Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

Recent Emergency Orders & Press Releases for Mat-Su

Archived Sport Fishing Report

By emergency order, Fish Creek has been liberalized to fishing 7 days per week. Sport fishing in Cottonwood and Wasilla creeks remains open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. Anglers are reminded that sport fishing is only allowed in all of these waters from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day. The bag and possession limit for salmon, other than king salmon, 16 inches or greater in length remains at three per day and in possession, of which all three may be coho salmon, in the waters of Fish Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Wasilla Creek.
Only catch and release fishing for rainbow trout and grayling is allowed year-round on Montana Creek. On Willow Creek, rainbow trout are catch-and-release only downstream of the Parks Highway.
Keep in mind that single-hook, no bait restrictions are in place for many of the flowing waters.

The best success for coho salmon this time of year comes from the Talkeetna River and nearby streams, such as Sunshine and Rabideux creeks.
Willow Creek, Montana Creek and the Eklutna Power Plant tailrace also see late silvers trickling in through mid-September.
In early September, silvers can be found in the tributaries and sloughs of the Yentna and Skwentna rivers. Most anglers try Moose, Indian, Bottle, or Hewitt creeks. Expect slow fishing conditions.

Rainbow trout fishing should be good to excellent well into freeze up. Trout may be found mingled in with spawning coho salmon during the last two weeks of September. Later, when waters do drop, target trout in deeper holes and near and below the mouths of streams draining into the Susitna. Try large flesh flies and sculpin patterns.

Pike fishing success will continue to improve until freeze up.
For road-accessible pike fishing, try Nancy, South Rolly, Tanaina, and Memory lakes.
For fly-in pike fishing, it's hard to beat Alexander and Trapper lakes.
Pike are also to be found in Sucker, Donkey and Eightmile lakes.
For river fishing, try the sloughs of the Yentna and Susitna rivers.

With the cooler temperatures of fall approaching, Mat-Su Valley lakes provide excellent fishing as fish become much more active, and feed in shallower water.
In the Palmer/Wasilla area, Lorraine, Carpenter, Knik, Lucille, Kepler, Rocky, and Echo lakes are stocked with rainbow trout.
Lakes stocked with landlocked salmon are Matanuska, Finger, Beverly, Loberg and Klaire.
Arctic char are stocked in Benka, Finger, Irene, Long, Lynne, Marion, Matanuska, Prator, and Seventeenmile lakes.
Along the Glenn Highway northeast of Palmer, Lower Bonnie, Seventeenmile, Slipper, Long, Ravine, Weiner, Knob and North Knob lakes all have rainbow trout.
If it's Arctic grayling you're looking for, try Bruce, Canoe, Reed, Finger, Florence, Knik, Meirs, Lorraine and Kepler/Bradley lakes.