Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 01, 2012

Emergency Orders and regulation reminders

• The Fish Creek youth-only fishery for anglers ages 15 and younger will occur Saturday and Sunday, August 4-5. Fish Creek does not open to general sport fishing until Saturday, August 11, and then it is a weekend-only fishery from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. each day.
• Anglers are reminded that bait is not allowed on the Little Susitna River until August 6, and the daily bag and possession limit for silver (or “coho”) salmon is two fish.
• Wasilla and Cottonwood creeks are weekend-only fisheries, open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Wasilla Creek is open to fishing for salmon, other than king salmon, from its mouth upstream to the Alaska Railroad bridge; and Cottonwood Creek from its mouth upstream one mile. Motorized watercraft capable of producing more than 42 pounds of thrust, or 3 horsepower, may not be used on Wasilla Creek on Saturdays and Sundays, July 15 - August 15.
• Coho salmon 16 inches or longer once removed from fresh water must be retained and become part of the bag limit of the person who originally hooked the fish. A person may not remove a coho salmon 16 inches or longer from the water before releasing it. 

Fresh waters

Salmon

• Coho salmon are arriving slowly to northern Cook Inlet streams.
• Fishing at the Eklutna Tailrace is slow for coho with some sockeye salmon being taken.
• Chum salmon fishing remains good on the Little Susitna River near the Little Susitna Public Use Facility with some coho and pink salmon being caught as well.
• Fishing is expected to be good this weekend for sockeye on Cottonwood Creek. Some coho will also be caught.
• Sockeye fishing should be good at the mouth of Jim Creek; some coho are now being taken.
• Expect fair to good coho fishing at the mouth of Deshka River. Pinks are pouring into the Deshka; silvers are being caught sporadically at the mouth.
• Coho, chum, and pink salmon are being caught in the Parks Highway streams. Pink and chum numbers should be high along eastside streams this week. Try Willow, Little Willow, and Caswell creeks. Fishing at Kashwitna, Sheep, Goose, and Montana creeks typically picks up this week.
• Sockeye and some chums are being caught at the mouths of Clear and Larson creeks of the Talkeetna drainage; it is still a little early for coho.
• Coho fishing is fair on Yentna River tributaries. Lake Creek is producing a few coho; be sure to try other Yentna tributaries and sloughs such as Moose and Indian Creeks.
• Coho fishing should start improving this weekend in Wasilla Creek / Rabbit Slough.
• On the west side of Cook Inlet, coho are entering the Chuit and Theodore rivers. Also, try Polly Creek and the Kustatan River. Once you take your limit of coho salmon in this area you must stop fishing for the day.

Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Fishing for rainbow trout on the Parks Highway streams from Willow Creek north remains good and water conditions are favorable. Fishing for Dolly Varden and Arctic grayling should be good.
• For a good hiking adventure, hike and fish up either the North or Middle forks of Montana Creek or upstream of Shirley town bridge on Willow Creek.

Northern Pike

• Pike can be taken using spears, bow-and-arrow (the arrow must be attached to the bow by a line) bait, spinning tackle, and fly-fishing gear. Try top-water, weedless lures and flies in heavily vegetated bays and sloughs. Herring suspended under a bobber is a surefire bet.
• Anglers may retain as many pike as they catch — there is no bag or possession limit.
• For road-accessible pike fishing, try Nancy Lake and other lakes of the Nancy Lake Recreation Area, Long Lake near Willow, Memory and Prator lakes.
• Boat-accessible pike fishing can be found in the side sloughs of the Deshka River, Alexander Creek, Fish Creek (Kroto Slough) and in Hewitt Lake.
• For fly-in pike fishing try Alexander, Eightmile, Trapper, Flathorn and Sucker lakes.

Lake Fishing

• Lake fishing continues to be excellent in valley lakes. Catchable rainbow trout and Arctic char stocking has been completed for the year. Check the stocking website, for more information. A list of the stocked lakes can also be found on page 12 of the 2012 Southcentral Alaska regulation booklet.
• For Rainbow Trout, try, Echo, Golden, Knob, Loberg, Loon, Lucille, South Rolly, and West Beaver lakes.
• For Arctic Char, try Benka, Carpenter, Irene, Lynne, Marion, Matanuska, Memory and Seventeenmile lakes.
• For Arctic grayling, try Canoe, Florence, Lorraine, Lower Bonnie, and Weiner lakes.
• For Landlocked Salmon, try Barley, Bearpaw, Carpenter, Christiansen, Kalmbach, Matanuska and Victor lakes.
• For a wide variety of fish, try Finger Lake. It has been stocked with rainbow trout, Arctic char and landlocked king salmon.

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