the weir. This time last year we had counted over 1,500 through the weir. We will continue to monitor the coho salmon run using daily weir counts and boat surveys of upper Jim Creek and Leaf Lake.”

The Sustainable Escapement Goal for Jim Creek is 450 – 1,400 coho salmon as indexed by an annual foot survey of McRoberts Creek, a tributary within the Jim Creek drainage. The SEG was not achieved in 2010 – 2012 and again in 2014 despite inseason restrictions or closures to the sport fishery. The SEG was attained in 2015 after a closure of the fishery late in the season.

Anglers are reminded that by regulation, sport fishing for any species in the Jim Creek drainage is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Please refer to page 46 of the 2016 Southcentral sport fish regulation summary book for more regulatory information on the Jim Creek drainage.

For more information, contact the department office in Palmer at 907-746-6300.