Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

Recent Emergency Orders & Press Releases for Mat-Su

Archived Sport Fishing Report

Emergency Orders and regulation reminders

Use of bait is currently prohibited by EO on the Little Susitna River.
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 by regulation to sport fishing for any species on Mondays and Tuesdays for the rest of this season.
By Emergency Order, beginning 6 a.m. Saturday, August 13, the bag and possession limit for coho (silver) salmon 16 inches or greater in length is increased to three fish in those waters of Fish Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Wasilla Creek open to salmon fishing. Mondays are added to the weekend-only fisheries of Cottonwood and Wasilla Creeks, allowing fishing to occur on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, and Fish Creek is 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.
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 salmon on the Parks Highway streams is reported to be good while coho fishing remains slow.
Fishing for coho at the Eklutna Tailrace is fair at best. Most people are using bait, but lures and flies are also producing fish. Early morning fishing is best.
Little Su coho fishing has been below average for coho and good for chum salmon. Water levels are currently on the rise and becoming colored, but are forecast to drop later this week.
Recent rains have created a surge of water down the Deshka River and motivated coho to swim upriver. Coho counts have increased substantially in the past few days, although the river is high and dirty. Fishing is expected to be good when waters begin to drop and clear.
Coho fishing is expected to be good in Wasilla Creek/Rabbit Slough, Cottonwood Creek and Fish Creek this weekend. Remember Wasilla and Cottonwood creeks are open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays – Mondays and Fish Creek open 7 days per week beginning this Saturday, August 13 by EO.
The Yentna River is at flood stage. Try Lake Creek and Yentna tributaries and sloughs such as Moose and Indian Creeks.
Coho have been slow to reach the Talkeetna area, but they should arrive in fishable numbers 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 the Parks Highway streams from Willow Creek north is excellent. Fishing for Dolly Varden and Arctic grayling should be good.
Try fishing egg and flesh fly patterns as rainbow trout are now targeting king eggs and feeding on king carcasses.

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.