Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

Archived Sport Fishing Report

September 01, 2015

Emergency Orders and regulation reminders

• Starting September 1, the Parks Highway streams and many other Mat-Su and West Cook Inlet waters go to no bait and single-hook only. So check your regulations before fishing.
• 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 salmon fishing by Emergency Order beginning September 2nd for the duration of the salmon 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
• 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.
• 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.

Salmon

• Coho, chum, and pinks are well distributed on the Parks Highway streams, fishing has been good, but the season is slowing down.
• 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 usually 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 at Moose, Indian, Bottle, or Hewitt creeks. Expect slow fishing conditions.

Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

• Rainbow trout fishing should be good to excellent well into freeze up. Look for trout with the spawning coho during the last two weeks in September. When the waters do drop, target trout in deeper holes and near or below the mouths of streams draining into the Susitna. Flesh flies and sculpin patterns work well in late fall.

Northern Pike

• Pike fishing will continue to improve until freeze up.
• Road accessible lakes include Nancy, South Rolly, Tanaina, and Memory Lakes.
• Try Alexander and Trapper Lakes for fly-outs.
• Pike are also to be found in Sucker, Donkey and Eightmile lakes.
• River fishing is good in the sloughs of the Yentna and Susitna Rivers.

Lake Fishing

• 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, 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.