Area Sport Fishing Reports
Mat-Su

Archived Sport Fishing Report

July 17, 2019

Week of July 17 - July 23

Freshwater Fishing

• King salmon fishing closed July 13 for all Northern Cook Inlet area waters, except for the stocked fishery at the Eklutna Tailrace. Any king incidentally hooked must be immediately released and may not be removed from the water.
• Anglers are reminded that bait is not allowed on the Little Susitna River until August 6, and the daily bag and possession limit for coho salmon is two fish.
• Cohos, chums, and pinks are being caught in the lower Little Susitna River near the Little Susitna Public Use Facility.
• Pink salmon are in high abundance on the Susitna drainage right now, more specifically on the Deshka River and along all the Eastside Susitna tributaries from Willow Creek north to and including the Talkeetna River. Some cohos are beginning to be caught as well, although it is still a little early.
• This would be a good weekend to try fishing for sockeye salmon at the mouth of Cottonwood Creek.
• Fishing for rainbow trout on the Parks Highway streams from Willow Creek north is excellent. Water levels are favorable for fishing and clear. Fishing for Dolly Varden and arctic grayling should be good. There are several good access roads off Willow Fishhook for fishing upper Willow Creek. Deception Creek can also produce some nice rainbows this time of year. Take a trip to Clear Creek of the Talkeetna River, accessible by boat via Talkeetna boat launch.
• Bow fishing for pike this time of year can be a blast. Try Anderson, King, or Memory lakes. Anglers may retain as may pike as they catch – there is no bag or possession limit.
• Fish Creek sockeye counts are posted on our webpage. These fish often make a sudden showing. Stay tuned. The personal use salmon fishery can only be opened by emergency order when at least 35,000 sockeye salmon can be projected in the escapement.

Local Lakes

• If you want to target some big rainbows, try fishing a few of the shallower lakes in the Mat-Su with leach patterns and fish the edges of the only deep holes in the lakes. Lucile, Visnaw, Seymour, Lalen, and Walby are a few hot spots for rainbows over 20 inches right now.
• Goober Lake towards the Nelchina glacier would be a fun adventure on a 4-wheeler. From the Alascom tower road (by Knob Lakes) it’s about a two-hour ride to Goober and the trail is very dry. You can also access Goober from the Nelchina Trailhead.
• There are plenty of local lakes that provide a nice and quiet fishing opportunity in the Palmer and Mat-Su area. Visit the ADF&G stocking webpage to find out which lakes have recently been stocked. 

Emergency Orders

Please review the Emergency Orders and News Releases below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.

• Emergency Order 2-NP-2-16-19 closed Alexander and Sucker lakes to sport fishing.

For additional information, please contact the ADF&G Palmer Area Office at (907) 746-6300.