Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

Archived Sport Fishing Report

August 13, 2015

Emergency Orders and regulation reminders

  • Jim Creek, including all waters downstream to the Knik River and continuing downstream on the Knik River to within 100 yards of its confluence with Bodenburg Creek is closed to sport fishing for any species on Mondays and Tuesdays for the rest of this season.
  • In waters of the Little Susitna open to salmon fishing, the bag and possession limit for silver salmon was increased by emergency order from 2 to 3 fish. The coho salmon bag limit is in combination with the current limit for pinks, chum, and sockeye salmon; 3 per day and in possession.
  • By Emergency Order, the bag and possession limit for coho (silver) salmon 16 inches or greater in length was increased to three fish in those waters of Fish Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Wasilla Creek open to salmon fishing. Mondays were added to the weekend-only fisheries of Cottonwood and Wasilla Creeks, allowing fishing to occur on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, and Fish Creek was liberalized to 7 days per week. Anglers are reminded that sport fishing is only allowed in these waters from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and that the coho salmon limit is combined with the bag and possession limit of sockeye, chum, and pink salmon. 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.
  • A youth-only fishery at the Eklutna Tailrace from the confluence with the Knik River, up-stream to the pedestrian bridge, will be open to anglers age 15 and younger on Saturday, August 15th from 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. This is an excellent opportunity to take a youngster fishing and fishing is expected to be good.
  • 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

  • Fishing for chum and coho salmon on the Parks Highway streams is reported to be good.
  • Fishing at the Eklutna Tailrace is mostly good. Most people are using bait, but lures and flies are also producing fish. Early morning fishing is best.
  • Little Su coho fishing is very good and above average. Anglers are taking bag limits daily.
  • Coho fishing has picked up at the Deshka River; try fishing upstream from the mouth.
  • Coho fishing should be excellent in Wasilla Creek/Rabbit Slough, Cottonwood Creek and Fish Creek this weekend. Remember Wasilla and Cottonwood creeks are now open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays – Mondays and Fish Creek open 7 days per week by EO.
  • Coho fishing on Yentna River tributaries is good. Try Yentna tributaries and sloughs such as Moose and Indian Creeks.
  • Coho have been slow to reach the Talkeetna area, but they should arrive any day now.
  • On the west side of Cook Inlet, coho fishing should be good this week.

 Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

  • Fishing for rainbow trout on Parks Highway streams from Willow Creek north to and including Talkeetna is excellent. Stream levels are low and clear.
  • Try fishing egg and flesh fly patterns as rainbow trout are now targeting king eggs and beginning to feed on king carcasses; don’t forget the occasional leech or sculpin pattern.

Northern Pike

  • Pike can be taken using spears, bow-and-arrow (the arrow must be attached to the bow by a line) bait, spin, and fly-fishing. Try top-water weedless lures and flies in the heavily vegetated bays and sloughs. Herring suspended under a bobber is a sure-fire bet.
  • Anglers may retain as many pike as they catch — there is no bag or possession limit. In the freshwaters of West Cook Inlet and Susitna River drainage, anglers are not allowed to release live pike back into the water.
  • For road-accessible pike fishing try Horseshoe, Rainbow and Anderson lakes or the Nancy Lake Canoe System Lakes; specifically Frazier, Little Frazier, Tainiana, Ardaw, Milo, Lynx, and Nancy lakes.
  • Pike are also present in the lakes, ponds and sloughs of the Susitna River drainage. Boat-accessible locations for pike fishing include the Deshka River, Fish Creek, Flathorn Lake, Hewitt Lake, Fish Creek (Kroto Slough), Moose Creek (Yentna River), and Alexander Creek.
  • For fly-in fishing try Alexander, Trapper, Shell, Eight-mile and Sucker lakes.

 Lake Fishing

  • In the Palmer/Wasilla area Irene, Kepler-Bradley, Echo, Meirs, and Knik lakes are stocked with rainbow trout.
  • Further north on the Parks Highway, North Rolly, Rhein, Christiansen, South Friend, and "Y" lakes have rainbow trout.
  • Arctic char are stocked in Echo, Long Lake (mile 86), Matanuska, and Seventeenmile lakes.
  • Along the Glenn Highway northeast of Palmer, Seventeenmile, Long, Ravine, Weiner, and Wishbone lakes all have rainbow trout.
  • If it's Arctic grayling you're looking for, try, Canoe, Finger, Meirs, and Lorraine lakes.

Archives

Mat-Su Area Archives for:
Sep 01, 2015 Aug 21, 2015 Aug 13, 2015 Aug 05, 2015 Jul 30, 2015 Jul 22, 2015 Jul 08, 2015 Jul 02, 2015
Jun 23, 2015 Jun 18, 2015 Jun 11, 2015 Jun 03, 2015 May 27, 2015 May 20, 2015 May 12, 2015 May 06, 2015
Apr 30, 2015 Apr 27, 2015 Apr 15, 2015 Jan 05, 2015