Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

Recent Emergency Orders & Press Releases for Mat-Su

Archived Sport Fishing Report

Emergency Orders and regulation reminders

The Fish Creek personal use dip net fishery may only be opened by EO upon a run strength projection in excess of 50,000 sockeye salmon. To date that criterion has not been met.
Bait is now allowed in many – but not all – Susitna River tributaries. Check for exceptions to the general regulations before heading out.
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 salmon is two fish.
Wasilla Creek and Cottonwood Creek are weekend-only fisheries, from 6:00 a.m. through 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 may not be used on Wasilla Creek on Saturday 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

Pink and chum salmon are available in strong numbers along Parks Highway streams from Willow north to Talkeetna. Silvers should be in the mix this week. Try the mouths and lower sections of Willow, Little Willow, Kashwitna, Sheep, Caswell, and Montana creeks.
Fishing is expected to be good this next weekend for sockeye salmon on Cottonwood Creek. Also try Jim Creek.
Sockeye fishing at Larson Creek of the Talkeetna and Lake Creek of the Yentna River are both good places to fish for sockeye this week.
Expect some silvers at the mouths of Deshka River and Alexander Creek.
Silver and chum fishing has been fair at the Little Susitna. Fishing success for silvers should only improve this week.
Silvers are becoming more regular at the Eklutna Tailrace.
Silver fishing should improve in Wasilla Creek / Rabbit Slough this weekend.

Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling

Fishing for rainbow trout on Parks Highway streams from Willow Creek north continues to be good. Stream levels have fluctuated in recent days due to widespread rains, but most are clear. Fishing for Dolly Varden and Arctic grayling should be fair.

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

Lake fishing has been consistently excellent this month.
Lakes producing high catch rates of nice rainbows include Lucille, Finger, and Matanuska.
Over 80 lakes are stocked in the Mat-Su. To view the recent stocking records, please visit our website at: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=SportStockingHatcheriesSearch.main